Is this common when shooting surplus in M14's

TRGOD36

TRGOD36

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I figured I'd post this in the battle rifle section because there's allot of surplus ammo that gets fire buy everyone in here.

So here's the question

Is brass splitting common when shooting surplus ammo? Here's a couple of pics of what I'm talking about.
The first four didn't really bother me much but the last one on the right is why I'm asking the question.
Markings on the first four casings are 7.62 69 ZV
and the last one 7.62 80 CSC

All the casings are not from a single range visit. I've been saving my brass and after the last one blew the bottom out of my magazine I search through the pill and found the other four out of 450 empty brass.
 
Split necks are not really all that uncommon with older ammunition., and the ZV is pushing 40 years old. Incidentally, that 69 ZV might be corrosive. The cracked body is more of a concern, because there was an escape of gas. Are you sure it is CSC, and not CBC? IF it is CBC, and IF the box has a term on it something like "reenstagada", DON'T shoot it, it's dangerous.
 
Looks bad from a distance, if it is blows your mags up I would give the stuff away. 7.62 NATO has non-standard dimensions among NATO countries.
I've fired zillions of the Queen's 7.62 and plenty Norinco, I've never seen cases as bad as that. Run away!
 
I shoot a lot of Lake City ('70), Portuguese ('82), and South African ('84), and I have NEVER had even one case split over the course of many thousands of surplus rounds fired. It looks like you've got some exceptional bad ammo there. I wouldn't give it away. I would destroy it. That stuff looks dangerous to me.
 
tiriaq said:
Split necks are not really all that uncommon with older ammunition., and the ZV is pushing 40 years old. Incidentally, that 69 ZV might be corrosive. The cracked body is more of a concern, because there was an escape of gas. Are you sure it is CSC, and not CBC? IF it is CBC, and IF the box has a term on it something like "reenstagada", DON'T shoot it, it's dangerous.
Click to expand...


Looked closer and it is CBC, also checked the gas cylinder and ZV is definitely corrosive, now I've got some cleaning to do.
This maybe what puts me over the top to start reloading!
 
Corpus said:
I shoot a lot of Lake City ('70), Portuguese ('82), and South African ('84), and I have NEVER had even one case split over the course of many thousands of surplus rounds fired. It looks like you've got some exceptional bad ammo there. I wouldn't give it away. I would destroy it. That stuff looks dangerous to me.
Click to expand...


How do you destroy ammunition?
 
ya don't give questionable ammo away...pull the bullets and turf the rest. That ammo would be gone in a heartbeat if posted for free here and someone might get hurt etc...
 
pitdogboy said:
ya don't give questionable ammo away...pull the bullets and turf the rest. That ammo would be gone in a heartbeat if posted for free here and someone might get hurt etc...
Click to expand...

Thanks

Didn't intend to give it away, just wondering how to destroy ammo, I've never had to do that before and I don't have the right tools to pull the bullets.
I will pick up the tools the next time I go to the gun shop.
 
That's nasty. I shot some of that ZV 69 and had the odd primer peircing, but no cases split. I don't recall seeing any nato stamp on the ZV.
 
"...will pick up the tools..." Get a kinetic puller and find a rock with one flatish side. A concrete floor will do. Wood is too soft.
Splitting milsurp brass depends on where it was made. It's age usually doesn't matter. Whether or not it goes bang reliably depends on how it has been stored. You nor anybody else have any way of knowing that.
'CBC' is Brazilian.
 
Don't be too hasty to destroy all Brazillean CBC ammo. The short explanation is there is bad powder in SOME of the paper boxed mid-'70s dated surplus ammo in North America. Pistol ball got mixed in with the rifle ball powder when the Chileans were trying to salvage ammo the Brazilleans had scrapped. Boys will be boys and a lot ended up here.

So, with a collet puller and a press pull the bullets and dump the powder. Forget about reusing it. Reload like any other case with your favourite powder. Then go shoot. It is Berdan primed, so you have had to remanufacture one-time cases, but for less than a lot of the alternatives.
 
Glad I found this thread...

Does anyone know which lot(s) are the bad ones within the mid-70's CBC ammo? I piked up a case years ago, and fired about 50 rounds. All the spent brass appears in good order. I'd hate to pull the rounds apart if there's nothing wrong with them, but I won't risk a kaboom.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
So, with a collet puller and a press pull the bullets and dump the powder. Forget about reusing it. Reload like any other case with your favourite powder. Then go shoot. It is Berdan primed, so you have had to remanufacture one-time cases, but for less than a lot of the alternatives.
Click to expand...

+2 good call.

For the cost of .308, it is high time you get into reloading, and this is the perfect excuse.:D
If not, sell it to someone who does handload and shoot .308, giving full disclosure of what they are facing (of course).
 
Shootin surplus ammo is always a risk. Especially, if it was packed stored incorrectly. If you're into the big stuff you might as well reload. I've seen bullets get stuck halfway down barrels cause of crappy surplus ammo.
 
flying_scotsman said:
Does anyone know which lot(s) are the bad ones within the mid-70's CBC ammo? I piked up a case years ago, and fired about 50 rounds. All the spent brass appears in good order. I'd hate to pull the rounds apart if there's nothing wrong with them, but I won't risk a kaboom.
Click to expand...

The clue that it might be included in the class-action lawsuit, is if the headstamps are '75 or '76, are in plain cardboard boxes, have a dull inked Century Arms stamp somewhere, and the Spanish word "Reengastada" or something close to that appears anywhere.

The Chileans bought ammo that wouldn't function properly, and in the course of remanufacturing it, made a monumental screw up. No one knows who or how, but pistol powder got mixed into the hoppers. Rather than destroy it all, someone bought it, switched up the paperwork or certificates (I presume), flogged it to Century in the States and ran like Heck with the money. Guns started to blow up, lawyers got involved, the ammo was ordered recalled. Not everyone got the word. It still turns up.

As I posted above, I bought a case for cheap, knowing it was possibly bad, and did the research. I made calls to the fellow who had remanufactured tens of thousands of rounds into Gold Cross 155gr Palma ammunition. There is no way of knowing which box will be bad. It is all suspect. Mine has had all the bullets pulled and reloaded with new powder.

post 1999 and counting!
 
Surplus is'nt always the bargain it appears to be. If you wish to dispose of this ammo the following steps are recommended.
1-seat the bullet a bit farther to break any sealant that might have been applied to the bullet. Ther is a possibility that an asphalt sealant might have been applied as a waterproof agent.It will make it tough to pull the bullet
2-pull bullets in a press with a collet type puller
3-spread powder on lawn as fertilizer
4-spray WD40 in case to kill primers
5-squash case necks in a vice to preclude re-use
 
brass recycling

purple said:
Surplus is'nt always the bargain it appears to be. If you wish to dispose of this ammo the following steps are recommended.
1-seat the bullet a bit farther to break any sealant that might have been applied to the bullet. Ther is a possibility that an asphalt sealant might have been applied as a waterproof agent.It will make it tough to pull the bullet
2-pull bullets in a press with a collet type puller
3-spread powder on lawn as fertilizer
4-spray WD40 in case to kill primers
5-squash case necks in a vice to preclude re-use
Click to expand...

AND save your scrap brass to sell to the recycling plant. I had a couple of pails that earned me a hundred bucks at CMS Surplus in Regina.
 
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