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BAD TRACER AMMO

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BAD TRACER AMMO was created by jtallen83

I wanted to share what I found when I policed up my brass after some family shooting fun this weekend. These five cases in the picture are from a box of HSM 139 grain tracers I bought at Cabela's this last summer. Only one of the last five rounds didn't crack at the shoulder. I had used the other 15 one evening this summer so that brass didn't get policed up but this time I had the last five dispersed amongst some Radway Green in a 25 round clip and some daylight. When I started policing the brass I found these five just a couple feet to my right, all within a 1 foot area. The Radway was dispersed at least another 4 feet forward and to the right. I had no function issues and the miniature pumpkins still vaporized but this can't be good! My chamber and bore still look like new so didn't harm anything but I won't be running this stuff again! I thought I should share this in hopes others can avoid the risk. I'll contact the manufacturers and Cabela's and then do a follow up.
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Last edit: 12 years 4 months ago by jtallen83.
12 years 4 months ago #9542

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Replied by 13fcolt on topic Re: BAD TRACER AMMO

I can't tell for certain but that may be from the barrel extension locking lugs digging in during extraction.
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12 years 4 months ago #9546

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Replied by jtallen83 on topic Re: BAD TRACER AMMO

Nope, you could see burns around the cracks from escaping gas so they split while under pressure. All the other brass is in good order so I have no doubt it is a weak case issue. After I put a review on the Cabela's site I noticed I wasn't the only one to experience this.
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12 years 4 months ago #9547

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Replied by 13fcolt on topic Re: BAD TRACER AMMO

Gotcha, the splits appear fairly uniform is why I was thinking gouges.
no doubt the brass is weak, I've seen marks on my brass (depending on load) but never anything like that.
I'm guessing this is low end reman stuff? I don't think I have heard of it and know I have never shot any.
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12 years 4 months ago #9548

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Replied by jtallen83 on topic Re: BAD TRACER AMMO

It was the cheapest stuff on the shelf but the only tracer ammo there. I didn't think about it being remanufactured but I have since learned it is. I found several poor reviews of other .308 with the same brand name so I'll avoid it all now, don't want to hurt my baby where it counts! I've learned now, even trusted retailers can sell bad stuff so always do your own homework. I took the time to eyeball every round of Radway I stuck in a magazine because of all the warnings about surplus but because these came in a box I just stuffed it in.
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12 years 4 months ago #9549

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Replied by varmint on topic Re: BAD TRACER AMMO

The trouble with that brass is that it needed to be annealed.
That brass has been work harden,and has become to hard and will split.
12 years 3 months ago #9987

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Replied by jtallen83 on topic Re: BAD TRACER AMMO

So the cracks may not have been there when loaded? Any signs to look for so I don't have the issue again? I know the obvious "Don't buy cheap ammo" which is the direction I think is best but I may reload some day so the information may be helpful down the road. Thanks.
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12 years 3 months ago #9988

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Replied by varmint on topic Re: BAD TRACER AMMO

1 The best case would be to use new brass when you start to reload.2 after you have reloaded your reloaded brass for 4 or 5 times it will need to be be annealed
if you have never done this then the best thing to do is go to Utube and type in annealing brass, and it will show how to do it. It's not hard and must be done ,or your brass will start to get cracks in the neck-shoulder area.if you take a fired brass that has bend reloaded 4-5 time,and press your fingernail on the mouth,it will not bend,
but if you heat the neck with a torch untill it just starts to turn red then let it cool,then do same thing again and it will bend
do the heating of the neck in a darkend room to see it better. Utube it and watch
all you can.Evey time a round is fired the neck expand and contracts thous work harding the brass.hope this helps
Last edit: 12 years 3 months ago by varmint.
12 years 3 months ago #9989

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Replied by jtallen83 on topic Re: BAD TRACER AMMO

Cool, makes the rules I was given as a kid make sense. My father and his friend taught me reloading as a teenager but they must not have known about annealing, they just told me it was scrap brass after 5 times through the gun and if I didn't listen to that I would blow it up!
Thanks for the info, I'll add annealing to the list for sure when I get started loading again, that will solve the cheap ammo issue as well, I love to save $'s. Jim
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12 years 3 months ago #9990

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Replied by varmint on topic Re: BAD TRACER AMMO

You are welcome Jim and if you do annealing you should get at least 10 reloading of that brass if you take care of it and prep it right.you will haft to trim that brass from time to time too.
12 years 3 months ago #9991

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