I picked up my 308 Oracle from my dealers yesterday.   While I was there, I found an ammo can filled with loose 7.62 rounds.  On the side in yellow print it says XM118 460rds.  I counted them tonight, there are 420 left in the can.  Problem is, the rounds ranged in stamp from 60-67, some Lake City others WRA, but all having the nato symbol...and I have to figure out a fair offer for my dealer.  

From my research today it looks like people, across 10 years or so, were saying per round prices ranging from .30-.50.  I'm thinking $150 would be fair but maybe that's lowballing or maybe too high.  

What are your thoughts on a fair price to offer him?  Also, is this better for plinking at the range, defense, hunting, etc.??

EDIT:  These weren't reloads.  The WRA primers were all sealed 67 was red sealer, 64 purple, LC was black sealer.

Thanks

-Emt1581

Just my guess:

The can markings mean nothing.  
WRA didn't make M118, so you have a mixture of ball and maybe ? M118.  

Second issue:  The M118 load was a 173 FMJ bullet.  So if you do buy it, I'd suggest weighing them out.  Shooting 150gr Ball and then 173FMJ M118 could really open your groups up.  

Third:  While I doubt they are reloads too, you can buy primed USGI Brass.  Likewise people pull bullets for all sorts of reasons- so either way the crimped primers is NOT a 100% guarantee they aren't reloads.

So assume you have 420 rds of ball.  
To me, just my opinion, atleast .50 is fair.

PS.... since they are alll mixed-- plinking is the use for them.  Reload the brass....        

There is no telling. Maybe not reloads but what are you getting? Not worth the risk/trouble when 308 is close to 50cpr new mfg brass cased.

M118 is long range hollow point match grade ammo.

Is it hollow point?

Nope.  It's all FMJ.  

Thanks

-Emt1581

Back in the 60's they sold primed brass?  This stuff shows some age to it.  Not tarnished but dusty.  Yet the cases aren't polished.  Any other signs to indicate reloaded?  I don't see any and, being a reloader, I'm thinking I'd notice.

Thanks

-Emt1581

Just to be clear the hollow point part is about the size of a pin hole. So look close.

It doesn't look like a .45 ACP HP.

I have plenty of JHP rifle rounds.  Definitely not JHP.

-Emt1581

Early 1960s vintage XM118/M118 used a 173GR.  FMJBT bullet. NSW CRANE contract/LC M118LR with the 175GR. SMK OTM bullet was not manufactured until 1995. But 168GR. Sierra INTERNATIONAL H.P.  bullet ammunition, now referred to as the 168GR. SMK OTM bullet,  came out in 1980 with the NSW CRANE contract/LC M852 MATCH cartridge. The original XM118/M118 cartridge was the MATCH and combat load used in the M14/NM14/XM21/7.62MM accurized bolt rifles in Vietnam. The earliest XM118 box I have was made by LAKE CITY in 1963. I am an "old fart" so used XM118/M118 ammunition when it was considered to be the most accurate 7.62MM ammunition available for use in the U.S. M14/M14NM/XM21 rifle.

I'd pass just because you really don't know what's in that can.

It could all be good factory ammo or mixed reloads. It's certainly not unheard of for reloaders to seal primers with fingernail polish.

Are the primers crimped?  Any neck sealant visible?

Mixed headstamps would not be a good indicator to me.
I would consider that ammo salvage only as there is too much good ammo available to take the chance with an expensive weapon.

From the mix of head stamps and other information, this sounds like regular M80 ball ammo.

Good call! The NATO (+) headstamp would also indicate that it is probably M80 BALL, not XM118/M118. Genuine LC XM118/M118 will be heastamped "LC MATCH"  OR "LC NM" both with a 2 digit date code. There was no NATO (+) on the headstamp of XM118/M118 cartridges made during the '60s or '70s. And AFAIK, WRA/WCC did not make any XM118/M118 cartridges in that date range but FA did.

EDIT: OP,  XM118/M118 primers were not crimped. If the primers are crimped, then it is almost certainly M80 BALL. Take a look.

M118SB is Special Ball. A 173 grain FMJ projectile. M118LR features a 175 SMK.
M852 is a 168 SMK.

OP, sounds like it could be nearly anything. Is skip it unless the deal hit .50cpr.

THIS.  To top it off, the headstamp on M118LR will be LC LR. The deal sucks.

