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Problems with Montana Gold 223 Bullets?


blairmckenzie1

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Norm at MG got back to me, basically he's gonna replace the bullets as soon as they are sure the problem is fixed.

This would seem to indicate no MG .223 55gr is good to go at this point, versus some individual bad batches, would it not?

I've been monitoring MG lately exactly for .223 projectiles...but the above makes it sound like it's worth holding off until some confirmation or announcement is made.. ??

Same reply I got... They told me they'd replace them when they got the problem straightened out. I'm pretty upset, the first time I noticed the problem was in the 3GN qualifier match. It's ok MG I'm sitting on about 6k worth of useless bullets... That you wont replace until god knows when... I can't find/buy the hornady 55s right now... and it cost me a match I spent all of last season working to get to. I have used the MG bullets for 2 or 3 years now and not had a problem with them till now. I love that they support the shooting sports so much and have picked up 3-4 of their certs in the last couple of years.

But I'm never buying another product from them again. Dropping the ball this hard, not announcing it publicly or letting people who ordered (factory direct for me) from bad batches know, and then saying we'll make it right someday...WTF!?

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Norm at MG got back to me, basically he's gonna replace the bullets as soon as they are sure the problem is fixed.

This would seem to indicate no MG .223 55gr is good to go at this point, versus some individual bad batches, would it not?

I've been monitoring MG lately exactly for .223 projectiles...but the above makes it sound like it's worth holding off until some confirmation or announcement is made.. ??

Same reply I got... They told me they'd replace them when they got the problem straightened out. I'm pretty upset, the first time I noticed the problem was in the 3GN qualifier match. It's ok MG I'm sitting on about 6k worth of useless bullets... That you wont replace until god knows when... I can't find/buy the hornady 55s right now... and it cost me a match I spent all of last season working to get to. I have used the MG bullets for 2 or 3 years now and not had a problem with them till now. I love that they support the shooting sports so much and have picked up 3-4 of their certs in the last couple of years.

But I'm never buying another product from them again. Dropping the ball this hard, not announcing it publicly or letting people who ordered (factory direct for me) from bad batches know, and then saying we'll make it right someday...WTF!?

I loved their 9mm and .40 cal projectiles, very accurate. As for .223, just not from October 2012 and later.

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For anyone that is not buying from montana gold again, good, that leaves more for the rest of us. They can't take bullets from every batch & try them, that is the person doing the loading's responsibility in my opinion. If you go to a major match with untried ammo, like I've done before, the blame is on you, as it was on me. Since they haven't been able to make more 223 bullets, it is hard for them to replace the problem bullets.

Just my opinion on things.

Edited for brain fart, Montana Gold, not powder valley.

Edited by mlmiller1
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Boo for MG. I used to use their pistol bullets exclusivly and had no issues but Precision Delta has just as good of quality and cheaper. Never bought the rifle stuff from them and now wont. Very bad PR for them to just deal with the ones who complain instead of coming out about it and contacting all who bought that lot. Plus sounds like they seem to be in no hurry to replace them. Another strike. Personally Id be hopping up and down demanding new bullets in less than a couple weeks or a refund. And Id call them every day to complain untill they did one or the other.

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For anyone that is not buying from montana gold again, good, that leaves more for the rest of us. They can't take bullets from every batch & try them, that is the person doing the loading's , a responsibility in my opinion. If you go to a major match with untried ammo, like I've done before, the blame is on you, as it was on me. Since they haven't been able to make more 223 bullets, it is hard for them to replace the problem bullets.

Just my opinion on things.

Edited for brain fart, Montana Gold, not powder valley.

It's one thing to let a bad batch out. But they didn't tell anyone!... Also a load that I've been using for over 2 years isn't

untested, when none of the components change... Am I supposed to shoot every round I load, then go dig the bullet out of the backstop and load it again now that its been tested.... You want to buy some bullets I have plenty I'll sell you!

Edited by ClutchUSMC
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  • 2 weeks later...

