I’m waiting on a Yugo Underfolder scheduled to arrive next week, and in the meantime I thought I’d take the old SAR-1 out. I put 100 rounds through the SAR-1, but on the 77th round had a malfunction. This surprised me, as I’ve not previously had a malfunction with this gun. At first I thought it was a failure to feed because a live round appeared to have hit just below the chamber on the feed ramp. I popped this live round out and tried to feed another, and this one also hit below the feedramp and failed to chamber. This prompted me to take a better look, and I noticed that there was a fired casing still in the chamber. Evidently this round had failed to extract. On closer inspection, I noticed that this round had no “lip” (unsure of the proper word) around the head of the casing for the extractor to grab. At first I thought that maybe the casing was broken, but after I got my flashlight out, I could see that the casing was intact. I used the cleaning rod to knock the case out and to my surprise the head stamp read 539 and 05 (instead of Wolf 7.62x39). The casing is also slightly longer than 7.62x39, and it appears that pressure has caused the casing to expand abnormally. Here are a couple of pictures. The ammo was newly purchased as of last weekend. I purchased a 1000 round case of Wolf 122gr hp. I just opened the case, and it is the only 7.62x39 that I have, so I couldn’t have mixed it up. I loaded the magazines from the freshly opened ammo at the range. Also, I have no idea as to what caliber this round is from. I’ve never heard of 539 / 05. Anyone have any ideas? Could my gun have been damaged? What caliber was this round? I assume it must have been similar to 223, but really don’t know. Afterward, I checked the barrel which appeared fine, and fired the last 20 rounds from a Hungarian tanker magazine without any problems.
Very strange occurrence with Wolf Ammo
- Thread starter Doug S
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Cacique500
Member
http://www.igman.com/ammunition/codes/5/539-Russia.html
Looks like Russian Tula...I'd give Wolf a call...
and another source that confirms the first:
http://www.ak-47.net/ammo/headstamps.html
Looks like Russian Tula...I'd give Wolf a call...
and another source that confirms the first:
http://www.ak-47.net/ammo/headstamps.html
Only thing I can think of is that it's a 7.62x39 that didn't do through the case forming process right. Skipped a step somehow where the rim is formed. I'd hazard a guess that they are swaged into shape and this one missed that part. With the shortage of 7.62x39 that's apparantly going around (take you pick on the explination) maybe that one slipped through quality control. Perhaps it was stray one from military production that stayed in a bin/barrel/cart and Ivan Ivanovich never noticed as it made it's way down the line. I notice the neck is longer then a starndard case. Maybe missed the trim to correct length too.
Speaks wonders for the old AK reliability/safety that everything hung together. I imagine that can't be healthy to fire one through rifles.
Remids me of the Army's admonishment to inspect ammo before loading it in a magazine.
I will most certainly inspect better before loading in the future, but still I don't really know how I missed it. I had my son with me, and I think I was more focused on watching him than on the ammo as I loaded it. Thanks for the responses.
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That's just... bizarre.
Someone missed a a step.
Someone missed a a step.
rockstar.esq
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I think that falls into the stuff happens category. At the least, it is the proper caliber so damage to your rifle is unlikely at the worst it doesn't inspire confidence. So far nobody has complained about "cheap ammo" which I'm glad about given the fact that I've had premium ammunition with dud primers and top end hollowpoints that wouldn't feed through anything. I hope this doesn't happen again all the same. Thanks for the unbiased post.
jonnyc
Member
I hope Wolf offers you plenty to "buy" that case back.
Wes Janson
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Just goes to show ya the reliability of the AK.
Why the differing Head Stamps
Something seems fishy. If the case just missed a step or two, why the different head stamp? Differnt head stamp, different manufacturer, different ammo?
Take another read of Cacique500's post.
Maybe a previous shooter found the bad ammo and left it at the range; Doug S mistook it for his own while loading the mag.
Curious.
- Boxcab
Something seems fishy. If the case just missed a step or two, why the different head stamp? Differnt head stamp, different manufacturer, different ammo?
Take another read of Cacique500's post.
Maybe a previous shooter found the bad ammo and left it at the range; Doug S mistook it for his own while loading the mag.
Curious.
- Boxcab
1 old 0311
member
Did you try www.akforum.net or www.akfiles.com Both sites have a lot of hard core AK guys.
I actually contemplated this, but I just don't remember seeing anything on the table when I sat my stuff down. The first thing I do (at the outdoor range) is to make sure that my table is clean before placing my stuff on the table.
Yes, I have this posted over on the AK forum also.
DMK
Member
No, not fishy at all. They make Wolf commercial and military contract ammo in the same factories. It's quite possible for the cases to get mixed.
