How common is it to get a bad factory load?

[discusser]

Hi. I was wondering how common it is to get a bad factory-loaded shotshell.

For instance, one that doesn't fire.

Or, it fires, but is really weak.

Thanks.


Also, which brand do you think is most reliable.

[Dave McCracken]

With first rate domestic ammo, it's darn rare. I think I had 5 or 6 blooper rounds in 5 years of competition, call it 4-500 rounds a month for 6 months each year.

On occasion, there will be a numbered lot of ammo that falls short. Usually the maker will replace it.

[kudu]

In the last 10-15 years I can only remember 2 dud factory shells. One was a AA, and the other was a Federal promo type shell. I have had many that were not reloadable after the first shot. AAs had a run for a while that split the case the first shot, but still went bang and broke the target.

In the same amount of time I have only had maybe a dozen of my reloads not go bang, or only pop with a primer and no powder. Maybe I have been lucky or knew what I was doing, but 80% or more of my shooting is with reloads and I know I'm pushing 200K or more shells. For a while I was shooting at least 500 shells a week in about a 3-4 year period. I'm down to about 75 shells a week now. :rolleyes:

[wanderinwalker]

Not to thread-jack, but another question:

Can a 209 primer push the shot column out of the barrel by itself? I've heard and read this statement as a testament to the power of the 209 primers.

FWIW, I've seen one dud factory load. It was in some 50-year-old 12-gauge my grandfather was using. One round went "Puff" and you could see the shot column fall under the target.

[kudu]

Can a 209 primer push the shot column out of the barrel by itself? I've heard and read this statement as a testament to the power of the 209 primers

Oh yes, it will lodge the wad in the barrel requiring a cleaning rod to remove it, or a "wad knocker", a small slim weight that you drop down the barrel to knock the wad back out. The primer will project the shot out maybe 10-20 feet depending on the shotgun barrel.

[esheato]

I had a dud with a light target load in a Remington STS 12 gauge. I actually went so far to mail it back to the factory and they dissected it and returned a letter stating that the priming mixture was incorrect. They even offered to comp me a few boxes of shells for it.

And yes, 209 primers can launch shot. Don't ask how many times I had to learn that lesson. ;)

Ed

[TrapperReady]

One AA with a bad primer.

A couple Federal Value-Pack shells with bad primers.

I've yet to have a bad STS shell.

As far as amount of new shells, I have shot probably three times as many STS shells as AA, and three times as many AA shells as value-pack. I've probably shot a little over a thousand value-pack shells, FWIW. Gee... that's like a story-problem.

[sm]

Mr. Murphy plagued me one year in particular of myEarly Competition days.

I guess the Warehouse or something / somewhere stored affected all ammo that went through there and ended up in my shell pouch. Made no difference what gauge , or what brand . I happened with the Reps from each Ammo Co at the various shoots. [ Win. Fed, Rem.]

I had 4 AA in 12 ga in a row on my 4th box , and I was straight...
I had 3 Fed .410 in one tourney.
I had 3 Rem , swithed to Win, had 2 , then switched to Fiocchi for 20 ga , tourney and shoot off... then the trap machine broke....then we switched fields, then the skeeters came out , and the sun is setting folks and there are NO lights. Other two fellas "finally missed" about the middle of the second box...Ever shot your last 3, 4, 5 by headlights? I have ...Ahh the good old days....:p

Concentration is mentally keyed up - physically relaxed - Misseldine

My concentration was being affected - Read: Steve was NOT Happy !

Never a problem with AA 28 ga. IN fact I was getting a bit "gun shy" toward the end of that year. I shot 28 ga for everything - except .410. MY reloads , once fired , on a single stage. Or the Fiocchi's -

I then made a rule to myself - I will only compete with MY Reloads of once fired AA . If I had to use Factory - I bought a HUGE amount of Fiocchi in all 4 ga for that purpose. I split a pallet of Fiocchi ammo with another fellow....I was getting pretty fed up.

I found 10 cases of Peter's 12 ga , about half was the paper hull 3dr target load, I bought all those as well. Then I found 5 cases of Fed paper hull Target loads, I bought those.

I was determined to NOT have another bad year despite what intentions Mr Murphy might have...

BTW , Win, Fed, Rem Reps made good on the bad lots, apologized, and did a trace as to what might have happened. Good folks , and we all got along just fine ....ribbed each other and such. Kinda funny to offer a Ammo Rep a load when he is short...." dunno if this is a good rd or a bad rd , here try your competitors...wait not sure about his either...how about one of my reloads?" :p

[Incropera-Dewitt]

I think Winchester ammo is the best across the board and the gun seems to require less cleaning with it. Next choice would be Federal

[PJR]

It isn't common but it does happen. I've had most of my problems with Winchester and the problem in each case was the primer. I've also had bad primers from Winchester in reloads. Don't bother complaining to Winchester because they will not accept reponsibility preferring instead to accuse you of contaminating the shells. I sent Winchester a couple of primers from bad shells that had NO priming compound and never heard back from them.

I have never had a failure with Remington or Federal. I've had a bad primer in Kent ammo sometimes and had a base separate from the hull once. I shoot more Kent factory than anything.

Paul

[SteelyDan]

I don't shoot anywhere near as much as some of you, but over the years I've easily shot something over 1500 or 2000 shotgun rounds, 90+ percent of them Federal factory loads, and I cannot recall one single ammo problem. I have had at least half a dozen failures to fire, but, what can I say, in each case I had the safety on. Can't really blame that on the ammo...

[HSMITH]

I've had less than a dozen failures to fire with factory ammo in shotguns, and that covers a couple hundred thousand rounds at least. I've used 95%+ Winchester primers in my reloads and can count those problems as less than a dozen or so too in several hundred thousand rounds. Tired old hulls swelling and not wanting to chamber? Well, if I were a cheapskate and had tried using them until they wouldn't load anymore I might have had at least a couple hundred that didn't want to chamber.......... :scrutiny: :scrutiny:

[Lee Lapin]

Hmmmm.

I don't know about that 'failure to fire' stuff.

But I sure seem to get a lot of 'em that the factory forgot to put any pellets in...

8^)

lpl/nc
(sorry, couldn't resist)