American Reloading pull downs, 75/77gr. SMK

[Palladan44]

Recently saw for sale some 75/77 SMK for sale, so I bought them. These are pulled projectiles from American Reloading.
What I assumed was these were a mixed batch of 75gr and 77gr. and quite possibly they were intended to The plan was to try to come up with a measuring, visual or weighing way to separate these into 2 distinguishable batches of the same bullet.

The bad news is they all look the same, are the same length and they're weights vary from 74.7gr. To 77.6gr. and just a about every weight increment in between.
Some weigh 76gr even, some 76.5, 74.9, 75.3, 75.7, 76.2......... There are 2 distinguishable types of cannelure (as shown in the picture) but their weights dance all over the board as well.

I could make a bunch of batches with different weights, but meh......

 

[Cheesemaker]

Assuming often does not end well.
These seem to be between 75gr and 77gr based on your description.
And pull downs are "slightly used" bullets (if there is such a thing) they are not new, and they are not used (as went for a trip into a berm) - so slightly used seems to apply.

Not sure what this means :

...and quite possibly they were intended to The plan was to try to come up with a measuring, visual or weighing way to separate these into 2 distinguishable batches of the same bullet....

 

[DukeConnor]

Never again will I buy pulled or mixed bullets from AR. I bought a similar batch and must have had 10 different bullets. I pulled about 50 good ones out and the rest are in a box waiting for the last garage sale.

 

[Atavar]

Just to offer a silly suggestion, as these are going to be blammo ammo anyway maybe it would be fun to get out a dremel and a ball mill or sanding disk and adjust them down so they all match the light one.
You’re only talking about removing 1.5gr of material at the most, which isn’t a lot of Cu/Pb. A copper bb is over 5 grains. Lead bb are like 8gr.
I know you would be modifying the bullet base but for a limited run of limited value it could be entertaining.
If you do post the results.

 

[Charlie98]

I'll buy factory seconds, I won't buy pull-down anything, anymore.

 

[Walkalong]

The bad news is they all look the same, are the same length and they're weights vary from 74.7gr. To 77.6gr. and just a about every weight increment in between.
Some weigh 76gr even, some 76.5, 74.9, 75.3, 75.7, 76.2......... There are 2 distinguishable types of cannelure (as shown in the picture) but their weights dance all over the board as well.

These projectiles are good for absolutely nothing other than blammo with this much weight variation. I

I wouldn't bet on that just yet. How far? 200, maybe 300? Try a mix of them with a proven powder/charge and see what they do.

 

[jmorris]

These projectiles are good for absolutely nothing other than blammo with this much weight variation.

That's why they pulled them and sold them off, they didn't want to ruin their name.

 

[hdwhit]

Never again will I buy pulled or mixed bullets from AR. I bought a similar batch and must have had 10 different bullets. I pulled about 50 good ones out and the rest are in a box waiting for the last garage sale.

I've bought several sets of pulled and/or mixed bullets. I knew what I was getting. I sorted them and while most have gone down-range as part of test loads, the remainder have performed well.

 

[DukeConnor]

I've bought several sets of pulled and/or mixed bullets. I knew what I was getting. I sorted them and while most have gone down-range as part of test loads, the remainder have performed well.

I congratulate you on your patience. Unfortunately I am lacking in that quality.

 

[lightman]

The only pulled bullets that I have really been happy with were an assortment of 30 caliber military bullets that I bought from a vendor at a gun show. With minimum choices of weights and the painted tips sorting was pretty easy! The left over sealant on them was a pain!
The 9mm's that I bought from American Reloading were all the same weight but had marks on them from being pulled. But they shot well enough for targets at 7 yards!

 

[Random 8]

If you want match bullets, buy match bullets. There is no substitute for consistency here. The only possible exception being M173 pulls, those CAN be good...or bad. They're still not going to be virgin SMKs, but good enough for 200 yard Garand shooting in general. Once you collet pull an SMK with a relatively fragile jacket, it will no longer do SMK type things anymore. Probably won't do GK type things either. The weight and cannelure variability is an added "bonus". Unless you wanted offhand practice ammo to match approx weight of your dedicated high power load and they were really cheap, you made a bad buy and seem to have realized this. This post isn't to beat you up, but hopefully to help others learn.

 

[Otto]

Whenever you buy salvaged bullets you’re taking a gamble. It’s like complaining that you lost the lottery.

 

[Rule3]

Call them. email them, return them

Returns


Defective or damaged merchandise will be replaced by AmericanReloading.com. In the event we make an error, we will gladly authorize the return of incorrect or defective merchandise and pay for the return shipping costs on domestic orders. Should we omit an item on domestic orders, we will ship it to you on notification of the shortage provided you contact us within 3 days of delivery. You agree to carefully inspect all invoiced items and products upon arrival and report any problems or need for replacement within3 days of receiving the goods.
**RETURNS**


Please verify that you have received the correct product and in good order once your package has been delivered. We ask that you reach out within 90 days of receiving your order to have any mistakes, that may have occurred, resolved, this should be an ample amount of time to check product and reach out. Please note that requests outside of 90 days will not be addressed.

 

[Soonerpesek]

Call them. email them, return them

But if they were advertised as "pulled" or "seconds", I would be surprised if they are returnable.................................JMO

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

I understand your frustration with the differing weights and consistency of the weights, but it seems you me that you received exactly what AR was describing in their listing and they weren't trying to deceive anyone.

