Serbian 5.56-What the hell?

bggsp

bggsp

Joined
Mar 29, 2008
Messages
448
Likes
19
Location
The Swamp, North Shore
Feedback: 5 / 0 / 0
I just pickup some Serbian 5.56 Surplus for my DPMS and went to the range today and I had a big problem. The primers were falling out of the brass after the round was fired. There were many problems. The primers would fall into the lower and into the trigger group or seemed to sometimes get stuck in the chamber not allowing the round to fire. Has anyone else had this problem?
 
ive shot some excellent serbian made 5.56, it wasnt "surplus" though.

also, wolf will refuse to work well in 99% of AR's. the steel case is a no go, and it also can cause excessive wear.
 
I will never put it through my AR ever again. I have about 450 or 475 rounds left of the Wolf. I guess I will have to buy a Saiga .223 to shoot the rest of it!

Dench said:
ive shot some excellent serbian made 5.56, it wasnt "surplus" though.

also, wolf will refuse to work well in 99% of AR's. the steel case is a no go, and it also can cause excessive wear.
Click to expand...
 
What serbian? Was it the white box 5.56 55 grain by Prvi Partizan? Headstamp PPU.

If it was that stuff, that's high quality ammo, and I would worry about your rifle having headspace problems.

I have had a total of one failure to feed with PPU ammunition in several calibers, including 7.5 Swiss, 5.56, .223, .30 carbine, 7.62 Tokarev. No problems of the type you're mentioning.

It sounds more like your rifle has a problem, especially if you're ripping the case necks off steel cased ammo.
 
Last edited:
vellnueve said:
What serbian? Was it the white box 5.56 55 grain by Prvi Partizan? Headstamp PPU.

If it was that stuff, that's high quality ammo, and I would worry about your rifle having headspace problems.
Click to expand...

yep, that stuff is great ammo, and its expensive to boot. i think i paid about $420 for 1,000 rounds of it, not a single ammo related failure out of 600 rounds. i have 400 of it sealed in 2 bags right now, i think its excellent.
 
Privi is great stuff, save for the wonderful ammonia smell. [laugh]

On the 5.56 NATO privi I've been using, there is no way in hell those primers are falling out- they're crimped in there. I guess it might be possible for them to make different variations of the stuff, though...

-Mike
 
Could be my rifle. Yesterday was the third time I have ever shot it. The first time was with Remmington UMC from Wally World and did not have one failure . The second time was with the Wolf. I had a bunch of failures with that ammo and then yesterday. Before I start making calls I think I should put something else through it....maybe the some more Remmington UMC. If I have a failure, I will KNOW that the problem is with the rifle. Thanks for any and all help!
 
Yes, That is the stuff. I bought it at Coin Collectors for $420 ($400 + $20 for taxes). I must of had 40 failures.

vellnueve said:
What serbian? Was it the white box 5.56 55 grain by Prvi Partizan? Headstamp PPU.

If it was that stuff, that's high quality ammo, and I would worry about your rifle having headspace problems.

I have had a total of one failure to feed with PPU ammunition in several calibers, including 7.5 Swiss, 5.56, .223, .30 carbine, 7.62 Tokarev. No problems of the type you're mentioning.

It sounds more like your rifle has a problem, especially if you're ripping the case necks off steel cased ammo.
Click to expand...
 
Was it 62gr? That's the only Privi I've heard has some issues - the 55gr is generally thought to be excellent ammo. If cases are being ripped, (Wolf or not) and primers are being punched, you may have bigger issues to deal with....Remington UMC is generally thought to be on a par below Privi 55gr, so I'd try running some through. Check your BCG and ensure your key is tight, clean your chamber, bolt, pin and carrier and make sure you're running it wet. Try a few easy mags, then some dumps. DPMS rifles - especially older models are generally well-made, but there have been some recent issues with tight chambers and out of spec BCG's.....
 
Bggsp, take a look at this thread.

It sounds like that Serbian is to hot or maybe to hot for your gun. Btw blown primers are NOT caused by headspace issues!
 
It is 55 grains. I'm not familiar with BCG. What do you mean by a BCG? This is my first AR and I just bought the rifle about 4 monthes ago and I have only shot it 3 times. I cleaned the crap out of the rifle each time I have shot it (well not from yesterday). I even bought the long pipe cleaners for the gas tube. I hope it is not the riflr, but it seems like it is.

MassMark said:
Was it 62gr? That's the only Privi I've heard has some issues - the 55gr is generally thought to be excellent ammo. If cases are being ripped, (Wolf or not) and primers are being punched, you may have bigger issues to deal with....Remington UMC is generally thought to be on a par below Privi 55gr, so I'd try running some through. Check your BCG and ensure your key is tight, clean your chamber, bolt, pin and carrier and make sure you're running it wet. Try a few easy mags, then some dumps. DPMS rifles - especially older models are generally well-made, but there have been some recent issues with tight chambers and out of spec BCG's.....
Click to expand...
 
Keep those pipe cleaners out of your gas tube....BCG = Bolt Carrier Group. Reading that thread, (about XM193 - no Privi initially) still leads my thinking down to a chamber issue, (which is funny as that is one of the issues popping up with DPMS). Though it's possible your bolt may have an overactive extractor, (I doubt it), it may be worth it to plunk another BCG in there and give it a run. If your close to WMA, I have a BCM USGI bolt carrier group you could try, but my bet is on a chamber issue and maybe a buffer issue....
 
