Ammo failures! Global Ordnance

[Weldrdave]

I just wanted to put out a little (Public notice).  I purchased a case of 7.62 x 39 of Global Ordnance, (made in Bulgaria).  My feelings/opinion is that it's $#!T.   I shot 100 rounds from 3 different SKS's that have never had any problems, 14 mis-fires in 100 rounds! (God forbid your life depended on this ammo)!  The primers are horrible.  You all know how hard an SKS hits a primer, I had rounds that I put a "hit" round back through and it fired.  I even had one fire after 3 hits!  I now have 900 rounds left to shoot and I wish now I had never spent $400.00 for this stuff!    I never had 1 mis-fire with the Russian Golden Tiger and very few from Tula.   My opinion, stay away from this stuff, don't waist hard earned money.

[Phosphorus32]

Sorry to hear about your troubles with this brand but I appreciate the PSA! 

[Bacarnal]

  Thanks!!

[running-man]

I’m surprised you made it through 14 misfires. After 5 or so I’m done. I hate that feeling trying to decide if I’ve waited long enough to pull that charging handle to get that misfire out of battery.

I’d put that ammo up for sale with full disclosure. Somebody will want it. 

[Weldrdave]

I’m surprised you made it through 14 misfires. After 5 or so I’m done. I hate that feeling trying to decide if I’ve waited long enough to pull that charging handle to get that misfire out of battery.

I’d put that ammo up for sale with full disclosure. Somebody will want it. 

I know what you mean!  I count 30 seconds then pray, what ever happens, happens!  .  I put the ammo through 1 Russian and 2 of my Chinese ones.  7 alone from the Russian gun, but I shot that more.
I had 4 from the little Para I just fixed up and the other 3 from another.  I know it wasn't the guns!   .  I'll use it up for punching holes in paper but it sure as hell won't be my ready ammo if God forbid the SHTF!

[running-man]

Hey Dave, what do the pristine primers look like on the back of the round?  I just read this perusing the SGAmmo newsletter and hasn’t really thought of it, but it could be a prime culprit:

Just in today! We were able to get a few pallets of this 7.62x39 soft point hunting ammo out of Wolf's stockpile that they put back before the war cut off supply. They say this is the last of it that they will let us buy. When it is gone, it will be tough to get anything other than FMJ type ammo in steel case 7.62x39 for the foreseeable future. This is the Barnaul made 7.62x39 that is considered by many to be the most desirable type, due to the factory using a flush primer (not recessed into the pocket) that is more sensitive and works better in AR15s and Mini-30 rifles compared to the ammo made at the other factories

Think the primer seating is possibly too deep? 

[Weldrdave]

Hey Dave, what do the pristine primers look like on the back of the round?  I just read this perusing the SGAmmo newsletter and hasn’t really thought of it, but it could be a prime culprit:

Just in today! We were able to get a few pallets of this 7.62x39 soft point hunting ammo out of Wolf's stockpile that they put back before the war cut off supply. They say this is the last of it that they will let us buy. When it is gone, it will be tough to get anything other than FMJ type ammo in steel case 7.62x39 for the foreseeable future. This is the Barnaul made 7.62x39 that is considered by many to be the most desirable type, due to the factory using a flush primer (not recessed into the pocket) that is more sensitive and works better in AR15s and Mini-30 rifles compared to the ammo made at the other factories

Think the primer seating is possibly too deep? 

That was the first thing I looked at!  The ones that mis-fired were hit pretty deep. It didn't look like a touch.  I did not put a straight edge across them but I will!  I'll pull a box or 2 apart and give them a look.  I'll post back.   I did get these from SG Ammo.  I've dealt with him for years and never had an ammo issue.

[Weldrdave]

I just pulled some random boxes apart and (most) of them have about a 0.010 under the straight edge.  I don't think thats enough to cause so much failure. There are some very close too flush but the majority are a pinch recessed.  I went and looked at some Tula I have and some Red Army, all are in the same ball park from what I can see.  I'm gonna shoot a box of Red Army today, then a Box of the GO stuff to see what happens from the same gun.  I have a Russian SKS that "MURDERS" the primers  .   We'll see how that goes 

[GuitarmanNick]

Thanks for the heads up. It is appreciated.

[running-man]

I just pulled some random boxes apart and (most) of them have about a 0.010 under the straight edge.  I don't think thats enough to cause so much failure. There are some very close too flush but the majority are a pinch recessed.  I went and looked at some Tula I have and some Red Army, all are in the same ball park from what I can see.  I'm gonna shoot a box of Red Army today, then a Box of the GO stuff to see what happens from the same gun.  I have a Russian SKS that "MURDERS" the primers  .   We'll see how that goes 

Laugh, thanks for the investigative work.  Sounds like it's just hard or possibly substandard primers.

You might hit up Sam over at SGAmmo (sales@sgammo.com) and simply let him know your experience.  Worst case he takes down your purchase info along with other people that might also be having similar problems and traces it to a certain shipment or lot.  Best case perhaps a recall is issued and you get a new batch of ammo to replace the defective stuff.  Failure to fire in a surplus military carbine with new ammo is simply unacceptable in my book.  In a homebuilt AR using Wolf ammo with known hard primers and the AR having a weak hammer spring....yeah I could see that, but it should *never* happen 14 times out of 100 in a stock SKS, much less 3 of them!!

Heck Sam's the kind of guy that will try and make it right if you wanted to push for him to swap this stuff with something you know will work like Brown Bear, Wolf, Tula, or Golden Tiger (If he even has anymore of that stuff, getting harder to find by the day as stocks dwindle and imports are still barred.), that might be another avenue as well. 

[High Noon]

Thanks for the heads up.  Never tried the brand and now I won't.

