Ammo issue, or rifle issue? Help me please.

follow what others have suggested and consider taking it to a trusted gunsmith for inspection.

Good luck!
 
I’d pull the barreled action out of the stock. Scrub the barrel clean, disassemble the bolt and clean it and degrease the trigger and action while it’s out of the stock. Apply some light grease to the bolt locking lugs and reassemble it.
Go shoot it with some different ammo and don’t forget your eye and ear protection.
I’ve seen plenty of old rifles that were hardly functional due to WD-40! Seems like that was a go to for many people back in the day.
 
Bolt and firing pin look good. Slight ring where the primer meets the bolt face, but it's superficial and not pitted. Gave it a pretty good cleaning today.
Looks fine. Did you clean the inside of the bolt body and also the lug recess area of the action? Sometimes those can become very dirty with grease and gunk.

It was probably just that ammo but at least it’s all clean now also.
 
Looks fine. Did you clean the inside of the bolt body and also the lug recess area of the action? Sometimes those can become very dirty with grease and gunk.

It was probably just that ammo but at least it’s all clean now also.
Yes, as best as I could. Actually found the punched out primer pieces when I opened the magazine trap door!
 

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Shot the federal fusion ammo today. Performed well, easy extractions and no pressure signs. So then I tried one more round of the PPU... Didn't pierce the primer, but could barely open the bolt. I won't be using the rest of that ammo.

Then I shot the AR and M1 for fun 😀. Is there a more fun gun to shoot than a Garand??? I love that rifle.
 
Shot the federal fusion ammo today. Performed well, easy extractions and no pressure signs. So then I tried one more round of the PPU... Didn't pierce the primer, but could barely open the bolt. I won't be using the rest of that ammo.

Then I shot the AR and M1 for fun 😀. Is there a more fun gun to shoot than a Garand??? I love that rifle.
Where abouts do you typically shoot?
 
I agree with cleaning that rifle. Clean until it sparkles.

Having said that, PPU ammo generally isn’t loaded that hot. It’s possible it’s the ammo but my experience is Privi ammo is built to be fired in older rifles…hence lower pressure.

Second thought: I’d probably go with Remington as a second choice in ammo.

Final Thought: get a cheap borescope? I’ve seen some that attach to a phone on amazon. Basically a threaded micro-camera. Not a bad idea to do a macro-look at the bore…
Most of those won't fit a bore smaller than 6mm. You have to intentionally shop for one smaller. The 6mm ones would let you check for a throat ring though.
I started with one of these and then manned up on the $275 for a Lyman digital scope. Money well spent. You only think you know your guns until you have bore scoped them. You THINK they are clean until you get a borescope.

PPU could be loaded to CIP spec, not SAAMI. But for the .22-250 CIP spec has a lower MAP. That is not true of every caliber.
This seems lot more like a quality control issue if it is the ammo. Easiest just to pull it apart.
 
Most of those won't fit a bore smaller than 6mm. You have to intentionally shop for one smaller. The 6mm ones would let you check for a throat ring though.
I started with one of these and then manned up on the $275 for a Lyman digital scope. Money well spent. You only think you know your guns until you have bore scoped them. You THINK they are clean until you get a borescope.

PPU could be loaded to CIP spec, not SAAMI. But for the .22-250 CIP spec has a lower MAP. That is not true of every caliber.
This seems lot more like a quality control issue if it is the ammo. Easiest just to pull it apart.
A bore scope a Labradar and an annealing machine. Not the same as feeding my 721 Core-Lokts. Not sure things work any different. mtmuley
 
I emailed PPU. They are going to have me send the ammo back, and will send me ammo from a new batch. I'll let you know if they come through and if the ammo is any better.
That is a fair resolution imo. Worst case scenario, your rifle doesn't like PPU ammo and you move on...
I think its fantastic that PPU is willing to work with you as an end user instead of the typical
"Go to an authorized dealer" BS
 
Most of those won't fit a bore smaller than 6mm. You have to intentionally shop for one smaller. The 6mm ones would let you check for a throat ring though.
I started with one of these and then manned up on the $275 for a Lyman digital scope. Money well spent. You only think you know your guns until you have bore scoped them. You THINK they are clean until you get a borescope.

PPU could be loaded to CIP spec, not SAAMI. But for the .22-250 CIP spec has a lower MAP. That is not true of every caliber.
This seems lot more like a quality control issue if it is the ammo. Easiest just to pull it apart.
If it's being sold here shouldn't it be loaded to SAAMI spec?
 
A bore scope a Labradar and an annealing machine. Not the same as feeding my 721 Core-Lokts. Not sure things work any different. mtmuley
Tru Dat. I don't shoot any more now than I did before. Probably less. I just have more toys for long winter nights at the reloading bench.

FWIW - I'm not as into annealing as other guys. I use cheap brass and when it splits I throw it in the melting bucket. Recyclers hate cartridge cases because they are afraid of live primers. I melt my throw away brass about once a year and pour it into ingots. Currently running about $3/ pound. Copper about $4/pound. Beats hell out of stealing catalytic converters for pocket change.
 
If it's being sold here shouldn't it be loaded to SAAMI spec?
There are no laws requiring SAAMI spec. Only lawyers. SAAMI is a co-op of companies in the ammo industry, like UL is for electrical appliances.
CIP is the Euro version. Their specs overlap in most cases, but not 100% percent. You do not have to be a member of SAAMI to sell your ammo, only to submit cartridge designs.
I would never assume anyone in Eastern Europe gives two craps about SAAMI.

Having said that, I have no complaints with PPU ammo. I've used PPU ammo for years in 6.5x55mm without any issues. I still have PPU brass with the old cyrillic headstamps. It's good brass and has been loaded many times. This in old "soft" Mauser M96's. At least in 6.5x55mm, I've found PPU brass is better dimensionally than US brass from the same vintage.
 
There are no laws requiring SAAMI spec. Only lawyers. SAAMI is a co-op of companies in the ammo industry, like UL is for electrical appliances.
CIP is the Euro version. Their specs overlap in most cases, but not 100% percent. You do not have to be a member of SAAMI to sell your ammo, only to submit cartridge designs.
I would never assume anyone in Eastern Europe gives two craps about SAAMI.

Having said that, I have no complaints with PPU ammo. I've used PPU ammo for years in 6.5x55mm without any issues. I still have PPU brass with the old cyrillic headstamps. It's good brass and has been loaded many times. This in old "soft" Mauser M96's. At least in 6.5x55mm, I've found PPU brass is better dimensionally than US brass from the same vintage.
I wasn't suggesting that it be a legal requirement. If all of our equipment is designed and manufactured around SAAMI specs then it makes sense that loaded ammo should be made similarly and if made differently then be so noted on the packaging tho I doubt that many would even read it.
 
Well to their credit PPU replaced all three boxes of ammo. It arrived today. I'll try it carefully. Customer service was great and easy to deal with.

When I think about it, yeah. Customer service for an ammo company should be excellent. They can’t have hot-loaded ammo floating about due to liability reasons so from their perspective, picking up a few boxes (which also has the production lot numbers) and disassembling the ammo to figure out what went wrong is a very cheap endeavor compared to liability suits.
 

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