Pressure and Crimps

[TxLite]

Wasn't sure where to post this so sticking it here.

I purchased 4 boxes of 223 ammo from Choice Ammunition to use in an AR for coyotes and planned on saving the Lapua brass for some handloads.

When I opened the boxes for the 50gr TNT's I noticed they were crimped to the point of the bullet being bulged and damaged. The 55gr cannelured VMAX boxes had no crimp whatsoever, but I can easily run that through the die and give it a touch.

I reached out to them with concerns about the extreme crimp causing overpressures in my rifle, as well as potential suppressor damage due to the bulged jacket. The response I received is that these were 'thoroughly tested and fine to shoot' and that this amount of crimp is necessary for this particular load and 'is merely cosmetic'. I didn’t have a ton of confidence in the response that was received so I pulled 2 bullets to see how bad things were looking, and both displayed the same cinched jacket.

Would you guys shoot these or just pull the bullets, dump the powder, and load them?



Edit- to be clear I haven’t fired these. They will chamber though

 

[Mulyhuntr]

I'd be asking for a refund. Seems extremely excessive.

 

[TxLite]

I'd be asking for a refund. Seems extremely excessive.

No return policy.

And now that I’ve pulled 2 bullets to inspect I don’t think they’d be bending the rules on that box

 

[TaperPin]

I wouldn’t expect them to be accurate, but probably safe to shoot. Having said that, anytime something is out of the ordinary that is a warning sign.

 

[TxLite]

I wouldn’t expect them to be accurate, but probably safe to shoot. Having said that, anytime something is out of the ordinary that is a warning sign.

Was kind of worried about the bullet holding together to begin with because the barrel is 7tw

The 7tw is also why I purchased ammo to start with so I wasn’t wasting time/components on something it was going to hate

 

[DaveCB]

Wow, I personally would not shoot them. How many boxes do you have? If they would not take them back
If only a box or two I would try to rework and salvage what I could,
Did you try to chamber one? The neck looks bulged to the point that they may hangup and not cycle.

 

[TxLite]

Wow, I personally would not shoot them. How many boxes do you have? If they would not take them back
If only a box or two I would try to rework and salvage what I could,
Did you try to chamber one? The neck looks bulged to the point that they may hangup and not cycle.

Only 2 boxes

They chamber fine in the 7tw 556 rifle I was originally planning to shoot them in. Haven’t tried in the 8tw 223 wylde I was going to use as a backup

 

[Harvey_NW]

 

[TxLite]

View attachment 662670

I guess if I did send it and something got damaged (hopefully not me), I’d have email proof that I had concerns and was told they’d be fine.

 

[WKR]

Did you measure the bulge with a caliper and see exactly how much over bore diameter they are?

 

[TxLite]

Did you measure the bulge with a caliper and see exactly how much over bore diameter they are?

I have not. I can check it this afternoon