new loader quick question

LuckyLuc82

LuckyLuc82

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Someone gave me some .223 reloaded ammo he had for a while. i got about 250 rounds, I'm new to reloading barely have 10 rounds under my belt. While comparing the ammo i was given to the ammo I just reloaded myself I noticed I can hear the powder inside my reloads but I hear nothing shaking the reloads I was given, i would say maybe 1 out of 10 rounds appears to have powder inside.... I don't want to be paranoid or get mad but I really feel duped right now.

Like I said my reloading experience is limited, so maybe i'm missing something here, is there a safe way to check if there is powder in the rounds?
 
Don't quote me on this but I'm fairly sure it's illegal to give/sell/etc reloads. IIRC, you can only give/sell reloads if the recipient is directly involved in the reloading process(sorting brass, measuring powder,etc). You really shouldn't be shooting someone else's reloads anyways...

With that being said, get a bullet puller to check suspect rounds.
 
If you can find one of those kinetic hammers to pull the bullet, you can find out easy enough if you're in doubt. The reloads could also be using a powder that fills the whole case and that's why you can't hear the powder shake.

I use Reloader 15 for my 223 and they are compressed loads.....even though I drop the powder it still settles about 1 mm from the top of the case. The bullet actually crunches the powder slightly.:p Pull 5 or 10 to put your mind at ease.
 
Many people, including myself, will not shoot reloaded ammo of unknown pedigree... More than once, I've run into ammo that was too hot, too long, or too tired. If I get reloads, I break them down.
 
digitalblue said:
Don't quote me on this but I'm fairly sure it's illegal to give/sell/etc reloads. IIRC, you can only give/sell reloads if the recipient is directly involved in the reloading process(sorting brass, measuring powder,etc). You really shouldn't be shooting someone else's reloads anyways...

With that being said, get a bullet puller to check suspect rounds.
Click to expand...

He said he was given the ammo, he did not buy it.

I personally would not shoot someone else's reloads.
 
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Doncha just love the liberal world of absolutes f:P: ?

1) Legal and beneficial aren't the same thing, though admittedly our society has been dummied down to the point where many believe this to be so.

2) Plenty of shooters have rounds made for them by equipped & trusted friends who reload. Many don't. Think of it like an elephant's arsehole. Its a gray area.
 
If you don't trust the ammo, simply pull it apart and dispose of the powder as there is no reliable way to identify it, then reuse the components; the bullet, brass and primer will be fine. However, just because a powder charge completely fills the capacity of the cartridge does not mean it is loaded to a dangerous level. Typically it takes more slow burning powder to produce equal presure of any given load of faster burning powder. Additionally, ball powder takes up less room than an equal weight of extruded powder even if the burning rate is the same.
 
Do you know what weight in grains the bullet is? It sounds like it's a compressed load (meaning the case has so much powder in it that the bullet squishes the powder - hence "compressed).

Checking my manual, IMR 3031 24.5 gr is a max load for a .223 with a 55 gr bullet.
 
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