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Message
Question for gun experts - centerfire primers coming out
Posted on 6/8/26 at 12:07 pm
Posted on 6/8/26 at 12:07 pm
I recently bought an old Browning BAR .270 and just took it to the range this weekend. Last week I picked up a few boxes of cheap Federal soft point ammo at Spotted Dog in Columbia.
I shot a 20 round box and probably 30-40% of the primers came out of the casing when the spent bullet was ejected. I've never seen this happen and asked someone at the range what would cause it. Also checked google AI and both answers were that it was due to high pressure and possibly incorrect head space. Both answers also said do not shoot anymore of that ammo.
My question is this: Even though the rifle is probably 50 years old, could it possibly be the fault of the rifle? I've wanted one of the browning bars all my life, especially the Grade 2 with the elk and antelope engraving, but I will never shoot it again if there's any chance it is the fault of the rifle.
Thanks for any response.
I shot a 20 round box and probably 30-40% of the primers came out of the casing when the spent bullet was ejected. I've never seen this happen and asked someone at the range what would cause it. Also checked google AI and both answers were that it was due to high pressure and possibly incorrect head space. Both answers also said do not shoot anymore of that ammo.
My question is this: Even though the rifle is probably 50 years old, could it possibly be the fault of the rifle? I've wanted one of the browning bars all my life, especially the Grade 2 with the elk and antelope engraving, but I will never shoot it again if there's any chance it is the fault of the rifle.
Thanks for any response.
4
Posted on 6/8/26 at 12:13 pm to SCwTiger
I would 100% get that rifle's headspace checked with a go/no gauge before firing anything else out of it.
Guns are engineered to hold up fairly well against abuse until something fails. The Browning BAR is a heavy beast.
But, I'm still not taking chances with my face.
Guns are engineered to hold up fairly well against abuse until something fails. The Browning BAR is a heavy beast.
But, I'm still not taking chances with my face.
Posted on 6/8/26 at 12:20 pm to SCwTiger
The first thing you can do is ensure the chamber is clean and dry of oil. Someone may have been trying to shine it up and not realized they were dumping oil into the chamber while lubing up all the moving parts. This will seal off the brass inside and lead to over pressure.
After that you just have to check the headspace. Ammo nowadays should never be loaded so hot that is causes pressure issues but you wouldn’t be the first or the last to find some.
After that you just have to check the headspace. Ammo nowadays should never be loaded so hot that is causes pressure issues but you wouldn’t be the first or the last to find some.
Posted on 6/8/26 at 12:28 pm to SCwTiger
What did the other spent cases look like?
Were the primers flat?
Were the cases that have blown primers some of the first you shot or a mix?
Were the primers flat?
Were the cases that have blown primers some of the first you shot or a mix?
Posted on 6/8/26 at 12:47 pm to bbvdd
This, get us some clear pics of the fired primers if you can.
Posted on 6/8/26 at 1:00 pm to SCwTiger
just curious - 270 Win or 270 Weatherby Mag ?
Definitely sounds like a headcase issue
Definitely sounds like a headcase issue
Posted on 6/8/26 at 1:53 pm to Wolfmanjack
Didn't get any pictures of the primers before I swept them up and trashed them, but they were not smashed. They were complete and just blown out of the case.
This was Federal PowerShok jacketed soft point - the silver primers all have a blue dot on them in brass cases. On sale for $23/box which makes me think they may be culls.
The incidents were random from the 2nd shot throughout the 20th. Every 3rd or 4th shot blew out.
ETA: 270 Win.
This was Federal PowerShok jacketed soft point - the silver primers all have a blue dot on them in brass cases. On sale for $23/box which makes me think they may be culls.
The incidents were random from the 2nd shot throughout the 20th. Every 3rd or 4th shot blew out.
ETA: 270 Win.
This post was edited on 6/8/26 at 1:54 pm
Posted on 6/8/26 at 2:09 pm to SCwTiger
quote:
Didn't get any pictures of the primers before I swept them up and trashed them, but they were not smashed. They were complete and just blown out of the case.
I'm talking about the cases that did not have blown primers.
Were those primers flat? Guessing you didn't notice if you threw them away.
This post was edited on 6/8/26 at 2:09 pm
Posted on 6/8/26 at 2:10 pm to bbvdd
They just looked like a normal spent casing.
Posted on 6/8/26 at 4:37 pm to SCwTiger
No. There is nothing wrong with that ammo. They’re not culls.
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