J.Schmitt wrote:Jomar and I are both here right now. If it sticks to a magnet, it cannot be used, period. With so many different brands of out-of-country ammo and so many variations of bullet heads, we don't have the time and resources to be checking all the ammo.
Bottom line is that the cheaper ammo as attractive to the pockets, but are very damaging to the targets. Those damaged targets from the last match were pratically brand new, and we had to replace them after one match.
Jay
Folks, we're not trying to be range pricks with this ammo stuff. The rules and the process of testing them with magnets are very common to the major 3-gun matches. I actually have a batch of Federal XM80 FMJ 308 ammo that I know are not steel core or armor piercing, but they have enough steel in the jacket to stick to a magnet. Would they damage a steel target? No more than the other 308 ammo I have that does not stick to a magnet. Would I expect an RO to believe me when I tell him its not steel core ammo when his magnet sticks to my ammo? No. Nor would I expect him to take the time and hold up the match to further look into my ammo, or expect him to know all the different types of 308 ammo and what material they are made out of.
We understand that getting good ammo is hard, and sometimes all there is are the stuff with steel core. We simply cannot risk the steel coer ammo to be used on the steel targets. Only other solution to that is to use paper targets, but I'm sure no one is going to like having to be the one to walk up to 200 yards to score and paste. Thats what will happen if the steel targets we have now gets damaged and we cannot afford to replace them. And if our targets continue to get damaged by these steel core ammo, we guarantee that the good folks who bring personally-owned steel targets for us to use will not be allowed to do so anymore as we will not allow their personal property to have the same fate.