Problems with Ammo .223 Wolf, FMJ

[LedJedi]

Ammo .223 Wolf, FMJ, 55 Grain, 20 Round Box Made in Russia, 3149 fps, Steel Cased.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/AMM218-5.html

20 Round Box .223-caliber 55-grain ammunition from the Tula Cartridge works in Russia. This is high-quality Wolf Performance This is steel cased, Boxer-primed, This is steel cased, Boxer-primed, Bimetal jacket (copper over steel) full metal jacket, non-corrosive and non-reloadable. Muzzle velocity is 3,149 fps. This ammo has polymer coated steel cases. Simply put, this is some of the best ammo on the market today at a great price.

Now featuring the renowned POLYFORMANCE Shoot with confidence and WOLF’s unmatched reliability backed by the industry's only 100% Performance Guarantee!!!
Ammunition is a non-returnable item.

I bought about 300 rounds of this over the weekend and blew through about 150 rounds at the range on Saturday. Out of that 150 or so rounds I had 3 cases improperly expand on me and get jammed in the chamber. The rounds went bang and fired normally, but the shoulder of the round expanded slightly to the point that they would only extract about 1/2 way. We had to use a cleaning rod through the front of the barrel to poke the case out.

Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone have a recommendation for an ammo they've used extensively that's cheap to shoot (plinking) and doesn't cause problems?

Just wondering if this is a fluke or just cheap ammo. 3 problem rounds is 150 raises a flag with me.

[joe817]

I'm sure others will chime in on this, but I've heard so many horror stories about that brand, I stay away from it. Sorry you had the problems.

[pbwalker]

The only Wolf ammo I have is 54 Russian and have had no issue with it. I, too, have heard stories about Wolf on the .223, and went with Monarch (Made by Barnaul I believe). No issues with it other than the fact that it is DIRTY!

[karder]

I don't like to bash manufacturers, but Wolf is not the best ammo. I will shoot it at the range occasionally because it is cheap, but I have had my share of issues with it, though not the same ones you are describing. I generally use Remington UMC. It is not terribly expensive and it seems to be of reasonable quality. I can't remember having any problems with it and the accuracy seems good. Cheaper than dirt has 50 round boxes for $20.89, but you can likely beat that if you shot around a bit. I have seen a brand called Herter's at Cabalas which is another Russian manufacturer. I have seen it really cheap, but I have not tried it yet.

[A-R]

Shot a bit of this through my Mini 14 when I first got it because it was cheap and available, no problems, but Mini 14 action is much more forgivable than an AR-15. Have been warned not to shoot ANY steel-case ammo in an AR-15, but heard conflicting reports of this. I simply choose not to shoot steel case because the quality brass case stuff is available again and relatively inexpensive (compared to 6-9 months ago).

[timdsmith72]

I'm sure others will chime in on this, but I've heard so many horror stories about that brand, I stay away from it. Sorry you had the problems.

I've heard horror stories too. I stay faaar away from it. Just for plinking I go with either Remington UMC or Monarch. Never had any problems with either one. And I can usually get Monarch the the local Academy for around $9 to $11 for a box of 50.

[MoJo]

I've shot a ton of Wolf in .223 through two different AR15s never had a problem.

Is your chamber clean? This sounds just like the type of malfunction we used to experience in Vietnam before the ammo change. Clean your chamber with a chamber brush and solvent wipe it dry and then put a very thin coat of oil in it. See if this helps the problem. ARs are real finicky about being cleaned and lubed a "lick and a promise" often won't do.

[shortysboy09]

I shoot Wolf out of my 556's when I am at the range or just shooting for no reason. Never had any type of problems with Wolf ammo. I have probably shot 1000 rounds of it all together.

I will tell you that it's a very very dirty ammo though.

Mojo is right, try cleaning it and see what it does. It might have been clean when you got there then after shooting some rounds it got dirtied up. That goes back to my original statement that Wolf is some EXTREMELY dirty ammo. Dirtiest I have seen anyways.

[stroo]

Steel cased ammo, Wolff or otherwise, jams in some AR 15s. If it does in yours as it has in mine, don't use it anymore.

[57Coastie]

A while back my son bragged about "getting a good deal" on some .38 spcl, and he tried it out with wife's snubby revolver at the range. After firing a couple of the five in the cylinder -- FTF. The cylinder was jammed up and could not be rotated even a bit.

I concluded that after the second round fired, the recoil caused the bullet of the next round to move forward out of the cartridge case just enough to jam up the cylinder as it started to rotate. Great care was needed, and taken, to clear this mess, with 3 hot rounds left in the cylinder.

