Plastic Cartridges

[Mauserguy]

I just received a Sportsmans guide catalog, and it listed plastic cased ammo. I had never heard of this before. Would this be safe for high pressure loads, or is it limited in its application?
Mauserguy

 

[Mauserguy]

Here's a picture.
Mauserguy

 

[Chipperman]

The only ones I've seen are for .223.
I personally have not used them. I've heard that with some ARs, they have extraction probs, but run fine in others.
IIRC, they cannot be reloaded.
No safety issues that I'm aware of.

 

[lysander]

The maker of this polymer cased ammo is NATEC. You can find the company's info and sales pitch here: NATEC

I have heard (and seen pics) of the same scuttlebutt mentioned above regarding extraction issues. I have also heard that they are busy working on a .308 round.

Enjoy!

 

[Bobarino]

likewise i've read that some guns like it and some don't. the only negative i've read is that the bullets can get set back in the case a bit from being chambered because of the plastic doesn't hold the bullet as tightly as brass.

Bobby

 

[cracked butt]

I remember seing red plastic cased .38 special a long time ago. It must not have been that great of an idea as it wasn't around for very long.

 

[Crosshair]

I too have heard of problems using them in an AR. From what I understand, the extraction is too harsh for the plastic case. They work fine in bolt actions though. I have not had personal experience with them though.

 

[colt.45]

its not the brass that is holding all the pressure. sure plastic should work fine, but whats the point?

 

[Red Tornado]

I almost posted this exact thread, but I did a search and found a couple of threads from about a year and a half ago. The only problem was that both threads devolved into 4 pages of the case strength/burn off/extraction issues when I really only had one question.

Does anybody know how accurate it is? My only .223 is bolt action, so I just want to know if each bullet goes to the same place. Anybody?
Thanks,
RT

 

[spooney]

Whats the point?

 

[Taurus 66]

What's the sense in having plastic cartridges?? Is this another cheap China import thingy? It sure looks like it.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

The plastic used in the case weighs less than a full brass case. 'The point' of this is to make the cartridge lighter. Naturally, the weight difference doesn't mean much to a person with a single-shot or a 5-shot bolt action, but would make the ammo noticeably lighter in a magazine holding 30 rounds or a belt of 200 rounds.

And, if I might take this moment to bring things out to their logical end , the lighter weight would make magazine changes faster. I like the idea and will support the brand.

JE223

 

[roscoe]

HEAT BAD! BRASS GOOD!

 

[KriegHund]

The chamber of the firearm takes the pressure so it should not be a problem. (shotgun shells, anyone?)

The point would be lighter cartridges. Cheaper, possibly. More resitant to corrosion.

And you could color code them.

 

[spooney]

The plastic used in the case weighs less than a full brass case. 'The point' of this is to make the cartridge lighter. Naturally, the weight difference doesn't mean much to a person with a single-shot or a 5-shot bolt action, but would make the ammo noticeably lighter in a magazine holding 30 rounds or a belt of 200 rounds.

And, if I might take this moment to bring things out to their logical end , the lighter weight would make magazine changes faster. I like the idea and will support the brand.

JE223

Didn't think about them being lighter, just seemed like a bad idea strengthwise to me.

 

[RyanM]

Probably easier and cheaper to manufacture. Plastic is cheaper per unit of volume, and much easier to stamp or form on machines. Setback could be avoided if the neck is shaped so that the base of the bullet rests against a "shelf" inside, kind of like how primer pockets are made, but with a much bigger hole.

Depending on the plastic, they could be more or less resistant to shipping damage and stuff. Brass dents fairly easily, but many types of plastic will just spring back.

 

[Taurus 66]

The chamber of the firearm takes the pressure so it should not be a problem. (shotgun shells, anyone?)

Shotguns and rifles are different. There are good reasons why one gun can use plastic while the other should use strictly brass, steel, etc. A shotgun barrel has a thinner wall than a rifle. This should tell you something about the pressure differences. With this in mind, higher heat and pressures in a rifle will build in the chamber and could result in catastrophic failures. What works in one may not be good for the other, granted plastic rifle cartridge tests have already been conducted.

 

[KriegHund]

Ok, thanks

 

[GunnySkox]

granted plastic rifle cartridge tests have already been conducted.

In fact, someone opened an entire company just to make them. http://www.natec-us.com/index.php

Astonishing, eh?

~GnSx

 

[kage genin]

The plastic used in the case weighs less than a full brass case. 'The point' of this is to make the cartridge lighter. Naturally, the weight difference doesn't mean much to a person with a single-shot or a 5-shot bolt action, but would make the ammo noticeably lighter in a magazine holding 30 rounds or a belt of 200 rounds.

The ironic thing is that these plastic-cased cartridges will only feed reliably in the single-shots and bolt-actions

As the current technological level of plastic-cased ammo stands now, I too don't see the point.

 

[fiVe]

I bought this target ammo the day I purchased my 642. It had plastic army-green casings and shot well. The guy at Buck & Bass said he could not order any more because the company had taken on a new contract to produce only rifle ammo for the military.

 

[Taurus 66]

In fact, someone opened an entire company just to make them. http://www.natec-us.com/index.php

Astonishing, eh?

~GnSx

Yeah, it's about as astonishing as my new Chinese made radio that popped a circuit after approximately a half hour of use (true story). ' guess 120 volts wasn't in my fortune cookie that day. Aside form that, the whole concept is about as stupid as a ship sailing the desert, as funny as a train wreck, and WHAT THE HELL, let's just close our blind eye and drink a beer while we watch the world convert to plastic:

http://www.mustangmods.com/data/10900/brilliant.jpg

Buy what you want. Don't push that trash on the rest of us!

 

[p35]

Tried some .38 SPL once- USAC? somthing like that- and it wouldn't chamber in any of my guns. Of course, other makers may not have the same quality issues.

 

[walking arsenal]

I saw these in my local shop and bought two boxes to see how they would run in my AR.

I really wasnt all that impressed.

They ran fine in my Bushmaster BUT you could tug the bullets out of the casings with your fingers. I'm sure they set back easy enough as well though i never looked to see if they did.

They also had a horible problem once they were fired, the heat from the burning powder melts down the case neck where the flame is the hottest.

Some of the ejected cases looked pretty torched, that + the other stuff mentioned = me not buying more.

When your rifle loads a round and then spits out somthing that looks like used chewing gum, thats not good.

BTW, i never had any stoppages with it and it grouped as well as the other 55grn .223 i had with me.

 

[lysander]

I've seen the question "Why bother?" pop up a few times...

From a development standpoint...a perfected polymer case could be a great thing. Light weight and color coding were already mentioned. I am also under the impression that polymer transfers less heat than brass...not more.

As always I will offer a big HUZZAH to whomever is willing to work on new technology (not new in this case...but working to perfect).

If everyone said "why bother?" we wouldn't have invention and development. Encourage invention...buy a box and try it out for yourself.