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Ammo to Avoid

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Ammo to Avoid was created by PastorDave

Hello All,

I thought I would start a thread on ammo to avoid. Perhaps we can save each other from wasting money on bad ammo.

First on my list: Federal 7.62 x 51mm 149 gr FMJ. I bought 100 rds of this stuff because it was the cheapest plinking ammo on hand. It was a total waste of money. I tried to put it through my brand new Remington R-25, and I could never get more than 2 rounds in a row to cycle. Not only did it not cycle reliably, it also would not force the bolt to lock back after the last round.:angry:

I was surprised to get bad ammo with the Federal name on it. Federal has long been one of my favorite ammo companies. They make a lot of great ammo, but in my experience, this particular load is a lemon.

I look forward to hearing about any other bad experiences with ammo that you guys might have to share.

PD
15 years 6 months ago #248

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Replied by AZMM on topic Re:Ammo to Avoid

PastorDave, the Rem. R-25 is merely a camo'ed DPMS LR which means it is chambered for the commercial .308 ammo and not the 7.62 NATO round. I strongly suspect that is the problem and not the specific ammo itself. Try some commercial .308 ammo and see if your cycling problems are solved.

Usually, from all the research I've done recently on Armalite AR-10s and the many variants thereof, a 7.62 NATO chambering appears to be advantageous to using a wider variety of ammo and is just one of a number of reasons I have decided to go with Armalite for future AR-10 purchases. Not knocking DPMS or any other maker here at all, its just that Armalite has the advantage in chambering choice from my point of view at least.
15 years 6 months ago #249

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Replied by PastorDave on topic Re:Ammo to Avoid

Hey, Thanks for the input. I kind of wondered about that. I read somewhere that 7.62 rounds should cycle fine in any AR chambered for the .308, so I didn't hesitate to try them. Apparently, that isn't the case. I guess those Federal 7.62 rounds don't generate enough chamber pressure to cycle the R-25. However, I did try some PMC cartridges that were labeled "308 (7.62 NATO)", and they cycled fine. I figure that if those rounds were double labeled like that, then they are probably loaded at standard 7.62 pressures.

I really wanted to stick with 147-150 FMJ rounds, and I haven't found any in that configuration that are labelled 308 rather than NATO.

I will probably put several more rounds of the PMC through it to make sure it cycles fine. I may also try 150 gr. Federal soft points, since it is comparable in price to the NATO FMJ rounds that I've seen.

Well, I gotta go. Again, thanks for the input! I am on a huge learning curve here!

PD
15 years 6 months ago #252

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Replied by bigwheel on topic Re:Ammo to Avoid

You need to shoot a heavier bullet. That is the crux of the problem
15 years 6 months ago #317

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Replied by foxhunter on topic Re:Ammo to Avoid

Still waiting on my scope to come in, so I decided to start breaking in the barrel on my new AR 10T without it. At the sporting goods store I only had two choices in .308. A Hornady 155 gr match bullet for $26 a box and some 150 gr Rusian made ammo for $7,so I bought some of each. The Hornady ammo shot fine, but with the Russian ammo I couldn't get even three shots without a jam. The spent cartridge ejected, but the next one wouldn't seat properly. The Russian ammo also took about a 1/3 more patches to get the barrel clean after every 3 rounds. Moral of the story is you get what you pay for.
15 years 5 months ago #390

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Replied by inmysights on topic Re:Ammo to Avoid

This past weekend I took my AR-10 to go test some ammunition I bought to test. I had 100 rounds of American Tactical (ATI) 150gr 7.62 NATO. It was fairly accurate, however it failed to cycle even once. I shot 60 rounds of it and I had to manually cycle the weapon each time. While we were there, a buddy bought 50 rounds of Magtech, the brand the range store was pushing. This ammo also failed to cycle all but 3 times. :angry:
To make sure this was just an ammunition problem, I went back to the range the next day without cleaning the weapon. I went through a box of Federal soft-point 150gr and Winchester 150gr .308, and they had zero failures or malfunctions of any kind.

Yes, I did clean the rifle when I finished. I can't stand leaving a rifle dirty. Actually had a hard time getting to sleep, knowing my rifle wasn't clean that night. :P
Armalite AR-10 20" stainless match barrel, NM trigger, flat-top.
13 years 2 months ago #6356

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Replied by SilverHD07 on topic Re: Ammo to Avoid

I have DPMS and Bushmaster .308 rifles. Firing Federal Fusion 165gr and Winchester 150gr and they jam every time. Extremely dirty ammo, but I suppose buying the cheapest ammo on the shelf ($20/box) for targetshooting is not a great idea. Going to try a local gun shops load with better powder. Looking back, buying $1500 rifles and shooting bargain ammo is like buying a porche and running the lowest octane fuel in it. The engine will still run, but it's not going to be as smooth. These rifles are very accurate and dependable while hunting. While I only neared one round hunting it sure is frustrating as hell at the range.
11 years 11 months ago #11145

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Replied by jtallen83 on topic Re: Ammo to Avoid

I had some HSM brand tracers that split cases when fired but the trusty Armalite didn't miss a beat. It has taken every type of ammo I could find and never missed a beat. Even cheap Pakistani surplus does near 1 moa, not every time due to flyers but it always functions. I even went against advice and tried a box of the steel cased Russian stuff just to see if I could use it in a pinch, not very accurate but functions fine. The Armalite AR-10 is the smartest money I have ever spent, besides of course the wedding licence. ( just in case the wife ever reads this stuff)
LIBERTY FIRST!
11 years 11 months ago #11149

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Replied by Redscout02 on topic Re: Ammo to Avoid

Yeah I with you there jtallen, I have yet to find ammo that will not go though the Armalite and I have everything from gun show reloads to some free machine gun ammo.

Now unlike many of you my MOA is around 2" which I am ok withm and I never take a shot out over 150 yards.

As far a bullet weight the heavyer bullers well that depends on what your shooting, don't it?
11 years 11 months ago #11158

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Replied by paulv on topic Re: Ammo to Avoid

I had PMC .223 in my Steyr Aug and it would jam, crunch the bullet, and scare the sht outta me so much that I stopped using it and still have a couple full boxes. I believe they are made in S Korea.
Only bullet that had this effect on my gun.

My 2 cents
~Paul
11 years 11 months ago #11262

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