Can someone tell me if these look like reloads? Nervous I just bought reloaded ammo!

[WilliamG]

Hey all,

Something just doesn't feel right about this ammo, and I wanted to check with you about it before I fire it:

First up is some Blazer Brass .45 ACP 230gr FMJ. Every single round has these marks on the brass on them:

Second up is some Sellier and Bellot 9mm 115gr FMJ. All the brass has some weird red "bleed" over the edges of the center:

Any help/advice appreciated. I bought kind of a lot of it.

 

[nossew]

The red stuff is just sealer. The 45's look like they had some poor storage.

 

[WilliamG]

So you think they look OK? Nothing to worry about? The guy did seem to indicate he had had them for a while, but he also indicated he's now switched to reloading, hence my apprehension...

 

[Dragon88]

The S&B is fine, that's just primer sealant. No ammo remanufacturer would waste time doing that so I'm pretty certain it's good, and I've seen it on S&B ammo before.

As for the Blazer Brass, the marks don't bother me too much. Blazer is budget ammo, I doubt they shine the cases as much as other factory fodder. Is all the ammunition in original cardboard boxes, or loose in bags?

 

[WilliamG]

All in their original boxes for sure. Just was surprised to see the marks on the brass since my .38 Special Blazer Brass and .357 Magnum Blazer Brass looks so much more shiny.

I guess I won't worry about it too much. Thanks so much for the replies.

 

[scooter123]

As noted the S&B ammo is factory new. They are the only producer of non military ammunition I know of that uses a varnish on the primers and it's a sure tipoff that it's factory new ammo for S&B.

The Blazer brass lookes like it may have been splashed with water at some point, brass will do that when exposed to rain or tap water because neither is really pure. If it wasn't soaked and left sitting soaked, likely no harm at all. However if I remember correctly the casings should be headstamped with Blazer so you might want to check to be certain. Most of those new to reloading don't sort by headstamp so if you don't have a mixed lot of headstamps odds are good it's factory loaded. Natuarlly this is with the assumption that it's still in the factory boxes, if it was in a ziplock bag I'd be a bit more ocncerned.

 

[WilliamG]

Looks ok to me?

For what it's worth, I have some store-bought .38 Special S&B, and it doesn't have the red varnish, so not all S&B has the varnish...

 

[SAFireman]

If that ammo has been fired in a semi-automatic handgun or rifle, it would have had extractor marks on the rim right?

Not so much for revolver ammo, but SA stuff....maybe there is a forensic ballistics expert in our midst....

 

[ralph7]

the rounds look fine!

was wondering about your rebated thumbnail, however.

 

[WilliamG]

Wha? Confused!

 

[CTG_COLLECTOR]

The splotches on the Blazer Brass is just cosmetic blemishes.

Every S&B cartridge I have in my collection all have primer sealant of various colors, red, green or blue. Your 9MM round is of 2010 production.

 

[KEN L]

the rounds look fine!

was wondering about your rebated thumbnail, however.

Don't you see the ring? Whaddya expect

 

[Dragon88]

All in their original boxes for sure. Just was surprised to see the marks on the brass since my .38 Special Blazer Brass and .357 Magnum Blazer Brass looks so much more shiny.

I guess I won't worry about it too much. Thanks so much for the replies.

You've got nothing to worry about. Enjoy your ammo.

I hesitate to list things to look for on future bulk ammo purchases, as unknown ammo really needs a good hands on inspection to determine it's origin. However, some things that would raise my eyebrow when checking suspect "factory" ammo include:

-Dirty cases
-Cases dinged from ejection
-Extractor marks on the rims
-A slight bulge near the bottom of the case from firing and then resizing.
-Poorly seated primers
-Wrong color primers. For example, silver cupped primers in Winchester cases
-Marks on the nose of the bullet from contact with a poorly fitting seating stem
-Uneven or inconsistent crimp
-Ammo not in original factory boxes. 500 loose rounds of "Winchester factory ammo" in a plastic ziploc bag at a gun show shouldn't be touched with a 10 foot pole.

 

[CQB27]

There is only one way to know for sure.

Send them to me and I will shoot them, all of them, and report back promptly. You know kinda like the guy who tastes the King's food before he eats it. I kid, I kid!

They look fine to me, fire away!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Like said above, if that S&W 9mm ammo didn't have the red sealer I would think it's reloaded instead of factory new. I agree with the others, it's fine!

 

[WilliamG]

Thanks for all the reassurance. I find it hard to trust anyone these days!