Is it OK for ammo to look like this?

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Thanks for the input,

I thought at first that this stuff was sand, but I don't think it is, it isn't styrofoam either. I don't know what tumbling material is, but this stuff is sort of like clay or plaster, I can crush the stuff and turn it to powder.

I'm going to clean all the cartridges up.

I like the idea of putting sealer back around the primer... if I could do it with nail polish that would cool. I don't mind paying for sealer from some reloading supply store though.

I hate going through this for stuff I wanted to use as SD ammo, it makes me want to buy the Federal HST - which performs pretty much the same as the Ranger T, and I could buy that from a gun store where I wouldn't be freaking out about crud around the primers and "am I taking the sealer off by scrubbing the cases" and "did some one sell me reloads" blah blah blah... :eek:
 
if I could do it with nail polish that would cool. I don't mind paying for sealer from some reloading supply store though.
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Lacquer is lacquer, get the cheap (possibly free if you're married) stuff.

Most of the "Sealant" i've seen sold for sealing primers and case necks, including the stuff that claiming to be "Mil-Spec", isn't different enough from 50-cent clear nail polish to matter.

as far as the rest of the worries you mention above.

they're not reloads, they simply got past the QC Dept without someone noticing those bits, when production of an items runs in the 10's to 100's of thousands it happens.

Even if you were to scrub off the sealant, the odds are that you won't have them (ie in your carry gun, stored, etc) long enough for it to matter. The sealant is there to add additional insurance against moisture creeping in during long term storage. the few months to a year that most shooters will keep a given box of SD ammo, is an eyeblink compared to what a comercial ammomaker has to prepare for/against. they have to prepare their goods, especally the higher end stuff, for storage periods that might be measured in years or even decades.
There are still unopened boxes of the original Black Talon load floating around, not to mention all the even older designs/loads that are still being carried just because someone (or their daddy) bought it by the case lot no telling how long ago. and the average gun owner has no realistic idea of how long they should expect ammo to stay reliable (some expect 50 and 60 year old mil-surp to work like federal premium!!)
 
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First let me say it is the real deal, RANGER T Law Enforcement Ammo, the components are not for sale. Winchester years ago quit selling this to the public, and at that time it was called BLACK TALLON. The new stuff is even better and tested to meet FBI Spec's for LEO only Ammo. This ammo is as good as it gets for self defense. I have had cases that looked like that maybe not as bad but totally unaffected it's performance. I purchase it for me and my buddies here. Excellent prices and service!

http://www.sgammo.com/

They are fine, I have shot Ranger T 45 acp and 38 special ammo for some time. As stated it is manufactured and available only to LEO's.The ammo we get is discontinue a certain style such as Ranger T, was recently updated to Ranger T Bonded, and sell it to the public, or a wholesale lot. The manufacturer will not let ammo out if it is not sammi spec and believe me this stuff shoots perfect. I have went thru cases of it with a few of my friends and none of us have ever had a problem, most of it we get has the similar particles and as I said there is never a problem. I shoot 4 to 6 thousand rounds every year in the 3 guns I use for CC, and about 20% of that is what I will use in a situation so I know it will work 100% of the time. If you think you wont shoot it, don't expect as good a results as you would get with using it! Here is a couple articles on this ammo.

http://rationalselfdefense.com/Ammunition/Winchester_Ranger_T_Series_Ammo_Review.htm
 
The two boxes of PDX I bought last week looked like this too. I shot five with no probs. The other 15 went into the mag for good.
 
You may want to check on another thread that was posted here at THR.
It had to do with a certain lot# of ranger ammo being recalled because there were no flash holes drilled out in the brass.
It's been a while but I'm sure you could find it in a search. It has the lot# or date code of affected ammo.

Sorry, ignore this. I found the thread and it's for 40 S&W, not 9mm
 
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I really couldn't care less about the particulars other than to avoid the same situation in the future.

Point is. They're not acceptable and regardless of the origin, they should go back for safety reliability and aesthetic reasons.
 
I wonder if it was made in Alton, IL

I know they had labor problems and eventually the company just moved their manufacturing plant out of Illinois all together.

If it was a disgruntled union QC inspector or an untrained salaried employee replacement who was working 14 hours a day I could see this sort of thing happening.
 
