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Ammunition review - Centurion/US Loosepack (Page 3 of 3)
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I shot this ammo again this weekend at a Appleseed shoot, I was shooting my Bushmaster upper A2 and my friend shot his Larue Stealth upper. We both shot about 400+ rounds this weekend. At the end of day one I had two short strokes that caused a jam. I should have wiped my gun down at night but I didnt just added some more lube.
The next day I had a FTFeed the gun short stroked and didnt put a round in the chamber, and I had some more jams about 4 in total. My freind had his gun jam up also from a short stroke, he cleaned his gun in the middle of the shoot and it performed flawlessly after that. I switched to PMC ammo for 20rds and then went back to Centurion and my gun ran perfect after that (most likely irelivent about the ammo swap). I did find a round with the case neck split. Half the brass I picked up case mouth was dented pretty bad, I havent seen this before while shooting. This ammo shot fine through my Carbine but had some hickups in a full size rifle. |
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| I picked up 500 rnds of this stuff about a month ago and took it to the range today. I used both my Colt 6920 and LWRCi M6A2. I was using quality USGI mags and PMAGS. I experience frequent Failures to Feed (about 1 out of 10). The round got bound up in the feed lips and the feed ramps.... almost like it was a little out of spec somehow. FWIW PMAGS worked slightly better.... maybe 1 in 15 FTF. I'm a bit puzzled TBH. All other ammo worked fine with no malfunctions. ( I also had on hand XM193, Privi 193, Privi 75gr OTM, Wolf 55gr). The problem was definitely ammo reltated. Once chambered, it fired fine, and was reasonably accurate. Both rifles have over 1000 rounds on them, and were well lubed. |
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I'm almost finished with 1K rounds of this ordered from Sportsman's Guide. No problems at all. Good brass, clean-ish burning. Best accuracy I've gotten was sub 1" at 150yd using a LaRue stealth upper. But is this stuff .223 or 5.56? I need a definitive answer so I can try it through a .223 chambered barrel. |
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Originally Posted By GC7:
I'm almost finished with 1K rounds of this ordered from Sportsman's Guide. No problems at all. Good brass, clean-ish burning. Best accuracy I've gotten was sub 1" at 150yd using a LaRue stealth upper. But is this stuff .223 or 5.56? I need a definitive answer so I can try it through a .223 chambered barrel. It's .223 |
When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.
| I've been through only 300-350 rds of it so far, but no issues at all through my Del-Ton 16" CAR upper. Accuracy has been at least as good as that with milsurp M193 and probably a little better. |
Originally Posted By sjuhockey10: Dear God, grant me the ability to whack just one person with a 2x4 via Internet.
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I had a little problem come up today with this brass.
On second firing, I had 2 out of a batch of 30 separate about 1/3rd of the way up the case. I think this ammo is undersized, causing an excessive headspace scenario. Here is a case of this stuff compared to a case of 2x fired LC brass (note the stretch ring inside of the Centurian case) : 
Yet, I find no glaring issues with the ammo being undersized: L––-R Twice fired Centurian case, New centurian case, Reloaded M855 clone (LC case), 2x fired LC brass. 
I find it more than a coincidence that I only have case separations with this particular brass. I'm not going to reload it anymore. I would advice you check your brass if you've fired any to check for stretch rings/head separations. Zuk- Can you change my vote from "I've used this ammo and had no problems with it" to "I won't be using this ammo anymore" |
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Yup I made a thread over there.
IDK if I just got a bad batch or what, because others have reloaded the brass without issue. I would just check your brass for head separations to be on the safe side. Seems really odd to me that other brands of brass work fine yet this brass gives issues fired from the same rifle, with the same reloading dies adjusted the same, etc. |
To satisfy my curiosity, I cut open 6 more cases just now. Only found one of the six that showed evidence of impending case failure:
I'm not sure what to think at this point. I think i'll just set these cases aside and not use them until I can find a suitable method of non destructive inspection. 
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I have fired 500-600 rounds of this so far with zero problems. This was from 2 carbines, one Stag and one LMT, both using USGI magazines. |
TANSTAAFL!
Our orders was to break you, an' of course we went an' did.
<a href="http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=914577">Shelley Seale</a>
Our orders was to break you, an' of course we went an' did.
<a href="http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=914577">Shelley Seale</a>
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Yes, to reloading them. But use your head. You're not going to be able to reload these cases a lot of times and don't overdo loads or pressures. I'd say just reload them twice, maybe three if you're careful, and then put them in the scrap bucket to resell to brass recyclers.
Others might say to reload them even more. I don't think I would. But I suspect any case that does not say Lapua. |
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I've shot a pile of both (more US loosepack than the centurion) and haven't had a problem that wasn't self induced (lack of lube on a GI system). For my stash supply I like the M855 loose pack however for the range and some "exercise" of the skill sets, the Centurion is a mite easier on the wallet though not by much. I see them as equals @ the range so it's a matter of price...
SS ETA: M&P-15T used for basis of comparison. |
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Originally Posted By 1811guy:
Would not function in my 14.5" midlength. Worked in my 16", 18" and 20" barrels. Definitely underpowered. Good plinking ammo and good brass for reloading. Care to share what the issues were? Who is the upper manufacturer? And what kind of buffer are you running? I have over 2000 rounds of this through my BCM 14.5" midlength with no issues that were not magazine related. |
Happiness is a frustrated Liberal
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The barrel is a CMMG 14.5" midlength, pencil thin. Upper and lower are Mega. CMT lower parts kit. I used an M16 BCG purchased from Bravo Company. The buffer was a standard carbine buffer (mil spec). I checked the gas system over for any potential leaks - everything was tight and functioning well. The rifle works 100% with LC M193, LC M855, RG M855, Prvi M855, Prvi M193, IMI M855, IMI M193, Winchester Q3131A, American Eagle .223, UMC and PMC. By comparison, the Centurion had a noticeably weaker recoil impulse. I tried PMAGS, GI Mags (Center, D&H, and Colt), and HK HR mags with the same results when using the Centurion ammo. The mags worked fine with the other loads listed. The issue was not rifle or mag related; definitely the ammo being underpowered.
The Centurion ammo would cycle to bolt and eject the brass, but would not cycle far enough to pick up a new round which basically made the rifle a mag fed straight pull action rifle. As I indicated, I have heard the same report from several people who had the same problem in their SBR's. Fortunately, the Centurion has worked in my other rifles, and the brass is great for reloading. I would use it for plinking, but I do not find it useful as a defensive ammo given it's comparatively weak power. I will shoot up the 1k rounds I bought, but won't buy it again. Could have been a bad lot, but once bitten - twice shy. For 20 or 30 buck more, I will just by a case of ammo that I know is full powered. I am glad to hear yours works well with it. I would of course prefer mine did, but since this is the only load I have had issues with, it doesn't bother me to just not use it. If it ever becomes the only ammo to shoot and I have blown through my ammo stash, I will have 5 other AR's that will run it. |
| I have used about 1500 rounds of this ammo. It runs like a top in my Noveske barrelled upper. However, it turns my SR15 E3 into a jam-o-matic. Short strokes & malfunction clearing have become a regular chore. WIth the fall of ammo prices, I am regretting stocking up on this stuff for my range / plinking ammo. Still sitting on at least 1000 rounds that will take a while to run through since I shoot the SR more often and I try to avoid fooling with the Centurion when I do. |
The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same
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Ammunition review - Centurion/US Loosepack (Page 3 of 3)
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