Bullet weld

honest question, why doesnt factory loaded ammo have this "cold weld" problem?
The better question, has anyone had a cold weld on new brass that hasn't had any lube applied to it?
I think the wrong cause is being applied to the effect
 
honest question, why doesnt factory loaded ammo have this "cold weld" problem?
the problem won't show up on a target until~ at least 500 yards and most people who shoot factory ammo don't shoot that far. Run a 50fps difference in speed thru your calculator and see the difference in drops.
 
the problem won't show up on a target until~ at least 500 yards and most people who shoot factory ammo don't shoot that far. Run a 50fps difference in speed thru your calculator and see the difference in drops.
but some guys are claiming that cold weld caused case head separations or neck splits , and even detonation which damaged the gun in some cases----some factory ammo sits there for 15-20 years before it gets shot (OR EVEN LONGER), just trying to figure out why it doesn't seem to be a big issue with factory ammo
 
Two years ago, a long time friend's son wanted to go deer hunting and didn't have a rifle. I told him I had one he could use. I started looking for ammo for it and couldn't find any right off hand, so I started scrounging thru the stash.

I found some. Originally loaded for this particular rifle in 1976. "Lord amighty" I thought to myself.

I decided it was good back then so it still should be good now. He wanted to go sight it in, but I told him it was spot on last time I shot it, so it was up to him. He decided he would take a chance on it.

On that particular trip, he took an admirable white tail buck (at least admirable for the Texas Hill Country), a 105 lb pig, and a turkey. I asked him if he had to sight it and he replied "hell no, it was driving tacks just like you said". So, that is one instance of there being no bullet weld in ammo that was almost as old as he was at the time.

I offered no risk to him in that I fired a few rounds of that stuff just a few months before season opened.

After he got back, I shot all those cartridges and loaded another box of fresher stuff.
 
I tumble my brass after fl sizing, wash it in warm dish soap water, wash again in clean water, then put in the oven on lowest setting with the door open till dry. I've not had a problem yet knock on wood, I'm running some hot 300 win mag compressed loads with h1000. Just shot some from 18 months ago and did not find any issues. I don't lube when loading though
 
This thread has me scratching my bald head quite a bit. As has been stated earlier I to have ammo that has been loaded for 30 plus years and it seems to shoot fine. With no pressure signs . Shoot I've still got factory ammo that dads uncle bought at hecks department store how ever long ago that was. I've also got handloads that has been loaded for 25 or more years that dad loaded up.
So maybe cold weld is caused by ammo getting damp or wet out doors??? I'm not sure I'm certainly not saying it not a possible scenario I'm just not certain what factors could or would cause this to happen
 
I frankly never heard of this before just now. But I think this may have answered a question that I've had pondered over for about 20 years.

In 1996 I shot in a police sniper match with my Win Mod 70 heavy varmint rifle that I personally owned and carried in the trunk of my patrol car for years. The department would not pay for my ammo but at least they paid my entry fees and lodging etc. It was a 2 day match and required about 200 rds of ammo of which we shot about 125. I did have about 20 boxes of LC white box match 173 gr FMJBT 7.62x51, dated 1972, so I used that. The rules specifically said no reloaded ammo, factory only. My ammo was older than most of the competitors. As a Sheriff's deputy in those days, we had to pay for our own ammo and weapons.

In the early 80's I was in the National Guard and we were issued ammo can after ammo can of the white box 173 stuff to use for practice in competition M14's. For serious matches we pulled the FMJ bullets and reseated Sierra 168 HPBT match. The improved accuracy was noticeable and we thought it was worth 5% or so higher scores, especially in the 600 yd slow fire prone phase of the qualification match. (same match as the NRA HP) We called this improved round Mexican Match.

As I think about this cold weld business, what we did to the LC ammo was pull the original bullet (173's) thus break any cold weld, then reseat a new bullet. And then shot that newly seated round in much less than 3 months. Thus there was no, new cold weld... or so I now think.

In the Police match mentioned above, I had several "flyers" that were high or low but not so much any problems with wind. I just chalked that up to the fact that I was older and did not have the opportunity to practice as much as I did in the military.

I have been retired from the S.O. for nearly 9 years. I still own that rifle and I now still use that LC 72 date brass but I load it with Horn 168 gr AMAX bullets. It shoots better now that it ever did with any match factory round. One odd thing about that rifle is that it seems to weigh a lot more these days than it did back then. But carrying it 50 feet or so from the pickup to the shooting bench at our range, and setting in up on a rest is still well within my capability. I have a much lighter but very accurate Browning A bolt stalker that likes the same ammo. It will reach out and bag any antelope or deer I'm likely to shoot. And that decision is made much less on how far away I can hit it, as it is on how far I am willing to drag it back to the truck.
 
Have you noticed a decrease in vertical dispersion or es? I haven't tested it or others, other than a 5 round test of imperial case lubes (wax) just to isolate a sticky carbon issue.
It not only does both of those, cold bore shots are always in the group. Really not a big deal in matches, but it is in long range hunting. It does have some downsides, mostly in the coating process, but performance is flawless. Maybe we should start a new thread
 
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