Has anyone else heard back from Montana Gold? I've called multiple times, leaving a voicemail each time. I've wrote emails. I have not had a single response. I just want to get someone on the phone to see what the game plan is. I was relying on these for all of my 3gun loads this year. Obviously that's out the window. How many here have actually been able to make contact with MG?

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I have tried to email and have had no response. I don't see why they would not reply and let mistrust build about their product build? After all they are in the private sector and not in the federal government!

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Norm, replied back to me in less than 24 hours. When i inquired yesterday bStill working on the problem but no problems with communication.

Sounds like you might be amoung the privileged few. I hadn't heard back from any of my 4 attempts. I guess I'll try again today.

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I sent another question using the contact us form on the web site as mentioned above, maybe there is or was an issue with their email?

I just sent another as well. We'll see how long it takes for a reply. Hopefully, we have as much lunch as ClutchUSMC did.

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My question,

"After last fall's election I ordered several boxes of bullets. Two

boxes were 55 grain .224 for my AR. I have heard issues with AR rifle
bullets manufactured in this time frame. I am not down to using these yet
and would like to be informed of any issues, before i load them."

The response,

"some lots were a problem. when i have time to complete testing
and start producing we will contact you. norm"

So I guess do not use and wait it out? Is this an issue in a box were I can load say 50 or 100 and if no problems then I will know if I have a good batch? Or is it hit and miss? I will run out of the box I am on in about 1 month and need to load something, should I just move on to some Hornady or Nosler 55 gr, if i can find them?

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I submitted a question at about 8:30 this morning and just got a response. So apparently, phones calls and emails are not the way to go. Much better from the online contact form.

I got the same reply. I had ordered two cases (7k total) from December and January. The way I take it, those bullets are going to get shelved and be considered a no go for all of them. I had to buy a case of Hornady 55s.

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Sounds like the same problem I'm having

============================

I have a good buddy who had, what appears to be, a series of baffle strikes at a recent carbine match. Up to this point, rifle had about 200 rounds through it. Battlecomp was brand new. Rifle is a factory Noveske MK18, M249 barrel, 1:7 twist. Ammo are reloads: 24.5 tac, 55gr montana gold, tula SMRM primers. Here are the results:
battlecompfailure005.jpg
battlecompfailure002.jpg
Another buddy and I were shooting the same ammo, both 16" BCM BFH rifles, both with Battlecomps. Both shot great (infact, I took 3rd overall). I verified after the match that my Battlecomp was free of strikes and it looked like new.
I have shot that ammo since then on the range with a chrono, but no rifle matches. Well, I took a look tonight and this is what I found:
img4369800x600.jpg
img4370800x600.jpg
img4368800x600.jpg
It had to have happened during chrono. I see a ton of people using this load and I couldn't find a single other instance. I worked this load up with both my 16" BCM and my 18" Loki and 24.5 was most accurate. I was hoping that this would be my go to round for 3-gun for anything shy of 200 yards.
What do you guys think? I need some help on this one. Doesn't sound like this is that common of an incurrance. Yet it seems to have happened to both us of. Common denominator: 55gr through 1:7 barrels.

"Common denominator: 55gr through 1:7 barrels."

Have you run across any one having trouble with MG that didn't have 1:7 twist? Or more with 1:7 barrels with the problem?

Edited by aviatrix
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Sounds like the same problem I'm having

============================

I have a good buddy who had, what appears to be, a series of baffle strikes at a recent carbine match. Up to this point, rifle had about 200 rounds through it. Battlecomp was brand new. Rifle is a factory Noveske MK18, M249 barrel, 1:7 twist. Ammo are reloads: 24.5 tac, 55gr montana gold, tula SMRM primers. Here are the results:
Another buddy and I were shooting the same ammo, both 16" BCM BFH rifles, both with Battlecomps. Both shot great (infact, I took 3rd overall). I verified after the match that my Battlecomp was free of strikes and it looked like new.
I have shot that ammo since then on the range with a chrono, but no rifle matches. Well, I took a look tonight and this is what I found:
It had to have happened during chrono. I see a ton of people using this load and I couldn't find a single other instance. I worked this load up with both my 16" BCM and my 18" Loki and 24.5 was most accurate. I was hoping that this would be my go to round for 3-gun for anything shy of 200 yards.
What do you guys think? I need some help on this one. Doesn't sound like this is that common of an incurrance. Yet it seems to have happened to both us of. Common denominator: 55gr through 1:7 barrels.