OP:

Just to be clear....(and for others clarification)  the vintage (60-70-80's) of M118 was loaded with a 173 FMJ bullet and NOT marked LR .
In other words, as I and Leid point out the third generation of this ammo where the 175gr Sierra HPBT was used wasn't until the 90's.  To seperate it from the others that ammo IS marked LR.
The flow was:  M118 (173gr and NM marked cases), M118 Special ball (173gr) and then they jumped the quality back up to the M118LR (which is the 175 Sierra HPBT and LR marked cases).  
In around the M118SB time frame the M852 came out.......... but again as Leid mentions the M852 was the Sierra 168HPBT.  Those are the cases with the cannelure about 1/2" up the case.  
.

You were offered a mixed bag of Ball, from the description................

Consider it good brass and range plinkers.

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Many of us, myself included, learned the specifics about accurized U.S. DOD  7.62MM cartridges from Ray Meketa who had the best information available for us civilian shooters. Ray, myself. and many other shooter/collectors pulled down all the different accurized U.S. DOD 7.62MM cartridges we could get our hands on for this information. But nobody was able to come up with sealed boxes of LC M118LR manufactured in 1999 or 2000. These lots were manufactured at the end of the Winchester/Western tenure and just before Federal/ATK took over production at LCAAP in 2001. Ray was still looking for those mystery lots when he died a few months back.

This is what I remember off the top of my head on the different DOD 7.62MM accuracy loads. It should be pretty close.

FA T275/T275E1: 1956-1959
LC & FA XM118/LC M118: 1963 -1982 (WC 846 BALL®  in 1963 then IMR 4895)
NSW CRANE contract 168GR. Sierra INTERNATIONAL HP/LC M852.: 1980-1996 (IMR 4895)
LC M118 SB (SPECIAL BALL): 1980-1996 (173GR. FMJBT over WC 846 BALL®  OR IMR 4895 in standard M80 type brass with crimped primer pockets)
NSW CRANE contract 175GR. SMK OTM/LC M118LR AA11 load: 1995-Present (175GR. SMK OTM over WCC 750 Winchester BALL® propellant (1995 thru 1998) then RL15 propellant (2001-Present) in LC LR headstamped brass).
Mk 316 MOD 0 AB39 load: 2009- Present (175GR. SMK OTM over IMR 4064 propellant in specialized "Pre-Pocket" head FC brass).
Mk 316 MOD 1: ?????
Mk 316 MOD 2: ?????

NO, M118LR has the SMK 175 hollow point match bullet, M118 was made with the old M72 match bullet, a 173 FMJ.  As said above WRA did not make M118.  

I don't remember specifically but I think the reason Ray had problems getting boxes of the 1999-2000 lots of M118LR is because most of it went to USSOCOM.  

My dinosaur memory tends to make me think that in 1999-2000 the Navy Team issued commercial HSM 7.62 and 77-grain 5.56mm at the LANTFLEET and All-Navy Matches at Dam Neck -- but I can't remember with absolute clarity.

60s-70s thru 1982 vintage M118 (173-grain Boat-tail, exposed lead base) is red-white-and-blue box with an American Eagle.

Ray was just not about the 7.62x51/.308, but all .30 cal bullets.  Even better at the gun powders for them!  

He could hear the powder shake inside the case and tell you what it was, how much, and size.  True story.

Here is what he helped me with, hope it helps.  Top row from left to right, first 5 cartridges.  (Notice the 200gr from WCC in 1958)
wolfganggross

Hey Wolf,
     What Ray was trying to set straight were which, if any, LOT(s) of 175GR. SMK OTM based Pre M118 LR/M118LR were loaded "hot" for use in accurized bolt rifle ONLY. These lots were and still are considered by many to be unsafe for use in the U.S. M14 7.62MM rifle The reason these lots were loaded "hot" was to keep the bullet supersonic out to the 1000yd. mark in varying thermal conditions. Ray had reached the point where he stated that all the M118LR lots produced by LCAAP after Federal/ATK took over production there in 2001 were safe for use in the M14 rifle. But the question still remained with the earlier lots produced from 1995 thru 2000 while W/W was still running LCAAP.  I should have stayed more abreast of his progress. But like many others,  I thought Ray would eventually solve the question regarding these mystery lots and publish his findings. Unfortunately, that was not to be. It appears that the last questionable lots were produced by LCAAP in 1999. I don't think Ray ever found any record of M118LR lots even being produced in 2000 much less getting a sealed box with LOT info. Ray and several others were pretty well convinced that the last M118LR LOT produced by LCAAP using WC-750 BALL®  propellant was LOT: LC99C173-013 produced in 1999.

EDIT: AFAIK, all the 175Gr. SMK OTM "hot" LOTs in question used WC-750 Winchester BALL® spherical propellant. Below are a couple of the earliest lots Ray came up with:

Pre-M118LR LOT made by W/W for NSWC CRANE in 1995:



Pre-M118LR LOT made by LCAAP in 1995 marked "USMC" with  Eagle Globe and Anchor emblem: