CategoriesGun Reviews Post By admin

Looking for affordable .308 for Range Work? PMC Bronze

Back during the chaos of the pandemic, ammo prices shot up. Components were scarce and demand was high, so you took what you could find. Now, just about everything is readily available again and PMC Bronze .308 Winchester is setting a high standard of performance at a price that seems like the good old days.

The full-metal-jacketed rounds are ideal for those who genuinely practice with their .308s. If you are a high-volume shooter or really enjoy range time with an AR-10, PMC is a solid option.

While the 147-grain projectile is on the lighter end of the .308 family, these boat-tailed bullets provide consistent repeat accuracy at the low end of the price spectrum.

PMC Bronze .308 Winchester

  • 2780 FPS
  • Reloadable brass casings
  • Clean-burning powders
  • Boxer primers
  • Boat tail FMJ bullets
  • Medium- to long-range target ammo
Running a gun like the Ruger SFAR can eat a hole in your wallet. It doesn’t have to be that way. PMC can help with that.

What is the 147-grain .308 good for?

That’s a fair question. The 147-grain bullet was originally designed to run in belt-fed machine guns. It is brass jacketed, and there’s no hollow point hiding behind the jacket.

Consider the requirements for a belt-fed gun. The rounds are going to get beat to hell before they ever get in the chamber, so the projectile needs to stand up to some abuse. And accuracy—while important—isn’t really a requirement. Or not the first priority, anyhow.

If you need a sturdy round that will run well, the 147 is a solid choice. And it has made the progression over to becoming a popular range ammo for practice and competition. It is good for running on steel and paper.

The PMC has brass jackets, boxer primers, and the brass cases are reloadable. PMC's volume allows them to produce at volume with solid components without running up the costs.
The PMC has brass jackets, boxer primers, and the brass cases are reloadable. PMC’s volume allows them to produce with solid components without running up the costs.

PMC

PMC is a South Korean company known for their quality. They make all of their own components, so they control the quality control. They make millions of rounds annually, and many in the industry put them at number four, volume-wise, for ammo producers.

Yet stateside, they’re not renowned for their precision. They make exceptionally accurate ammo, but you’re more likely to find the value end of the spectrum—the range ammo. With their volume, though, this makes sense.

PMC is running up cost with packaging or marketing, and that's reflected in the price.
The PMC .308, on sale, runs less than $1 a round.

But make no mistake—this is not bargain-basement range ammo. PMC produces consistent performance and reliability. The .308 brass is even reloadable. PMC isn’t dumping garbage on the US market in order to maintain margins; they’re relying on their volume of production to keep costs reasonable.

How does it shoot?

I ran the 147-grain .308 through two platforms. The first, a Ruger SFAR, is ideal for the 147 grain on the range. I didn’t push it past the 100-yard mark as I was on a short range. The shots were consistent, as expected.

Shooting with the Ruger with a low-powered scope, the PMC performs very well. This group was shot standing, braced, but it shows what's possible. You don't have to give up accuracy, even in range ammo.
Shooting with the Ruger and a low-powered scope, the PMC performs very well. This group was shot standing, braced, but it shows what’s possible. You don’t have to give up accuracy, even with range ammo.

For high-volume runs with a .308, ammo can get pricey. That’s really the sweet spot for PMC.

The other gun I was working on was a Remington 700. I’m new to the Model 700 and I was trying to learn the nuances of the trigger. The best way to do that is to put rounds down range.

The Remington Model 700 has a long track record of performance. Even with varied grain weights, the gun shoots straight. This is from 100 yards, off a bipod.
The Remington Model 700 has a long track record of performance. Even with varied grain weights, the gun shoots straight. This is from 100 yards, off a bipod.

I sighted in with the 147-grain PMC and ran round after round, feeling for the break on the 700 (which is just over five pounds).

At the risk of stating the obvious, I’ll note that the PMC wouldn’t be my first choice for hunting with the Model 700. Not that it isn’t capable. It is. But the round isn’t designed for expansion.

But the accuracy at 100 yards is impressive. I wouldn’t hesitate to hunt hogs with this platform and ammo combination. I tend to hunt hogs with semi-autos and prefer magazines with stellar capacity. But a single shot placed perfectly can be even more effective.

These boat-tailed FMJs are going to penetrate. Pass-through is likely. So accuracy is paramount.

But I keep coming back to the range.

Though you could hunt with PMC Bronze ethically, that’s not its intended purpose. This is ammo designed to help you hone your skills.

When you need to get warmed up for fall or learn the feel of a new gun, the PMC shines. On sale, the PMC runs less than a dollar a round. That’s a steal for .308 in this new era of ammo inflation.