Posted: 5/26/2002 12:01:53 PM EDT
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Shooting my new RRA based SPR-B, surplus Korean PS 77 and 78 55grn FMJ. Boom! I gotta faceful of gas and all my ammo, follower, spring, and floorplate flew out onto the ground. Examination of the spent case shows the primer backing out, primer almost pierced, and three splits! The main one starts at the primer pocket and up the body about 1/4", the other two are small ones on the shoulder and at the case mouth respectively. I had to take a few seconds and make sure I had all my fingers and stuff! What sucks is, I have 800 rounds of this stuff left! |
| Thanks for the kind words guys. Vinnie, you and I corresponded about this ammo before. How crappy looking was the batch you had? The case that ruptured had a few corrosion spots that didn't tumble off. I wonder if tumbling the ammo may have been at fault. The first 4 batches I did, I disassambled some samples from each batch to make SURE the powder wasn't deteriorating, and it was fine! I know this wouldn't be the first ever split case caused by weak brass though. |
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Quoted: The case that ruptured had a few corrosion spots that didn't tumble off. I wonder if tumbling the ammo may have been at fault. Oh, MAN! You tumbled the ammo??!!! VERY No-No! Not saying that's your problem, but NEVER tumble loaded ammo. Tumbling causes the powder to break down into smaller particles, changing the burning rate. Have seem MANY cautions in loading manuals about NOT tumbling ammo. |
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Quoted: Thanks for the kind words guys. Vinnie, you and I corresponded about this ammo before. How crappy looking was the batch you had? The case that ruptured had a few corrosion spots that didn't tumble off. I wonder if tumbling the ammo may have been at fault. The first 4 batches I did, I disassambled some samples from each batch to make SURE the powder wasn't deteriorating, and it was fine! I know this wouldn't be the first ever split case caused by weak brass though. The second batch of 1000 I tried looked really bad. I actually bought this case from a member who was down on his luck (fired from his job), and lived only a few minuts from me. The ammo was really badly tarnished, had crud all over it, and some dents. At the time I was really new to AR's and didn't think twice about loading up my mags and blasting away. Before this batch, I was buying the Korean Surplus from Wholesale Guns and Ammo. It can in 50 cal cans, 820 rounds per can. This ammo wasn't as badly tarnished. The really ugly ammo came in a cardbord case, 30 round boxes (plain brown just like the ones in the ammo can), 1000 rounds per case. I see I didn't say it before (sometimes I'm an idiot) but I am glad you weren't hurt. |
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Quoted: Quoted: The case that ruptured had a few corrosion spots that didn't tumble off. I wonder if tumbling the ammo may have been at fault. Oh, MAN! You tumbled the ammo??!!! VERY No-No! Not saying that's your problem, but NEVER tumble loaded ammo. Tumbling causes the powder to break down into smaller particles, changing the burning rate. Have seem MANY cautions in loading manuals about NOT tumbling ammo. Yes, I have seen them too. This is why I knocked down a sample from the first four batches to check. Please lets not turn this into the old argument, I followed a few threads that went on forever (can not-can too!). The ammo vendor that sold it said that they had customers who tumbled loaded ammo w/o a problem. Another guy claimed that ball ammo was ok, stick powder broke down too fast. Knowing that there has been disagreement here on the board over it, I took samples of four rounds from each of the first 100 round batches I did, and took them apart to inspect the powder. No deterioration was seen. That doesn't mean it didn't happen though. All it would take is a leaky primer pocket. The powder gets wet AND the case corrodes inside. Tumble it, and blammo! I think I will seperate out any rounds that show evidence of being exposed to moisture, and take them apart for bullets to reload! |