This was the first and last time either my son or I used Wolf ammo. It may have been just one loose bullet out of thousands of rounds, but that is one too many when I sometimes carry this snubby for self-defense.

BTW, never again will I say that a revolver is foolproof, and never again will I buy ammo I am unfamiliar with which is a "good deal."

Jim

[LedJedi]

I've shot a ton of Wolf in .223 through two different AR15s never had a problem.

Is your chamber clean? This sounds just like the type of malfunction we used to experience in Vietnam before the ammo change. Clean your chamber with a chamber brush and solvent wipe it dry and then put a very thin coat of oil in it. See if this helps the problem. ARs are real finicky about being cleaned and lubed a "lick and a promise" often won't do.

Well, that was the first time the AR had ever been shot. It was literally fresh off the shelf at Academy. I inspected the chamber when I was doing some assembly practice and just getting to know the parts and it certainly looked clean. It also seemed to have some lubrication in place though not a whole lot. From what I've read in the manual too much oil/lube can be explosive in an AR anyway.

I'm wondering if maybe the dirty nature of the the Wolf ammo didn't just foul up the gun to the point that it couldn't extract well,

but at the same time if you put one of the spent cases with the problem side by side with another round that hadn't been fired you could clearly see where the shoulders had expanded after firing. I didn't pay much attention to this at the range, but my guess is that it was probably a combination of the undesired case expansion and the ammo being so dirty.

I'll be going with a different brand next time I go shooting. Once I find a brand I'm happy with I'll likely buy a case to stock up. I wonder if Blazer makes 223 ammo. I LOVE blazer ammo for our pistols. Have yet to have a single issue with a blazer round out of 1000+ shot through multiple pistols.

[shortysboy09]

I've shot a ton of Wolf in .223 through two different AR15s never had a problem.

Is your chamber clean? This sounds just like the type of malfunction we used to experience in Vietnam before the ammo change. Clean your chamber with a chamber brush and solvent wipe it dry and then put a very thin coat of oil in it. See if this helps the problem. ARs are real finicky about being cleaned and lubed a "lick and a promise" often won't do.

Well, that was the first time the AR had ever been shot. It was literally fresh off the shelf at Academy. I inspected the chamber when I was doing some assembly practice and just getting to know the parts and it certainly looked clean. It also seemed to have some lubrication in place though not a whole lot. From what I've read in the manual too much oil/lube can be explosive in an AR anyway.

I'm wondering if maybe the dirty nature of the the Wolf ammo didn't just foul up the gun to the point that it couldn't extract well,

but at the same time if you put one of the spent cases with the problem side by side with another round that hadn't been fired you could clearly see where the shoulders had expanded after firing. I didn't pay much attention to this at the range, but my guess is that it was probably a combination of the undesired case expansion and the ammo being so dirty.

I'll be going with a different brand next time I go shooting. Once I find a brand I'm happy with I'll likely buy a case to stock up. I wonder if Blazer makes 223 ammo. I LOVE blazer ammo for our pistols. Have yet to have a single issue with a blazer round out of 1000+ shot through multiple pistols.

What you saw was packing grease. It needed to be removed and cleaned/lubed before you shot the gun. I would suggest getting all that stuff off before you shoot it again.

[LedJedi]

What you saw was packing grease. It needed to be removed and cleaned/lubed before you shot the gun. I would suggest getting all that stuff off before you shoot it again.

please don't tell me i shot my wonderful, beautiful new AR without it being properly lubed. I'm going to cry

[shortysboy09]

What you saw was packing grease. It needed to be removed and cleaned/lubed before you shot the gun. I would suggest getting all that stuff off before you shoot it again.

please don't tell me i shot my wonderful, beautiful new AR without it being properly lubed. I'm going to cry

I think it was packing grease that was in there to keep the action from seizing in shipping/shelf life. Tear it all down. Clean and lube it. Then try Wolf again and see what you get out of it. That packing grease does not stand up well at all to heat.

There's packing grease in just about every new gun. Any firearm I buy new gets cleaned first thing when I get home.

[WildBill]

What you saw was packing grease. It needed to be removed and cleaned/lubed before you shot the gun. I would suggest getting all that stuff off before you shoot it again.There's packing grease in just about every new gun. Any firearm I buy new gets cleaned first thing when I get home.

Gun manufacturers never know how long a gun will sit around before being sold or used so they use grease to prevent rust.