Gone Hiking
Member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2019
- Messages
- 177
This was a problem a couple of years ago. Federal sent a pickup tag to return it pretty quickly, but then took a month to send me the correct ammo.
Let's see your...worst factory ammo
- Thread starter Obturation
- Start date
-
- Tags
- bad ammo
- Status
ExtremeSquared
Member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2008
- Messages
- 258
"The shelf life of ammo is 100 years."
Win Subsonic HP shot as well as most Eley in my CZ452. They would FTF around 1% of the time -- acceptable for $0.03 / rd .22. So I bought a few bricks.
Fast forward 10 years, around 40% of them fail to fire in any of my .22s. The primers expired. Yes, .22lr is not sealed as well as centerfire, but these were safe-stored in Arizona, and the other .22 I have of the same age still works as well as the day I got them. I have been through enough of these that I don't believe it to be a bad-batch issue. There was a noticeable linear degradation in FTF rate.
Win Subsonic HP shot as well as most Eley in my CZ452. They would FTF around 1% of the time -- acceptable for $0.03 / rd .22. So I bought a few bricks.
Fast forward 10 years, around 40% of them fail to fire in any of my .22s. The primers expired. Yes, .22lr is not sealed as well as centerfire, but these were safe-stored in Arizona, and the other .22 I have of the same age still works as well as the day I got them. I have been through enough of these that I don't believe it to be a bad-batch issue. There was a noticeable linear degradation in FTF rate.
Attachments
DustyGmt
Member
I've always known centerfire ammo to be very stable and have the longevity of the average human lifetime, or better if stored properly.
I guess I've never considered the longevity of .22lr and now I'm kind of curious. I've got .22lr ammo from the early 90's. I suppose I should pull a brick and test it.
trackskippy
Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2010
- Messages
- 3,486
These two are about the worst Ive had. Both surplus 9mm SMG ammo from the 90's. The Spanish stuff is a little extra hot, and the Egyptian a little extra salty corrosive.
The Spanish stuff trashed/cracked the top half of my MAC in under 2K rounds, and the Egyptian left the same gun covered in a nice orange layer of rust, overnight, on a warm and humid August night, because I was too lazy to clean it when I got home and waited till morning. Its probably a bit warm for handguns too.
Dont know why I keep it, and its moved with us a couple of times, and looking at it tonight, Im seeing corrosion on some of the brass, but I dont doubt it will shoot.
The Spanish stuff trashed/cracked the top half of my MAC in under 2K rounds, and the Egyptian left the same gun covered in a nice orange layer of rust, overnight, on a warm and humid August night, because I was too lazy to clean it when I got home and waited till morning. Its probably a bit warm for handguns too.
Dont know why I keep it, and its moved with us a couple of times, and looking at it tonight, Im seeing corrosion on some of the brass, but I dont doubt it will shoot.
twarr1
Member
Lot of mentions of Winchester. I haven’t bought Winchester in quite some time and probably never will again.
After the latest recall, I sold my last 1,000 rounds of non-recalled Winchester 9mm to a friend who wanted it.
After the latest recall, I sold my last 1,000 rounds of non-recalled Winchester 9mm to a friend who wanted it.
Some Winchester 300 Win Mag that I bought. Not being a reloader at the time I still noticed the difference right away. Now that I reload, and understand what a difference a few thousandths can make in seating depth, I am shocked that something like this even passes QC.
Buzznrose
Member
My G44 eats any .22LR. I have a bucket full of loose mixed bargain basket .22 and even loading it @mix and match”, I get zero stoppages.
Hugger-4641
Member
I don't know if it's just coincidence or what, but the 100rd plastic boxes of golden bullets run fine in my 10/22's. The bulk boxes do not, about 1/20 ftf rate. Thunder bolts seem to be hit or miss also. I just used up a 500rd box that had not one single ftf or squib., The box I'm shooting up now has already had 4 ftf only about 100rds into it.
grammontS
Member
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2020
- Messages
- 172
I have a.few boxes of that crap that I received in a bulk purchase that I made off of a guy that had been stockpiling for years. True garbage is what it is ....... Hahaha
Of the millions (or billions) of factory manufactured rounds, it’s no wonder we see these failures from time to time. At least the “good” companies will step up and make it right.
I have a box of Federal AutoMatch.22 ammo purchased a few years ago that will not extract. I contacted Federal with the lot number (on a weekend) and they responded in about 20 minutes. After I confirmed the problem and gave CS the purchase price, they said they would issue a check and instructed me to please dispose of the bad ammo. I received the check as promised in about 10 days. Other than a little inconvenience, that was a positive outcome.
I have a box of Federal AutoMatch.22 ammo purchased a few years ago that will not extract. I contacted Federal with the lot number (on a weekend) and they responded in about 20 minutes. After I confirmed the problem and gave CS the purchase price, they said they would issue a check and instructed me to please dispose of the bad ammo. I received the check as promised in about 10 days. Other than a little inconvenience, that was a positive outcome.
I contacted Winchester and was told by 3 different levels of customer service “ they will shoot just fine”…..the last guy told me to maybe stop being so picky. That was the last time I bought any ammo from them just on principle alone!
