Questions about Ammo

Discussion about rifles in 300 AAC BLACKOUT (7.62x35mm), hosted by the creator of the cartridge.

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300black
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Questions about Ammo

Post by 300black »

Some questions about ammo.

I don't want ammo that is going to dirty up my rifles and suppressors, so if that means no polymer coated rounds, it'd be good to know now.



1.) Is remanufactured ammo bad? ( Does 'remanufactured' mean reloaded? )


2.) Is loaded in once fired brass bad?


3.) Is fully processed brass bad? (What does it even mean?)


4.) Is polymer coated lead bullet bad? ( I don't want to find out people saying, "O, it's common knowledge to never shoot polymer coated or coated bullets through a suppressor!" )
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GunFunZS
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Re: Questions about Ammo

Post by GunFunZS »

1) It depends. Some is and some isn't. Also good brands of new and reman ammo can have bad lots too.

2) Nope. But it is slightly more likely to have flaws related to small differences from one brand of brass (AKA headstamps). Most people consider this to be OK for range ammo, but would not use it for "serious purposes".

3) Nope, unless it was fired in an out of spec gun that over stretched the brass, or was an over pressure load. This is very contextual. Unless you fired the brass from new ammo, be very skeptical about the claim "once fired". Most sellers of this have no way to really know how many times it's been fired. Really all they can say is that it is fired brass. Occassionally some sellers will get a lot of brass from a military or law enforcement training center. That ammo really is once fired and tends to have matching headstamps. It's extra work to get it ready for the first use, since you have to ream or swage the primer pocket, but it has the advantages of being a. cheap b. big enough lots to get some decent consistency c. matching headstamps d. sometimes heavier duty brass.

4) It is not a defined term in the industry. Some might just mean tumbled and polished. Others might also resize and deprime. Others might also use a machine to sort out most bad brass. Others might mean trimmed for length too. Still others might even reprime the brass, which for some reason doesn't ship in the same hazmat category as primers alone. The only way to know is to ask. IMO, I'm going to run each piece of brass through my sizing die so I can be sure it fits my gun anyway, so the sizing is a waste. Trim and deprime, etc are time savers.

5) Nope, if they do a good job, PC are in some ways superior. They fully encapsulate the bullet, which protects your bore and your lungs from contact with lead or lead vapor. DI ARs are pretty dangerous to shoot conventionally lubed lead bullets through because the gas tube pumps lead vapor onto your upper lip. They have lower friction than copper and leave a cleaner bore, with less heat and should result in a longer barrel life.

However, if you shave the coating off while loading or have a gun with sharp leade, or their alloy & heat treat is wrong (or inconsistent/ unknown) then you can have sucky accuracy results & / or barrel leading.

I'm sure there are lots of threads here on how to set up powder coated lead bullets for good results. Basically use a hard enough bullet at the right seating depth. Flare your brass so that it doesn't shave. Possibly modify your feed ramps if they are gouging the ammo.
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RAINS
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Re: Questions about Ammo

Post by RAINS »

With polymer coated lead bullets the only way to tell if they are working is to shoot them into water. Then look at the bullets. You can submerge a garbage can in a creek or pond to catch the bullets.

My 8' Cmmg barrel dose not like coated cast lead bullets. The bullets I used were a bit to large for my bore. I had bits of lead in my can. I sure am glad I tested them! Do note the leading was not because of too much crimping or not belling the case mouth. The rifling just tore into coating and the lead underneath. Test out the bullets for yourself. Or make sure to buy a suppressor with stainless steel baffles that can be removed easily for cleaning.
Have fun!


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