*****UPDATE*****​

IN ANOTHER THREAD, it was stated that nail polish was used for LOOSE primers. I would NEVER let a case continue to be processed, filled with powder, etc. if the primer is at all LOOSE!

What I was saying was FOR ANY CASES where the primer **FEELS** easier to seat than all the others, I run nail polish on the case bottom, filling the void that exists around the perimeter of the primer, JUST IN CASE SOME GASES MIGHT get by, to prevent THAT. May I add, since I have been doing this for over 30 years of reloading and have NEVER had any gases escape from around the perimeter of the primers, I must surmise that what I am doing is fine and that I am culling & destroying the cases which indeed have LOOSE PRIMER POCKETS!

Again, if the primer goes in SO EASILY that I think the primer might FALL-OUT, I trash the case, then and there!
 
I will contact Winchester tomorrow and see what they say.

I destroyed one carton while opening it so I'm guessing they wouldn't take that one back.

For those cartridges, I cleaned them up, sometimes with a dental pick and then extra scrubbing, and I ran nail polish around the primers, so now I just feel better.

I'll see how they shoot in my Rohrbaugh R9 - it may be a moot point if the pup doesn't like it. I'm crossing my fingers that the R9 cycles it reliably because I really like the way this ammo performs.
 
I have a box of Winchester hollowpoints that has some media in the primer ring but not nearly as bad as yours. Mine don't interfere with feeding or firing but yours might look like it might. Try scrapping it off with a dental pick or something similar. If that doesn't work I hope you have a reloading setup.
 
As everybody else has said I wouldn't worry about it. That ammo was probably tumbled before the sealer was dry. I know you already cleaned them up, but I'd have just run them half an hour in my tumbler to knock that crap off.
 
What he said!

Factory tumbler media stuck in the lacquer.

Tumble them some more and that crap will come right off.

I tumble all my reloads after loading them anyway, so it would be no big deal to deal with.

rc
 
Buyer Beware!!!

That's why I always check out any ammo I buy before I buy it. I don't care where I get it I open the box and look at it. Once I found some other caliber rounds in a box they didn't belong in. Could of been mistakenly put in their by a customer who was looking at them or who knows??

That's why I wouldn't buy it online or sight unseen < but that's just me >. You can never tell what it looks like if you don't check it out. Doesn't mater where you get it, it doesn't mean that it hasn't been exposed to some type of adverse conditions from the time it's loaded till it gets to the consumer. It could have gotten wet during shipping or while in the dealers store or someone could tamper with it or it could be exposed to knows what?

I saw something similar to that on Ranger-T .45acp ammo at a gun show once. I didn't get it because some of the rounds had some type of crud around the primers like the one round you have pictured in the bottom row far left end. I asked the dealer about it and he said < of course because he wanted to sell it > that it wasn't any big deal.
 
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ArchAngelCD said:
Just a side note, there is no reason whatsoever to use nail polish around the primers, really!
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Just a side note:
What is the difference if a reloader really wants to use nail polish around the primer, REALLY? :scrutiny:

So they do it and it doesn't make any difference in the entire whole world, why should anyone else care?:neener:

I will put it on my toenails if I feel like it, and I will use RED!:rolleyes:
 
Somebody pooped on your ammo!

I just bought a box of "value pack" Remington UMC 230 grain 45 JHPs that had nasty tarnished bullets in pristine cases. Looks like crap but I bought it for the brass. I prefer my own reloads in everything I shoot.

What's my point?

Somebody working at the Rem plant needs to wash their hands. Too much crap for factory new!
 
If you have the box from the ammo perhaps check the inside of the box material for signs of the ammo peeling away and sticking to any sealant that happens to be on the primers?

I'm thinking that the package was stored in a humid environment for a while which may have allowed the card stock of the box to become "lint'y" and the resulting loose fibers stuck to whatever they've used for primer sealant.
 
Is it OK for ammo to look like this?
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It may fire, you can clean it, it will work,but in light of what the question is,No.
No it is not o.k. :D
 
I would probably shoot it if it was just the grit, but It's a little odd that some of the primers are discolored. Tumbling shouldn't cause that...
 
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