Blown primer - Federal American Eagle .223rem

[Miraclejoe]

Shot a few rounds today (250 between the fiancee and me).

I personally had 2 blown primers in my bran spanking new Stag HBAR. The fiancee got none and neither did my friend I bought ammo for. (Although, he shot only 20 rounds of the same lot).

Box is marked "FV 574" (.223rem 62grain) and was bought at Hunters in Surrey.

Anyone run into the same problem, or is this just me/my rifle?

 

[dangertree]

A bud here lost two primers with the 62 AE in July. Different brand of rifle though. I'd try diff ammo and see what happens.

 

[Plinker]

I've had similar issues with the Federal Eagle .223. In my case, it's not that the primers are mangled in any way, I just find the odd one loose on the floor or bench, and they slide right back into the primer pockets on the fired cartridge (very loose fit). It's almost as if the primers are falling out when the cases hit the table or floor.

 

[prosper]

Interesting. Most AE that I've seen has been military ammo in Lake City cases with crimped primers.

I have no idea what the 'FV' marking means, and I don't understand why you'd see loose pockets like that. Perhaps Federal has made some changes to the AE line recently

 

[BC_Guy]

I burned through many thousands of rounds of AE, 55 and 62, both LC brass and Fed.
I've never blown a primer, but I've had plenty missing primers in my collected brass, as Plinker describes. This is with the Fed. stuff, not the Lake City.
That being said, I'm not surprised. AE is a semi-hot load, and couple that with their infamous soft brass (at least the non-LC stuff), it's no wonder that this happens. Makes it second-rate brass to reload as well, although Midway sells a tool that (apparently) sets the pocket back into spec.