Bad batch of Federal XM193 made for an interesting range day.

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grelmar

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So, the weather was nice, the kid was off at a friend's, nothing on the consulting calendar for the day, so I figured the best way to spend a Monday would be to practice "sucking less" with my 3-gun gear. Drove out to the multi-gun pits at Milo, and got to work. I figured I'd start with "I suck most at..." and got to work with my shotgun drills. Strangely, everything went fine. The gun was behaving, and I was hitting, and, well... Not much to say. Pistol drills. Same thing.

Then I pull out my AR. Had 4 Beo mags loaded up with the last of last of a bulk pack of Federal I'd bought a while back. Bang-bang-bang-bang-etc. All good. Kinda getting into a groove, so I reload my mags with some XM193 from a bulk pack I'd bought a couple years ago, but hadn't cracked open yet.

Bang-bang-bang-click... Sh!t. Tap, rack, click... Dangit. Drop the mag, rack, quick chamber visual, inspect, re-insert, release, click. DANGIT! Turn the gun on its side, look more closely... Waitaminute, the gun isn't quite in batter. Enough for the trigger to drop the hammer, but not for it to strike the firing pin. Well... Shoot, what's up?

Drop mag, clear gun, pull the rear pin, hinge the upper forward, pull the bolt, and look real close. There it is, the faintest, tiniest, glint of something shiny in the chamber. Use my multi-tool's smallest screwdriver to reach in an flick out the "shiny."

Which turned out to be the crushed remnants of a popped primer.

I thought, "Wow, what are the odds?" Popped primers happen, every now and then, but usually you don't even know it, because they fly out during the ejection cycle.

Ok, fine fine. A bad round, no big deal. Shiznit happens.

Finish off the mag, and insert another mag.

Bang-bang-bang-nothing.

And by nothing, I mean "Nothing". Not a dead trigger, but an absolutely rock solid trigger. A trigger that won't even budge a mil.

Ok, clear the gun, flip on safe... No, wait, can't flip on safe. The lever won't budge.

Shiznit! Durn and dagnabbit!

Pop the upper off, and look down into the trigger group... Can't see anything weird... Where's my big screwdriver?

Unscrew and remove the handle, so I can get the safety detente out, slide the safety out, and underneath the safety was.... A popped primer.

View attachment 287838

Well, horse-puckey, how the fiddle does that even happen?

Flick it out, it falls into the gravel. But now I'm suspicious. Two jams from popped primers in under 20 rounds? That's a little odds-defying.

So I look at the shooting table (I' been shooting semi-supported), and...

Holy, sheep-dip...

View attachment 287842

These are the primers I could quickly spot just lying on the shooting table... Never mind the ones (most) that would have zinged off into the gravel, and these don't include the two I'd already flicked out of the gun.

And I hadn't even gone through 20 rounds of the stuff at this point.

At a guess, I'd say MOST of the the rounds were popping their primers.

So now I'm stuck with the better part of a case of the stuff, and not sure what to do with it. I bought it a couple years ago, from "lost receipt, can't remember where, probably on sale" land.

View attachment 287845

Any thoughts?

I'm kind of tempted to just keep it, set it aside, and load up a few mags every now and then if I feel like practicing clearing/remediation drills. Not worried about safety, and any particular harm to the gun. Just sure not going to use it in a match or keep it in the "just in case" pile.
 
Contact the Canadian distributor with the lot number on the boxes. I would imagine you'll be sent a new case or a voucher to purchase from a dealer.
 
Independence stuff has grenaded a few rifles in the past and is known to be overpressure problematic ammo depending on the lot. Very hot 5.56 round.


What barrel mfg and chamber is it?


Popped primers is a bad sign, especially from ammo that has crimped primers.
 
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I wouldn't run it in that AR, for obvious reasons.
I'd be tempted to try a couple of rounds in a good bolt gun if you have one or another 5.56 chambered rifle like a Swiss Arms and see how it handles it.
Your other option is to sell it with a disclaimer.
 
And not all lots are problematic.


Many rifles, even tho they are marked 5.56, don't have a true 5.56 chamber (closer to .223 than 5.56) too.
 
Thanks for posting Grelmar, it illustrate beautifully the importance of crimped ammo in combat situation, especially for high recoiling firearms (not saying that 5.56mm is). That situation for NATO specs ammunition is simply unacceptable and must be reported.

I shot a few thousands of them things in 2 Colt Diemaco and 1 piston Core15 without a single issue. Still have about a thousand and they will be used happily in the upcoming weeks.

Primer shown do not exhibit over pressure signs. Oversized primer pocket is a weird possibility. Undersized primers is another one. Lack of crimp could also be a contributor. Have a look at unfired ammo and spents shells missing primers. Is there evidence of a crimp? A primer pocket gauge will help asses the presence (or absence) of a crimp.

Certainly not reliable ammo for a match. Curious to hear what the Canadian distributor will tell you. They will likely replace your bad batch with new.
 
Dietz said:
Independence stuff has grenaded a few rifles in the past and is known to be overpressure problematic ammo depending on the lot. Very hot 5.56 round.


What barrel mfg and chamber is it?


Popped primers is a bad sign, especially from ammo that has crimped primers.
Click to expand...

It's a Wyndham WW15, that has reliably eaten everything I've thrown at it for years.

Sudbury shooter said:
I’ve shot quite a bit of that stuff with no problems
Click to expand...

Same. I'm pretty sure it's a bad batch issue... The previous 1000 rounds I went through were bulk Federal XM193, without a single issue of any kind.

I'll get hold of the distributor within the next few days.

Head stamp, for those who requested:

View attachment 287976
 
Pull the bullets, dump out a couple grains of powder and reseat the bullet. Try out a handful and see if the issue disappears.

Auggie D.
 
Have to check my lot number, but I had the exact same issue on the last couple boxes of Independence I took to the range last time. Probably going to avoid it in future, rather not be dealing with blown primers and way overpressure ammo. One of the damn things managed to go down the gas key of my BCG... Took hours to get that out again.
 
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