MassMark said:
Keep those pipe cleaners out of your gas tube....BCG = Bolt Carrier Group. Reading that thread, (about XM193 - no Privi initially) still leads my thinking down to a chamber issue, (which is funny as that is one of the issues popping up with DPMS). Though it's possible your bolt may have an overactive extractor, (I doubt it), it may be worth it to plunk another BCG in there and give it a run. If your close to WMA, I have a BCM USGI bolt carrier group you could try, but my bet is on a chamber issue and maybe a buffer issue....
Click to expand...

I agree on the chamber issue. Bggsp are you sure the barrel is rated for 5.56 pressures?
 
jrbtzx12r said:
I agree on the chamber issue. Bggsp are you sure the barrel is rated for 5.56 pressures?
Click to expand...

Excellent point...Remington UMC is generally regarded as weak ammo and it's .223, which may be the reason he's not having issues with it. With a properly cut chamber and a properly built BCG, along with a spec upper, your rifle should gobble up just about anything....
 
My DPMS is out of the box brand new. I assume it is rated for 5.56 because the lower says .223-5.56mm, but maybe the barrel is not. This is right from 4 Seasons website. This is what I bought and where I bought it:

DPMS Panther Arms AP4 Carbine with MA legal features....

No bayonet lug, no flash suppressor (this one has a Miculek compensator) and fixed tele-stock.

Regular discounted price: $929 credit card. $899 cash, check, debit

SPECIAL PRICE: $899
Click on image for close-up

Bipod not included.

Barrel:
16" Length Miculek compensator
4140 chrome-moly steel AP4 style contour
Manganese Phosphated
6 grooves, right-hand 1x9 twist, button rifled
Chamber:

5.56x45mm
Method of Operation:

Gas operated rotating bolt
Bolt & Carrier:

8620 steel bolt carrier, heat treated and plated per Mil Spec
Phosphated steel bolt, heat treated and plated per Mil Spec
Sights:

A2 front sight Assembly
Weight:

Empty - 7.25 lbs.
Upper Receiver:
A3 Style with detachable carrying handle and and rear sight adjustable for windage and elevation, Forged
7075-T6 aircraft aluminum alloy
Hard coat annodized per Mil Spec and teflon coated black
Dust cover
Shell deflector
Round forward assist
Right hand ejection
Lower Receiver:

Forged 7075-T6 aircraft aluminum alloy
Hard coat annodized per Mil Spec and Teflon coated black
Semi-auto trigger group
Aluminum trigger guard
Aluminum magazine release button

So I'm not sure what is up?
 
Look for a caliber marking on the barrel. There are some reports of rifles coming out with .223 barrels.

A chamber issue seems likely. The primers in the Prvi 5.56 55 grain will not come out unless something is grossly wrong (I know, I've been trying to deprime them for case prep).

I've never had a problem with their 62 grain either. In fact, that's the feed of choice for my carbine.
 
bggsp said:
Yeah, I think it's the rifle. I am going to clean it up, grab a some Remmington UMC and try tp put a few mags through it one more time so I will be 100% sure and then call DPMS.
Click to expand...


My bet is the rifle will run with the UMC as it's weak .223, so I wouldn't let that be an indicator as to whether or not you call DPMS. Your lower is marked 5.56/.223 and your barrel is marked .223, so there's obviously some problems. I'd call them anyway....
 
My barrel is actually marked 5.56! I think I will just call DPMS. I will let you know what they say. Do you think I should even mention that I shot Wolf through it?

MassMark said:
My bet is the rifle will run with the UMC as it's weak .223, so I wouldn't let that be an indicator as to whether or not you call DPMS. Your lower is marked 5.56/.223 and your barrel is marked .223, so there's obviously some problems. I'd call them anyway....
Click to expand...
 
bggsp said:
My barrel is actually marked 5.56! I think I will just call DPMS. I will let you know what they say. Do you think I should even mention that I shot Wolf through it?
Click to expand...

Check their website. I'm not sure if it holds true still, but I know at least Olympic Arms used to void warranties if Wolf ammo was used. There's more than a few threads floating around about DPMS and their chamber issues and I think you may have one. I wish my upper would come in, as I bet that if you put another upper on your rifle, it would feed any/everything. I'd just call them and tell them you've tried a variety of ammunition and are having problems.
 
DPMS says it is an ammo problem. They test with Federal or Black Hills. I am going to shoot some Federal through it and see what happens. He told me the primers falling out is the Prvi is the problem. I guess I'll have to wait and see.
 
Sorry to hear about your troubles.
Keep us updated - I would like to see what DPMS has to say about the issue.
 

Similar threads

5.56 identification
Replies
4
Views
354
CMEBoston
CMEBoston
Range pickup 10.4 x 28 case. What is this thing?
Replies
11
Views
297
Maxrobot
Maxrobot
From Newsweek. Price Increases on the way.
Replies
1
Views
225
Amputee Marksman
Amputee Marksman
Anyone have an idea of when these were last produced? 12ga federal
Replies
3
Views
116
drgrant
drgrant
What have I found?
Replies
22
Views
922
Mountain
Mountain
Back
Top Bottom