I expect nothing less from Winchester ammo... not a very consistent source of quality ammo.
ExtremeSquared
Member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2008
- Messages
- 258
I have noticed this theme in a number of forum threads. "A number of forum threads" isn't a big enough sample size for real science, but it is big enough to build a reputation that will take effort to shake in the future.
And Win ammo isn't especially less expensive than others, so what is going on over there?
reloaded_in_pa
Member
Wow. Now that's some crappy quality control.
desmobob
Member
Many years ago I got a last-minute invitation to go on a moose hunt to fill in for someone who had to cancel. I used the trip as an excuse to buy a new Model 70 in .300 WinMag and a Nikon scope. I didn't have time to work up any handloads so I bought one box each of all the .300 WinMag premium hunting ammo that was available at the time.
Winchester had just come out with the Black Talon loads. It literally made 7" groups at 100 yards out of my new Model 70! I thought my scope had come loose or something was wrong with the rifle. Nope... just horrible ammo. (I ended up bringing PMC's new-at-the-time Eldorado ammo with the new Barnes X-bullets and killed a small bull).
Since then, I think some Remington Golden Bullet .22LR was the worst I've shot. Pop! Bang! Pow! Pfft! Click!
DeepSouth
Random Guy
I had some 45 acp Winchester Silvertips that had the case mouth rolled under so bad they wouldn’t chamber.
trackskippy
Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2010
- Messages
- 3,486
If we are talking fairly current US makers, I came across this a few years back while scrounging my brass. It was something someone else had shot, and I noticed it when I was prepping it.
Its a piece of Federal 9mm. Looks like they might have had a midget Samurai doing the case trimming that day at the plant.
Its a piece of Federal 9mm. Looks like they might have had a midget Samurai doing the case trimming that day at the plant.
Years ago I bought some Amerc in 40 S&W. It shot fine. I heard how bad this stuff was supposed to be so as an experiment I reloaded the brass and kept track of how many times it was reloaded. I got bored with the experiment after 8 reloads and called it off.
Zaydok Allen
Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2011
- Messages
- 13,274
I bought 45 Colt FMJs by a small company that I think was called Dakota Ammo, or Dakota Munitions. I could have thrown them more accurately than they shot. But they were all in good order at least.
I remember thinking "I didn't know anyone made 45 Colt FMJs." as they always seem to be lead, or hollow points. I believe they were using crappy plated bullets meant for 45 ACP, as retrieval of a fired bullet showed no cannelure that I recall. I didn't know much about loading or cartridge construction at the time so I didn't connect the dots. I'm guessing the crimp was weak to avoid deforming the bullet, and the slightly undersized bullet made for a bad combo. I was also shooting them from my 460 magnum. So cylinder jump and gain twist riffling maybe were factors also.
I remember thinking "I didn't know anyone made 45 Colt FMJs." as they always seem to be lead, or hollow points. I believe they were using crappy plated bullets meant for 45 ACP, as retrieval of a fired bullet showed no cannelure that I recall. I didn't know much about loading or cartridge construction at the time so I didn't connect the dots. I'm guessing the crimp was weak to avoid deforming the bullet, and the slightly undersized bullet made for a bad combo. I was also shooting them from my 460 magnum. So cylinder jump and gain twist riffling maybe were factors also.
EMC45
Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2008
- Messages
- 1,937
Had a guy I was in batallion give me a partial brick of this back in the 90s. HORRIBLE!!!
EMC45
Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2008
- Messages
- 1,937
Had a buddy from church give me a 50 round box of this saying he didn't shoot steel in his 9MMs. I shot all 50 out of the BHP and they did great.
EMC45
Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2008
- Messages
- 1,937
One last type is "green" ammo or RHT (reduced hazard training) ammo required by govt ranges in most places. My last job used Winchester RHT in the M9 Beretta and it turned it into a pump action pistol (I still qualled though) and my current job uses Remington and Federal RHT ammo. Same problems persist - DIRTY, unburnt powder all over the place, failure to cycle actions (under powered) and cakes up the gun till it is a malfunctioning mess. I am not a fan. 9MM and .223 are the 2 worst.
Deanimator
Member
The Russian steel case .22lr was incredibly dirty, somewhere in between black powder and Bullseye. It was awful in most semi-auto pistols other than High Standards because when the bullet would hit the feed ramp, it would snap to one side or the other like it was on a ball joint.
However, out of a single shot rifle, it was frighteningly accurate, AT LEAST as good as Ely or RWS, and at most, half the price.
Deanimator
Member
I've never fired the loaded ammunition, but when I needed .38 Special brass in a hurry, a friend sent me a bunch of "AMERC" (American Ammunition) cases.
It was BY FAR ABSOLUTELY the worst brass I've EVERY seen, wildly out of spec, with under/over sized primer pockets, weirdly inconsistent rim thickness, etc. I can only imagine what the loaded ammunition was like.
It was BY FAR ABSOLUTELY the worst brass I've EVERY seen, wildly out of spec, with under/over sized primer pockets, weirdly inconsistent rim thickness, etc. I can only imagine what the loaded ammunition was like.
Last edited:
- Status
