Wars end, but cartridges stay on the shelf. Three military rounds, and the sporting cartridges that grew up beside them.

Armies buy ammunition in enormous numbers, and when the rifles are retired the cartridges stay behind: in surplus rifles, in commercial production and in hunters' hands. Three of them dominate this shelf.

Three military cartridges that stayed

The 7.62x39 was introduced in the Soviet Union during World War II and chambered in the SKS and then the AK-47. Its standard bullet is a 122- or 123-grain FMJ, and loads in the traditional weight are at 7.62x39 ammo.

The 7.62x54R is the Russian rimmed round of 1891, the cartridge of the Mosin-Nagant rifle. Its 148-grain FMJ loads are at 7.62x54r 148 grain ammo.

The 8mm Mauser carried the German army through two world wars and is now a sporting round. Polymer-tip loads like those at 8mm mauser polymer tip ammo put a modern bullet style into a classic cartridge. The Hungarian 8x56R, a rimmed military cartridge from the 1930s, is loaded by Prvi Partizan, at prvi partizan 8x56r ammo.

A word about surplus ammunition

Military surplus ammunition from the era of these rifles may have corrosive primers, whose residue attracts moisture and rusts a bore. If you shoot corrosive surplus, clean the bore and the gas parts promptly with water-based cleaner, then oil them. Modern commercial loads from makers such as Prvi Partizan use non-corrosive primers.

The sporting side

Not every cartridge here is military. The 22 Hornet, introduced by Winchester in 1930, is a gentle small-game round, and 45-grain loads such as those at 22 hornet 45 grain ammo are typical. The 22-250 Remington is much faster, and polymer-tip loads like those at 22-250 polymer tip ammo are common.

The 25-06, a .30-06 necked to .25 caliber, is a flat-shooting deer and antelope round, and Winchester's loads are at winchester 25-06 ammo. The 9.3x72R, a German rimmed round for break-action rifles, shows the other European tradition, and its loads are at 9.3x72r ammo.

The modern contrast

To see how far the shelf has moved, look at the newcomers. The 8.6 Blackout, a modern .338-caliber design for AR-style rifles, is new enough that anyone who wants to buy 8.6 blackout ammo should check the chambering first. The 7.5 FK, a lead-free copper design from the Czech maker FK BRNO, is at 7.5 fk ammo for sale.

Surplus ammunition and surplus rifles vary widely in condition. Inspect the rifle, clean after corrosive ammunition, and confirm current stock and state shipping restrictions before ordering.