[Weldrdave]

I just pulled some random boxes apart and (most) of them have about a 0.010 under the straight edge.  I don't think thats enough to cause so much failure. There are some very close too flush but the majority are a pinch recessed.  I went and looked at some Tula I have and some Red Army, all are in the same ball park from what I can see.  I'm gonna shoot a box of Red Army today, then a Box of the GO stuff to see what happens from the same gun.  I have a Russian SKS that "MURDERS" the primers  .   We'll see how that goes 

Laugh, thanks for the investigative work.  Sounds like it's just hard or possibly substandard primers.

You might hit up Sam over at SGAmmo (sales@sgammo.com) and simply let him know your experience.  Worst case he takes down your purchase info along with other people that might also be having similar problems and traces it to a certain shipment or lot.  Best case perhaps a recall is issued and you get a new batch of ammo to replace the defective stuff.  Failure to fire in a surplus military carbine with new ammo is simply unacceptable in my book.  In a homebuilt AR using Wolf ammo with known hard primers and the AR having a weak hammer spring....yeah I could see that, but it should *never* happen 14 times out of 100 in a stock SKS, much less 3 of them!!

Heck Sam's the kind of guy that will try and make it right if you wanted to push for him to swap this stuff with something you know will work like Brown Bear, Wolf, Tula, or Golden Tiger (If he even has anymore of that stuff, getting harder to find by the day as stocks dwindle and imports are still barred.), that might be another avenue as well.

I have spoke to Sam in the past, (not on this issue).  Yesterday I took out my 1954 Tula/referb! Nice shooter,  Super hard hitter.  0 failures of a box of Red Army, 2 failures of GO ammo.  . I believe I'm gonna send an e-mail to him.  I'm not one to complain and I'm not asking for anything in return but he will know what's happening.  I'm at an average of 10% failure +

[Weldrdave]

So, I had an e-mail exchange with Sam at SGAmmo.  He was surprised about my issues and said he has sold about 800 cases of the stuff with no issues.   I explained what happened with me but it's now a moot point. He explained to me what could be going on.  After shooting and owning guns for 45+ years, being in the military and handling guns regularly, I would think I know a "Little bit".   3 separate guns using the same ammo doesn't have firing pin issues and light hits.  So, I chalk this up as my own learning experience.  I told him I didn't want anything, (which I don't) but wanted to make him aware of this incase it was a bad batch of primers.   
You've all read my post, you make your own decisions on it but what I posted was MY experience... 

[running-man]

Man, that's a bummer Dave.  Very surprised he didn't show more concern or want to get as much detailed info on that lot as possible.  I know I would, as questions hanging over one's head like that is not a great long-term sustainable business practice I don't think..  It'll be interesting to see if this problem rears its head again in the future....

Reputation is a funny thing...it can be sterling for a long time, but make that one critical screw up where you show apathy towards a legitimate concern and years worth of credibility can go out the door pretty darn quickly. 

[Weldrdave]

Man, that's a bummer Dave.  Very surprised he didn't show more concern or want to get as much detailed info on that lot as possible.  I know I would, as questions hanging over one's head like that is not a great long-term sustainable business practice I don't think..  It'll be interesting to see if this problem rears its head again in the future....

Reputation is a funny thing...it can be sterling for a long time, but make that one critical screw up where you show apathy towards a legitimate concern and years worth of credibility can go out the door pretty darn quickly. 

It is what it is!  I almost cut and pasted the e-mail, but it said nearly exactly what I wrote.  I will be very choosy on what I buy from now on out.  He did say, and this (IS) from the e-mail;

"As far as 7.62x39 prices, I expect only upward movement from where we are. Arsenal recently committed all production to military contract so that supply will come to an end soon, the Russians are totally cut off, the Romanians are already out of sight on prices, and that leaves only brass case ammo from PPU and Igman, and their 2022 and soon to be 2023 prices are so much higher than when I stockpiled my inventory in those brands in 2021, I cannot even buy it back for what I am selling it for. This is a caliber that is most likely to fade out of usage due to supply being cut off from Russia and no one to fill their place. The only reason the supply situation is not already terrible is that large stockpiles of Russian ammo were here in the USA before things went bad 9 to 10 months ago"

I asked him about prices and if anything looks like it will come down in the near future.  The above is the response!

[Greasemonkey]

I don't see it fading from use.. anymore than 30-30, 30-06 or any other caliber, just based off of the shear number of x39 weapons there are in the US. All it would really take is another manufacturer to step in and dedicate say.... an entire line to just feeding the need for it. Steel cases can't be but so hard to produce... Prices.. what haven't prices gone up on?? so price hikes would be normal. I imagine once a new manufacturing facility comes around somewhere in the world, the prices will be higher until the supply finds it's stable mark.. and or the company zeros out some of the inital cost incurred from setting up another facility.      But.... what do I know.. 

[Weldrdave]

I don't see it fading from use.. anymore than 30-30, 30-06 or any other caliber, just based off of the shear number of x39 weapons there are in the US. All it would really take is another manufacturer to step in and dedicate say.... an entire line to just feeding the need for it. Steel cases can't be but so hard to produce... Prices.. what haven't prices gone up on?? so price hikes would be normal. I imagine once a new manufacturing facility comes around somewhere in the world, the prices will be higher until the supply finds it's stable mark.. and or the company zeros out some of the inital cost incurred from setting up another facility.      But.... what do I know.. 

I 100% agree, but then again I don't deal in "Ammo" Once in a while I pick up some brass of x39 that someone has shot.  Some of these folks have a x39 AR's and the (Imitation) AK47's that I call them and they shoot up all their brass stuff.  I recently purchased 200 bullets of the V-max 123 grain and going to reload some.  I keep a good amount of x39 on hand (just in case)