"Common denominator: 55gr through 1:7 barrels."

Have you run across any one having trouble that didn't have 1:7 twist? Or more with 1:7 barrels with the problem?

55gr not the problem. Read through this thread.

I've shot plenty of 55s through 1:7 barrels. Never been an issue as evident in the picture below. This picture is the exact same load, 10.5 barrel, 1:7 twist. Only difference being I used a Hornady 55 instead of the MG 55.

post-14199-0-19888100-1370361960_thumb.j

Edited by jonny4523
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I think we're all missing the point here. There seems to be a manufacturing issue with these. I'm not sure how the twist rate comment got introduced. You're not immune. If I can shoot 55s through 1:7 barrels from 10.5" to 20 ", and 1:8 would obviously be fine. I shot this same load recently (with a batch of MG55s from Summer 2012 production) and shot the best score of my life at a highpower match. Not a single round key-holed. It's not a twist rate issue.

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Sounds like the same problem I'm having

============================

I have a good buddy who had, what appears to be, a series of baffle strikes at a recent carbine match. Up to this point, rifle had about 200 rounds through it. Battlecomp was brand new. Rifle is a factory Noveske MK18, M249 barrel, 1:7 twist. Ammo are reloads: 24.5 tac, 55gr montana gold, tula SMRM primers. Here are the results:
Another buddy and I were shooting the same ammo, both 16" BCM BFH rifles, both with Battlecomps. Both shot great (infact, I took 3rd overall). I verified after the match that my Battlecomp was free of strikes and it looked like new.
I have shot that ammo since then on the range with a chrono, but no rifle matches. Well, I took a look tonight and this is what I found:
It had to have happened during chrono. I see a ton of people using this load and I couldn't find a single other instance. I worked this load up with both my 16" BCM and my 18" Loki and 24.5 was most accurate. I was hoping that this would be my go to round for 3-gun for anything shy of 200 yards.
What do you guys think? I need some help on this one. Doesn't sound like this is that common of an incurrance. Yet it seems to have happened to both us of. Common denominator: 55gr through 1:7 barrels.

"Common denominator: 55gr through 1:7 barrels."

Have you run across any one having trouble that didn't have 1:7 twist? Or more with 1:7 barrels with the problem?

55gr not the problem. Read through this thread.

I've shot plenty of 55s through 1:7 barrels. Never been an issue as evident in the picture below. This picture is the exact same load, 10.5 barrel, 1:7 twist. Only difference being I used a Hornady 55 instead of the MG 55.

attachicon.gifJDR 10_5in 24_5gr TAC 55gr Hornady (Large).JPG

I don't have any problem with 55 in 1:7 either, its 95% of what I shoot thru it.. Let me restate the question - is the problem with MG, whatever it is, limited to just 1:7 barrels or is it occuring in all twists. If no one is having trouble with 1:8 and 1:9 I can still use the 2 unopened cases of MG I have, otherwise, I can't use them in anything I've got

There isn't much if any hard info to be had and I'm just trying figure out which way to go, although at this point I've very little or no interest in opening up a case of this stuff.

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I got ya. After seeing what happened with this 1:7, I didn't venture to try it in another rifle in fear of losing another comp. The batch of MG I was shooting that day was from the summer of 2012. I didn't have any issues. If I were you though, I'd keep them sealed, get in contact with MG, and get on the replacement list.

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I was having this problem I thought I load them to hot mine are key holing, flying total off target, and jackets are separating in a 1 and 7 twist using h335. My hornady and noslers with same powder shoot great. Will have to go through my bank statement to see when I purchased them. I will say Montana gold has raised bullet prices a lot in the past 12 months

Edited by deerassassin22
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  • 2 weeks later...

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