Review: Australian Outback Ammunition

During SHOT Show 2014 I came across a new brand of ammunition, at least new to me.  This brand is Australian Outback. (Australian Outback Ammunition)  This is the commercial line for Australian Defense Industries.  Currently they are importing .308 Winchester, .223 Remington and .300 AAC Blackout ammunition.

I purchased several boxes of their .308 and .223 ammunition for testing.  I chose the 168 grain .308 and the 69 grain .223 ammunition.  Both calibers are using Sierra MatchKing bullets.  This is very good for you the shooter.  Sierra is known for manufacturing high quality bullets for the commercial manufacturers and the reloading community.  (Sierra Bullets) 

So far I am amazed with the results of this ammunition.  The accuracy and repeatability are amazing.  First I will start with the .223.  First shots I was able to obtain sub-inch groups with 3 holes overlapping.  This compares favorably with BlackHills ammunition, (BlackHills Ammunition) which has a reputation for high quality and accuracy. BlackHills also uses the 69 grain Sierra MatchKing bullet. 

Both brands were fired out of an AR15, 16 inch barrel with a 1:8 twist. 

The .308 also gave me favorable results.  First 3 shots out of the box was a sub-inch group of .6 inches.  The groups later opened up to .8 as the barrel heated up

All groups were fired from a Remington 700 SPS with a standard hunting weight barrel.

Now the .308 results get even better.  After I took these initial shots, I took a long range class using Australian Outback ammunition and I achieved even smaller groups at 100 yards.  (No pictures available as of this posting)  Overlapping holes were routine.  (These results are from a Remington 700 LTR with heavy target barrel)  And as part of the class we needed to chronograph our ammunition to perform the calculations.  The results are as follows:

• 1.    2663
• 2.    2672
• 3.    2669
• 4.    2668
• 5.    2666

Average = 2667

These are numbers that most hand loaders would be envious of.  It is only a sample of 5 shots, but I have never seen factory ammunition this consistent ever.  Even my instructors were impressed with Australian Outback ammunition. 

Now for the bad news.  This is match grade ammunition and it comes with match grade pricing. 

Prices I paid are:  

.223 Remington - $19.95 per box of 20

.308 Winchester - $29.95 per box of 20.

The other bad news is I have not found a local store that carries it.  I have to order online.  This makes buying onesie-twosie boxes very expensive when you include shipping.  Luckily for me, I knew I was taking the longrange class and needed 200 rounds of .308.  I was able to offset shipping with a large order.

One place online I can buy this brand is www.ammotogo.com.

In conclusion, do not overlook Australian Outback ammunition.  I have achieved excellent results so far.  I will continue to buy this brand.  It is expensive but I think the results justify the cost.  

By: Mez

07/13/2014