.358 LSWC Brazos bullets - buyer beware

[blackd24]

I ordered these around February of this year. It came out to roughly 1800 bullets. While I was loading them, one was severely undersized to the point where it would just fall into the case. I emailed Brazos and to their credit, they were ready to replace all 1800. That seemed a little over the top - I really just wanted to let them know so they could clean up QC. I can easily toss that bullet and move on. They ended up sending me 1 pack replacement (about 656 bullets).

I’m seeing the same issue with the replacement pack, which is concerning.

1 bullet was chopped off and only weighed 150 grains compared to the 160-161 average they normally get.

2 bullets were undersized, and one actually got loaded and snuck WAY too far past the crimp groove. If I was an inexperienced or careless reloader, that probably goes kaboom.

So, that is my experience with Brazos. I probably won’t order again and I will probably have to check each bullet before it gets loaded if I choose to load what I have left. There is a huge demand right now and

 

[sequins]

Thanks for the warning. I only buy lead from Missouri Bullet Company and so far so good with them... Those are some ugly casts.

 

[lordpaxman]

Thanks for the information. There is a huge demand right now but I really hope all bullet companies stick to their guns and don’t sacrifice quality for quantity.

 

[Cliff6]

I've ordered and received several thousand various bullets from Brazos,and yes, I have found 2 or 3 that were a bad casting. I would rather they all be perfect, but I can't honestly expect each bullet be inspected and approved. These are bulk mass produced items that are sold at a very reasonable price.

Thanks for the post though. It should serve as a notice for everyone to give a look over the bullets you are getting ready to load, as well as the casings, and the powder type and charge.

 

[Walkalong]

Bullet makers are wide open these days, a mistake here or there wouldn’t shock me

 

[H&R Glock]

Yeah m,e too on one that was malformed.

158 grain RN. From the first handful out of the bag. The one on the left slid down into the case. 10 grains short and a "tit" of lead on the bottom.
Maybe I better have a closer look at them.
There may be a lot of bullet makers out there, but all of them seem to be out of bullets and have been for months.

 

[mcb]

So three bullets bad in 1800 and you are ready to walk away from the manufacture?

 

[blackd24]

So three bullets bad in 1800 and you are ready to walk away from the manufacture?

Absolutely. This is the same problem I had in the original order, but repeated in the replacement order. So really it was 6 bullets out of the 250 I loaded. I haven’t inspected all of them.

There are plenty of other manufacturers out there. They may cost a little more, but can’t put a price on safety.

 

[Riomouse911]

Sounds like the rush to produce has let some bad ones slip by. Not good.

I think I have around 3k of Brazos bullets in a variety of shapes, weights and bore sizes on the shelf right now. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but I haven’t seen one in my stash that was a clinker like those are. I don’t blame you for looking elsewhere after two batches with lemons.

Stay safe.

 

[mdi]

Jes my thinkin'. More reloaders need to be familiar with the manufacture of our components. Cast bullets are mass produced by the hundreds of thousands and casters are hard pressed to supply users (how many threads have you read badmouthing commercial casters for not keeping us supplied and one week turn around on orders?). Unprepared reloaders demanding quick shipping and larger orders have put a lot of pressure on casters probably to the point of running two or three shifts per day just to sorta keep up. The added pressure on casters may have lead to some short cuts, but we're not talking about Swiss watches, just massively produced simple lead slugs. I believe the problem was created by the unprepared, panic buyers, hoarders demanding more, more, now, now!! Try hand casting and see if you can get .1% of the amounts and quality of the commercial casters working 24/7 today...

 

[H&R Glock]

The problem is not with the buyers.
This manufacturer let his quality slip. This is the last time I buy from this retailer. Fool me once shame on you.