any issues with barnaul 5.45 ?

anyone had any issues , feeding or other with Barnaul 5.45x39 55gr HP? I noticed that the bullet is alot shorter than the FMJ.
I have a chance to pick up a few thousand rounds cheap enough if it is GTG.

thanks.

Personally, no. But I have heard of others with feeding issues. Probably depends on the individual rifle.

1DD

I had issues with it in my NDS2 loading from a steel Tantal mag. The same Tantal mag cycles Russian 7n6 and Wolf 60gr JHPs flawlessly. The short bullet Barnaul did, however, seem to cycle just fine out of a black polymer Bulgy mag. I only had two boxes of the Barnaul with the short bullets so that's as far as my experience goes. I have never felt inclined to buy any more of it.

thanks guys..I have a chance to buy a few thousand rnds for $150 locally from a guy I used to work with.
Think I might buy it as just in case ammo.

$150/K or $150 for all of it? $150 for 1000 isn't bad at all, but if it's $150 for 2000 to 3000 rounds, that's a great deal.
While it seems to have some feeding issues due to the OAL, if it's super cheap, it would be good range fodder, even with some possible jams here and there.

I think the short "stubby" bullets are actually .223 bullets, that is what they looked like. The Russians all have long bullets, the 52, 60,and 70 are all very long profiles, not like the 5.56.
I would think that they would not be as accurate as the longer ones, the 5.45's are mostly 1/8 twist and like the longer bullet

Yeah, that is my take on it as well. Probably was an attempt to save on costs by using one size/type bullet for both calibers. Whatever the reason though, I would consider it a failure. Even if they worked perfectly, there is still something unsettling about that short bullet. It just does not look right.

feeding issues

There's nothing wrong with 55 gr. Barnaul HP when used in AK-74 type rifles (the three I have anyway). It isn't . .223 diameter bullet, does not keyhole or exhibit any other aberrations. Shoots as accurately as any other 5.45x39mm round. Not exactly MOA material, but certainly as reliable as any decent AK platform/round. Some of the most recent postings on this thread reveal an obvious lack of experience with the particular cartridge being dicussed (when used in a Kalashnikov system).

The only issues I've had with the short-nosed 55 grainer was in a S&W 5.45mm upper, and that might've been caused by a magazine problem or the typical filthiness resulting from Russki ammunition.

I'd buy all I could at the price the O.P. cites. Haven't seen it advertised in the past two years. It's sealed & lacquer-coated, which I prefer to the current Wolf or Silver Bear offerings. Though there's nothing wrong with either of the latter, they shoot well enough too.

I ended up buying all he had...2750 rnds for $150 guess I'll see how it shoots out of my bulgy 74's

Great Deal! Man, for that price I would have bought it all in a heartbeat too. You probably won't have much trouble. As I said, it only gave me issues out of one mag and I didn't have enough to do much of a comparison. Heck, even if it gave me four or five jams per mag, at that price, I would gladly live with it.

I've been shootin' it out of my CAI M-74. No failures in any category, accuracy on par with other 5.45mm ammunition. BTW, you flat STOLE that ammo at five & 1/2 cents a round, major score !

just in case anyone hasn't seen a HP it looks like this...( you can see how it can accidently get confused with a .223/5.56 rnd)
5.45x39 Barnaul HP next to Wolf FMJ

The short Barnaul HP bullets DO give me feeding problems in my home-built Bulgarian -74. Here's one from the older boxes:

(sorry...pic looked better on my PC screen)

And the rifle in question:


Rob

Apparently some rifles like it (my four do) but some don't. Even if yer guns are in the "don't" category, you can quickly make a 300% profit by selling the stuff to another '74 shooter...................

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