Going Price for M118?

[jaundice]

A local former high power shooter is selling a can (460 rounds) of M118 with the 173 gr bullet. I'm wondering what the going rate is? My understanding is that this is the less desirable SB round, rather than the excellent 175 gr bullet.

The seller is asking $400 for it. Is that a good price?

 

[dmike]

I'm not familiar with the 173 but that's the same price as what lax is charging for 168 OTM (federal American eagle).

The xm118 (175) I can find is about 50% more expensive than that at 1.35/rd

 

[jaundice]

Thanks for the heads-up on that 168 OTM. It appears to be a similar round.

This M118 SB (Special Ball) 173 grain is the older match round, apparently not as accurate as the newer M118 LR (Long Range) with the Sierra 175 gr MK. That's why it's a bit hard to price. It appears to have been designed for the M21 sniper rifle, sort of an accurate semi auto round. When the military transitioned to the M24, they upgraded the round to the super accurate M118 LR with the 175 bullet. It makes sense that a more accurate round is needed to take advantage of a bolt action rifle's inherent accuracy.

The deals look comparable, except that there's no shipping on the local deal, and I get an ammo can. I have a hunch, though, that the OTM might be a more accurate round. I'll be shooting this through an M1A and a Remington 40x.

 

[wxl]

Believe the 173 SB was a stop gap sniper round from '83 to '94. The SB was adopted in 1983 out of necessity because the discontinuance of the M118 Match left the US without a sniper round. SB was a new cartridge very similar to the M118 Match, using the same M1 Type match bullet that was first introduced in 1924 and the same IMR 4895 powder. The case was 7.62mm NATO with a crimped primer and the velocity was officially designated at 2640 fps, some 90 fps higher than the M118 Match and M852 Match. Officially it was intended for use in high accuracy, long range weapons, in other words, snipers.

In '87 the powder was changed to the WC846 until the cartridge was discontinued in '94. The using services generally disliked the M118SB. In '95 the USN and USMC developed a better cartridge, the M118LR, still in use today.

 

[mforsch]

Look at it this way-----If you bought new components and built your own-----the cheapest works out to between .80 cents a piece and 1.10 a piece (roughly); at least that's what I've experienced with my own .308's (on the left coast).
You're getting 460 rnds for less than a buck a round, plus a batch of good quality brass to reload------or pull down and rework to your own specs; either way, the price is not offensive.
Another thought is to shoot it in your (one) rifle, fire forming the brass and getting some shooting time as well---then reload with a minimum of bother as far as the brass goes.

If it were me---I'd buy it---------but I'd be willing to drive a bit farther if it was closer to $350.....

 

[jaundice]

Thanks, fellas, for the info. Based on what wxl mentioned, and other stuff I've read, this stuff is really like M80 ball, upgraded. Regular LC brass, WC846 powder, and staked primers. The deal is still probably worth it, but based on dmike's tip, I'll probably try 168 gr OTM instead. The whole combo seems better.

 

[dmike]

Jaundice, I gave those Federal American 168 OTMs a shot in 3 different rifles and I was not impressed. We even tried an M1A, which is what the box claims they're tuned for. Hope I didn't steer you wrong pointing them out. 175GMM is $1.15 right now, and the Remington Premier 168s are at about $0.99...those shot better for me than the Americans and that M1A liked them a lot.