[41magsnub]

At the range yesterday I picked up a wierd piece of brass behind the bench. It was a .223 casing that the back 1/2" or so was normal brass and the front was plastic. It was like a .223 shotgun shell.

What is this thing?

[LHB1]

Could it have been a military blank or dummy cartridge? I used to have a couple of .308 full plastic cases with plastic bullets. They appeared to have a live primer and may have been blanks or dummy cartridges.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

[41magsnub]

I don't think it was a blank. It had a primer that had been fired and it has gun powder residue inside of it (sorry, should have added that). The military blanks when I was in were solid brass with the neck crimped into a point.

Also, it was plainly marked .223 remington so I don't think it would be anything military. I did not have a makers mark as far as I could tell, just the caliber.

It was a perfectly normal piece of brass other than the plastic part.

[Jorg]

There is a company that makes those, I can't think of the name. They haven't really caught on.

Edited: Found it. http://www.natec-us.com/products.php

More pics at this auction: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=76925819

[41magsnub]

That looks like it! Thanks Jorg!

[ArmedBear]

I bought a box of the things out of curiosity at a local shop. Haven't shot them yet. Anyone know if they're really safe to shoot?

I think they come in different colors, for the style-conscious shooter.:D

[everallm]

I haven't shot these myself although, out of curiosity a colleague of mine has.

The composite casing shot perfectly well and he had no issues with accuracy, extraction or ejection.

The original reasoning for their creation was for cost and weight.

Far less brass goes into the manufacture so item costs drop

They are about 1/3 lighter than comparable brass cased rounds so a squaddie could carry more

They also come in different colour cases, idea was that it would be easier to select/differentiate differing types such as tracer, steel core, differing round weights etc.

Only thing is if you get any, DO NOT SHOOT IN A RIFLE WITH A FLUTED CHAMBER such as a Vector V53. It's not pretty, full details as per the link

http://www.smallarmsreview.com/pdf/Natecammo.pdf

[Phantom Warrior]

My best friend and I found some at a local gun shop, so we bought a box to shoot at the range. I was pretty unimpressed by it. They shot fine, but they weren't any cheaper than regular brass cased rounds. Also, many of the spent casing had a break right at the base of the neck, where it starts to get wider.

I don't know if that meant extra abuse on the rifle, but given the lack of any other improvements over brass cased ammo I probably won't buy anymore.

[brentn]

This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. As long as you have a fully supported chamber there should be NO adverse effects.

I want some!

[ArmedBear]

At the local shop, they're relatively cheap ($5/20, which a couple years ago would have been pretty expensive, but these days seems like a deal).

I don't reload .223, and I probably never will reload what my semiauto spits out into the dirt, so I have no problem with a one-use case. Brass always seemed like a waste.

[The Deer Hunter]

I would assume if they caught on the consumer might be able to save some money.

[jmorris]

I have 500-700 rounds of this type of ammo a fellow 3gun shooter gave me (to shoot out of my single shot contender). The plastic doesn't have enough neck tention (or physical strength) to work 100% in the AR's he had.

[Nameless_Hobo]

I could imagine these becoming more common, what with the cost of metal.

[MD_Willington]

Last I heard NATEC is bankrupt, they auctioned off their machinery in Shotgun News...

[Dave R]

I assume these cases are NOT reloadable...

[SaMx]

I found a couple of these too.

[kcmarine]

Hm... sounds interesting.

[MudPuppy]

I had some tracer rounds that were polymer/plastic cases.

I had them for a year or two before firing a couple the other day--fired okay, no burst case or anything. The tracer round didn't ignite though...bummer. I paid $7 a box of 20.

The guy I was with works at a gunstore and said they had sold 'em a while back, but got complaints of burst cases, general unreliability. Pink cased 223 though...that's got to be good for something, right?

[Bartholomew Roberts]

These rounds may be OK for plinking; but they won't withstand any use that generates decent heat.

[Slimjim]

Natec is out of business and was liquidated awhile ago,. keep them for collector value.

[rangerruck]

I tried them once, ONCE, and that was it. the front 1/4 inch, while hot, tries to stay lodged in your chamber, while you pull the rest out. even in a bolt action. I almost ruined a super cherry Cz 527 carbine, with those things, and that was it for me.