 

[Enfielder]

If you’re precision shooting, sure, don’t buy from AR. If you’re shooting as a normal pedestrian shooter would, buy from AR and save some cashola. I buy from them all the time and have great results on the east coast.

 

[bluetopper]

I bet they shoot pretty good. Try them first before you go berating a reloading vendor on a gun forum. You received exactly what they advertised.

 

[2ndtimer]

I have been happy with my orders from American Reloading. Paying $10 per hundred delivered for blemished .223 55 gr BTHP, and having them shoot around 1.5 MOA at 100 yards from bargain AR’s is very satisfactory in my book. I avoid the ”mixed pulls” of varying weights and manufacturers for rifle bullets, but have been happy with pulled 10mm 180 gr FMJ bullets and mixed 115 and 124 gr V-Crown 9mm blemished bullets.
It is unreasonable to expect MatchKing accuracy for 1/3 of MatchKing prices.

 

[BreechFace]

Weight sort them and use them. Bet you they do better than you would anticipate.

 

[41 Mag]

If you have a proven accuracy load using 77 bullets start there and seat to the same OAL using base to ogive measurements. If the load is based on the heavier the lighter ones should shoot fairly close and provide decent trigger time. Your not gonna win any matches with record scores but it shouldn't be a total wash.

I would say that more than half the bullets my grandsons and I shoot are pulled or seconds. I know that there are going to be larger groups, but they are for trigger time and hunting. They have taken a ton of hogs and several dozen deer through the years. Yes I do have factory first boxes as well but usually only use them for specific purposes like anything out beyond 200yds. With three grandsons in age from 15-22, they can burn up the premium stuff pretty dang quick. Most every batch we've gone through have kept within 2-3" at 100yds which is plenty good for an afternoon of banging steel or popping clays at the range.

 

[JDeere]

Again these were sold as pulled bullets and not match grade. It was stated so no harm no foul. Load em up and shoot them, you may be surprised...

 

[ATCDoktor]

As a rule of thumb, when I see the words "Pulled Down" when it's applied to rifle bullets, I (in my mind) replace those words with the single word "Defective"

I rarely buy "Pulled Down" rifle bullets and I'm not sure why anyone would buy them with the idea that they were going to be able to get any sort of "precision" accuracy with them.

That said, I have bought tens of thousands blemished rifle bullets, pulled down primed rifle brass and reclaimed powder from outfits like Shooters Pro Shop, Midwayusa, Rocky Mountain Reloading, Big Canyon Environmental, American Reloading, Pats Reloading, Jeff Bartlett, Polygunbags, et al, and I have never been disappointed because I knew what I was buying.

In some cases I have had to "sort" some blemished rifle bullets due to manufacturers defects in shape/nose profile and of those I had to sort I usually I get about 20% that are unsuitable for accuracy work but would be fine at iron sight ranges for hogs/deer.

As far as American Reloading goes, they have some of the lowest priced pulled down/reclaimed components on the market, they do not charge for shipping, sales tax or HAZMAT fees on any components they sell (I have done many thousands of dollars in business with them) and that is why a great many people choose to do business with them, their prices are low.

The only complaints I've had with American Reloading is when orders were short because there stated number in stock wasn't accurate and they took care of me, no problems asked.

It should go without saying that that all the ammo they (American Reloading) receive to break down is defective in some way and usually these defects are cosmetic (deformed/out of spec bullets, tarnished/dented brass) and some of the components they sell are heavily discounted to reflect these defects.

I believe it was Ben Franklin who said, "The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

You get what you pay for, Caveat Emptor.

Edited to add:

With Vista announcing price hikes on everything associated with ammunition in 2024 and certain states petitioning the current Administration to ban Lake City from selling their overrun ammo to civilians, it would probably be wise to buy what you can when you can here in the coming months.

 

[buck460XVR]

What I assumed was these were a mixed batch of 75gr and 77gr.

...and they very well have meant they varied between 75 and 77 gr.

That's why they pulled them

^^Yep. If they were top of the line commercial grade ammo, they would have left them loaded.

Never considered most pulled bullets as the most accurate on the planet. Always thought of them as "blammo" projectiles, cause there's a reason they were pulled if they were not military. For the most part, IMHO, the small amount of variance in the weight will make very little difference at 100 yards.

 

[Palladan44]

I appreciate all who have corrected me. I heard you all and I will admit I stand corrected. I didn't intend for it to sound as negative as it did. For the money, what I received was an still an excellent buy and in no way was it a false advertizement, just a misinterpretation by me is all.
Title and OP has been updated.
Thank you THR brothers for humbling me.

 

[W.E.G.]

Pull-down happens for any number of reasons.

Which could be reasons completely unrelated to the projectile.

Could be that the powder-charge was off, or the extractor groove was off by a thousandth, or that the bullets were not "washed."

Hundreds of reasons aside from the "ballistic integrity" of the projectile.

I shoot LOTS of pull-down and seconds. Great success.

I've never shot a formal benchrest match. It would be odd to shoot a sub-half-minute group, and still lose the match. But whatever. So long as you had fun, you won. I've seen guys who shot outstanding scores walk off with their head hung down. Seems a shame.