Case blew out today...

[bsmithwins]

Yugo M67 with 1976 headstamp, fired from vz58. Got a face full of smoke but no debris. Rifle looks ok and I'll check headspace before I shoot it again.

I had another case separation last summer from the same lot, also in the vz58. Needless to say I won't be shooting anymore of that lot.

BSW

 

[ammolab]

Case flaw. Not a weapon issue, just bad brass. Common with IMI 1980 7.62x51 surplus and several other types/calibers of surplus ammo.

 

[bsmithwins]

Originally Posted by ammolab
Case flaw. Not a weapon issue, just bad brass. Common with IMI 1980 7.62x51 surplus and several other types/calibers of surplus ammo.


I completely agree about it being a ammo problem. Two out of 1200 is one too many though. Once I wrote off to happenstance, twice is a conspiracy...

BSW

 

[justintendo]

wild how its blown right through the rim too!

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by justintendo
wild how its blown right through the rim too!


yeah.... really wild

i have NEVER seen this exact type of failure!

Originally Posted by bsmithwins
and I'll check headspace before I shoot it again.


Smart man.

 

[WyrTwister]

Take the rest of the ammo and brake it down for components . Reload the components into good brass .

Did you feel greater than " normal " recoil or hear louder than " normal " sound , when you fired that round ?

Best of luck and stay safe !

 

[bsmithwins]

Originally Posted by WyrTwister
Take the rest of the ammo and brake it down for components . Reload the components into good brass .

Did you feel greater than " normal " recoil or hear louder than " normal " sound , when you fired that round ?

Best of luck and stay safe !


Breaking them down for bullets is the plan. The only external sign of a problem was the face full of smoke. The vz58 extracted and ejected that case and loaded the next round.

BSW

 

[jjjxlr8]

Glad you were not injured. Did you check the chamber for damage? Too much of that can erode the chamber.

Too bad about the ammo. Even though it's 'corrosive', the Yugo M67 ammo is supposed to provide good accuracy and has always been desirable plinking ammo. Do you know what the lot number is on the ammo? Is that a "97" date on the headstamp?

 

[bsmithwins]

The chamber has a soot mark on it but I can't feel any catching using a dentist's pick to probe it, so any damage is very minimal.

The Yugo M67 has always been very good shooting ammo and I need non-magnetic for a rifle match I shoot.

I actually do have the lot number from the box and I can post it when I get home tonight. The headstamp is the Yugoslavian NK 1976.

The lot I just opened up is from 1983, so I'm using newer ammo at least.

BSW

 

[jjjxlr8]

It's a bit tough to find anymore, but I think the South African 7.62x39 is brass cased and lead core with brass jackets. It's good ammo and more expensive, but probably still cheaper than Winchester or something domestic. Does PPU make anything without steel jackets? Might be another option.

 

[bsmithwins]

There is some gilding metal jacketed and lead core steel case on the market, but it's all more expensive than the Yugo I already bought 10 years ago.

I've opened a new lot of Yugo M67 from 1983. I'm not expecting to have any problems with it.

BSW

 

[Fastzntn]

Originally Posted by jjjxlr8
It's a bit tough to find anymore, but I think the South African 7.62x39 is brass cased and lead core with brass jackets. It's good ammo and more expensive, but probably still cheaper than Winchester or something domestic. Does PPU make anything without steel jackets? Might be another option.


I've used PPU 7.62x39 before and liked it a lot. They make a few different types:
FMJ- my favorite
Pointed soft point- similar to FMJ shape just SP
Round nose SP- never tried it

I think they typically go for $9.95/20, maybe a dollar or so off if on sale. Not great, but probably going rate for brass cased, non magnetic, non corrosive.

 

[bsmithwins]

Originally Posted by Fastzntn
Originally Posted by jjjxlr8
It's a bit tough to find anymore, but I think the South African 7.62x39 is brass cased and lead core with brass jackets. It's good ammo and more expensive, but probably still cheaper than Winchester or something domestic. Does PPU make anything without steel jackets? Might be another option.


I've used PPU 7.62x39 before and liked it a lot. They make a few different types:
FMJ- my favorite
Pointed soft point- similar to FMJ shape just SP
Round nose SP- never tried it

I think they typically go for $9.95/20, maybe a dollar or so off if on sale. Not great, but probably going rate for brass cased, non magnetic, non corrosive.


The funny thing is PPU is a modern post Yugoslavia arms factory. The NK ammo factory that made my ammo in the ‘70s is down the road in Konjic Bosnia.

I'll eventually replace the Yugoslavian ammo. From what I'm remembering I picked it up when it was $0.25-$0.30 a round.

BSW

 

[spasm3]

I wonder if you somehow got hold of some booby trapped ammo. Intentionally over charged or incorrect type powder. It might not be that hard for this stuff to get back into the USA.

 

[bsmithwins]

Originally Posted by spasm3
I wonder if you somehow got hold of some booby trapped ammo. Intentionally over charged or incorrect type powder. It might not be that hard for this stuff to get back into the USA.


I think shoddy commie quality control is a much likelier explanation than sabotage.

BSW

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted by bsmithwins
Originally Posted by spasm3
I wonder if you somehow got hold of some booby trapped ammo. Intentionally over charged or incorrect type powder. It might not be that hard for this stuff to get back into the USA.


I think shoddy commie quality control is a much likelier explanation than sabotage.

BSW


probably so, but realize that booby trapped ammo as been salted onto battlefields for a while.

 

[bsmithwins]

Update after the Saturday rifle match and about 150 rounds fired: Everything was normal, rifle worked perfectly with no problems.

Prior to the match I did check headspace and the bolt doesn't close on a field gauge. The lot of ammo I shot this weekend is PPU from 1983. The bad lot was IK factory from 1976.

BSW

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted by bsmithwins
The lot of ammo I shot this weekend is PPU from 1983.
I have probably capped close to 10K rounds of PPU (both PPU brand and the Academy Monarch brand which is simply repackaged PPU) and never had an issue. It is not always the cleanest or most accurate, but it goes bang (in a good way) every time.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted by spasm3
I wonder if you somehow got hold of some booby trapped ammo. Intentionally over charged or incorrect type powder. It might not be that hard for this stuff to get back into the USA.



So called "bobby trapped" ammo has enough explosive potential to blow the bolt back into the operators face, killing the operator of the gun and exploding the gun into pieces.

I HIGHLY doubt that there is much Vietnam era ammo being shipped into the US.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted by bubbatime
Originally Posted by spasm3
I wonder if you somehow got hold of some booby trapped ammo. Intentionally over charged or incorrect type powder. It might not be that hard for this stuff to get back into the USA.



So called "bobby trapped" ammo has enough explosive potential to blow the bolt back into the operators face, killing the operator of the gun and exploding the gun into pieces.

I HIGHLY doubt that there is much Vietnam era ammo being shipped into the US.



IIRC, they were random full loads of pistol type powders, not what you could get from an overcharge of the regular riflepowders.