Atomic .308 Ammo -- Please read!

[nf1e]

Originally Posted by rickgman

Art,

How much of the Atomic ammo did you shoot? Were there any mishaps? Also, did you gage check any of it? If so, what were the results?

Had to update this old post. This was much worse than I initially reported.

Picked this crap up from CMP a few years ago and added a few cans to the stash. After hearing some folks had bad results, I set it aside.
Well, yesterday my concerns were justified. Shot 100 rnds though a few different rifles. 90% or more developed neck splits and a few cartridges didn't even have primers in the empty pockets. At 100 yds there was a variation in 7 inches vertically. Absolute worse junk I have ever used. Made the old Egyptian garbage seem like GMM.

[Roadkingtrax]

Any guess what powder they would have used?

[rickgman]

Originally Posted by Roadkingtrax

Any guess what powder they would have used?

It contains some type of extruded propellant which some seem to think might be IMR 4064. I don't think anyone knows for sure except Atomic.

[steelap]

Originally Posted by Roadkingtrax

Any guess what powder they would have used?

Originally Posted by rickgman

It contains some type of extruded propellant which some seem to think might be IMR 4064. I don't think anyone knows for sure except Atomic.

When it was first sold by the CMP it was touted as a 168 grain Nosler Custom Competition bullet, 41.5 gr of Varget propellant, with a Winchester LR primer. I checked my notes from when I first started reloading and used that as a starter load as the Atomic Ammo shot well in my M1As and my .308 Win Garands.

I bought two cans, still have 40 rounds left, and had no issues THAT I NOTICED. However, when I bought and shot it I was in the infancy of my shooting military rifles.

Just because (back then) I didn't recognize issues doesn't mean I recommend it. Persons whose opinions I greatly respect have reported issues and warn against this ammo.

I plan to pull the last forty rounds and reuse the bullets. The roughly 4 oz of powder are not worth trying to reclaim, and I have plenty of good HXP brass, so I won't keep the cases either (including those I fired).

Is it worthwhile to recover and reuse the primers? I would want to remove them anyway if I recycle the brass cases, but we're talking only forty primers, or somewhere around a dollar's worth.

[Roadkingtrax]

I'm planning on just recovering the bullets. Unfortunately I have just a plastic hammer, and not a bullet pulling die.

I did experience a case head failure with the ammunition, but more like it was overworked MG brass.

[Shomway]

Originally Posted by Roadkingtrax

I'm planning on just recovering the bullets. Unfortunately I have just a plastic hammer, and not a bullet pulling die.

I did experience a case head failure with the ammunition, but more like it was overworked MG brass.

Give this a try.....beats the "plastic hammer". https://grip-n-pull.com/

[nf1e]

OOps. More showed up today. I had forgotten I put a bunch in enblocs for my .308 M1s.
Trying to decide if it is worth pulling for the bullets.
I do have a collet puller so that's not the problem. It's whether I even want to mess with Nosler bullets. Decisions, decisions.

[giddy]

Having just now read this thread from start to finish, this reminds me of a similar problem I had about 10-12 years ago. There was a vendor selling reconditioned, fully prepped (sized, trimmed and primer pocket crimp removed [reamed]), once-fired military LC Nato brass (ready to load). It was also mentioned the cases had been also roll-sized. There were some "lots" of this brass excessively roll-sized that ruptured unexpectedly in the head area at the extractor groove. The "over sizing" by the roll sizer supposedly caused the brass to be overly brittle, and ruptured. At that time I was shooting NRA XTC competition with my M1A, and had a rupture that destroyed the magazine. After that, I scrapped all of this brass.
I suspect some of the brass loaded by Atomic might have also been roll sized excessively.

[AB9AD]

Have several plastic boxes from CMP. Got it for the .308 Garand. Retired a few years back and lost the wife (40 yrs). Just now reviewing the supplies.

[nf1e]

Originally Posted by rickgman

Art,

How much of the Atomic ammo did you shoot? Were there any mishaps? Also, did you gage check any of it? If so, what were the results?

Had to update this old post. This was much worse than I initially reported.

Picked this crap up from CMP a few years ago and added a few cans to the stash. After hearing some folks had bad results, I set it aside.
Well, yesterday my concerns were justified. Shot 100 rnds though a few different rifles. 90% or more developed neck splits and a few cartridges didn't even have primers in the empty pockets. At 100 yds there was a variation in 7 inches vertically. Absolute worse junk I have ever used. Made the old Egyptian garbage seem like GMM.

After a little thought, very little, there are 800+ rnds on the way to the collet puller. Soon to become re-loading components minus the brass and primers.
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