They do that in the U.S. too. A little while back somone posted here about U.S. GI contract Lake City headstamps on his brand new ATK/American Eagle ammo.
Andras
Member
BoySetsTheFire
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I've had problems with Wolf too. Primers keep blowing back. Last week, a primer cap blew back into the receiver and dropped into the trigger group. This stopped my SKS cold.
Wolf was kind enough to offer to pay for pickup and replace/refund. But I only had 120 rounds left and figured I'd shoot them off.
Also, I get much tighter groups with the Winchester USA ammo.
Wolf was kind enough to offer to pay for pickup and replace/refund. But I only had 120 rounds left and figured I'd shoot them off.
Also, I get much tighter groups with the Winchester USA ammo.
rangerruck
Member
whattha...it looks like a wrong round, not onlyfor 762.39 but that it is unfinished.
Husker1911
Member
I'd never trust my life to Wolf ammunition................
Wolf Ammo Update
I spoke to someone at Wolf today concerning the unfinished round. This individual stated that my chances were better of hitting the lottery than getting a round like the one pictured. He seemed to think that the round was somehow unfinished, and he indicated that it was a 7.62x39 caliber. By indicated, he said that the round looked like at 7.62x39 and that there wouldn’t be any other caliber round that would look so similar. He asked if it chambered and fired okay. He asked if the gun functioned okay afterward. The answer to these questions were, yes. He then asked if I would send the round back to them so that he could show it to their people. He added that the factory is very careful about such things, and that they would want to see the round. He said that a call tag would be sent to me, and offered me a free t-shirt for my trouble. Also, he didn’t think that I would find any other such rounds mixed into my case. He stated that he would exchange the ammo if I wanted, though. When I said that I would probably just keep it, he said that if I should find any others that they would replace the ammo. Still, he thought that the chances of finding another one were slim to none. I’m not sure what I think about the way Wolf handled this situation. Since the gun seems undamaged, and the chance of getting another unfinished round, not likely, I guess that they handled it okay. If truth be told, I would have preferred some new ammo to the t-shirt.
I spoke to someone at Wolf today concerning the unfinished round. This individual stated that my chances were better of hitting the lottery than getting a round like the one pictured. He seemed to think that the round was somehow unfinished, and he indicated that it was a 7.62x39 caliber. By indicated, he said that the round looked like at 7.62x39 and that there wouldn’t be any other caliber round that would look so similar. He asked if it chambered and fired okay. He asked if the gun functioned okay afterward. The answer to these questions were, yes. He then asked if I would send the round back to them so that he could show it to their people. He added that the factory is very careful about such things, and that they would want to see the round. He said that a call tag would be sent to me, and offered me a free t-shirt for my trouble. Also, he didn’t think that I would find any other such rounds mixed into my case. He stated that he would exchange the ammo if I wanted, though. When I said that I would probably just keep it, he said that if I should find any others that they would replace the ammo. Still, he thought that the chances of finding another one were slim to none. I’m not sure what I think about the way Wolf handled this situation. Since the gun seems undamaged, and the chance of getting another unfinished round, not likely, I guess that they handled it okay. If truth be told, I would have preferred some new ammo to the t-shirt.
EddieCoyle
Member
That's funky. I too find it amazing (but not surprising) that the AK would chamber and fire such a round.
I believe that the extractor groove is formed, not cut or machined. The fact that the unfinished round is a bit longer bears this assuption out: When the groove is formed, it draws material from the case, shortening the OAL.
I believe that the extractor groove is formed, not cut or machined. The fact that the unfinished round is a bit longer bears this assuption out: When the groove is formed, it draws material from the case, shortening the OAL.
Snake Eyes
Member
Why didn't you take them up on their offer to replace your ammo then?
Or was it that you wanted MORE ammo FREE? if this is the case, do you truly believe that to be fair?
Creeping Incrementalism
Member
Probably the most likely scenario, or else the case just got hung up somewhere during the military run, then worked it's way loose during the civillian run, but after the forming of the groove. How else could you get casings from two different production runs in the same lot?
Man, that case is a collector's piece like some double-headed coin. I wouldn't trade it back to them except for good money. If they can't figure it out from your pictures, then I can't see how handling it would make any difference. Have you sent it off yet? If not, auction it off. A free t-shirt. pfff...
Snake Eyes,
Fair? Nope, that's why I didn't expect it, or ask for it. Suspicious type, are we? They offered the shirt "for my trouble" in sending the round back, but yes I would have preferred a free box of ammo "for my trouble". I just can't see myself walking around in a Wolf ammo t-shirt. I can on the other hand, "see myself" shooting another box of Wolf ammo. That said, free stuff wasn't the issue, never was. Please don't make it so
.CI,
No I haven't sent the round back yet.
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