Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Remington Core-lock factory ammo QC

I just bought a .243 a while back and haven't setup to load for it so I am shooting factory ammo. Remington core-lock 100 grain ammo seems very inconsistent (based on visual inspection). Some primers are silver, some are brass. Some bullets are seated to bury the cannelure, some have most of the cannelure exposed. Brass is somewhat poorly polished, especially in comparison to Federal. Accuracy is so-so, not horrible but not great. This is all new ammo from walmart, academy, and the LGS. Is this typical of Remington?

Yep,
Noticed the different primers in 7X57 140 CL.

Looked at a box I bought couple of years ago and all the primers were the same silver.
The older ones are more accurate too.

I bought them just for brass,but since I'm going to shoot them,would prefer quality ammunition.
They're pretty weak too,about 2550 for 140 gr. 7X57.
A well known problem for factory loads in that chambering.
Mike

Yes, the primers are commonly different colors and the bullet seating is all over the place. Amazingly, I'm getting the best accuracy as of late out of Core Lokt ammo. Of course, that might just be because I've traded my Ruger's for Remington's.

I flat out refuse to shoot remington factory ammo. I've never had good results with it in any of the calibers I've used, inconsistemcy was the only thing consistant.


Federal all the way

I agree with moosemike i have used core lokt for 40 years always performed well I have a savage american classic in 308 and a 700 bdk in 270 both shoot best with remington ammo.

I have a 25-06 that will drive 100 Core-locks almost thru the same hole. Bought 2 boxes just for the brass when brass was hard to find, but that stuff sure did shoot. Did the same thing when I had a 7x57 built, and 140 Core locks shot great there too.

I dont think I have ever shot anything with Rem factory ammo.

Just out of curiosity we one day pulled the bullets on a new box of factory ammo. Found THREE different types of powder being used, in the one box!
Now, I won't mention any names but this thread of Remington Core Lokt ammo served to jog my memory of this event....

The thing that drives me crazy about Core Lokt's is how dented up the brass usually is.

I didn't know there was QC with core lokts???

The seating depth is usually pretty consistent. What you're seeing is different length brass. Federal doesn't have this problem.

I put em on a chrono and velocity was extremely low. Low velocity tends to produce better accuracy in my opinion and there banking that most will never put it to a chrono.

Shod

Ok so get this I went to Dicks Sporting goods today to get a box of core lokt 270 to sight in a rifle. Get to the range take the first round out of the box. It says 30-06 I'm like i know I bought 270 well sure enough every one of the rest were 270. How this happen I have no idea but I always check my round to make sure I have the right caliber cause sometimes I take multiple rifles. Guess I just have a habit of making sure I have the right round. May want to check if you guys buy any make sure they are what they say the box is

Not core lokts but I had the same thing happen to me this weekend. Had a 16 ga. shell mixed in with my 12s. Brand new never opened box of Remington Express Long Range.

holy chit that can get ugly quick if you wasn't watching

Another quick Remington woe story, I bought a brand new M700 CDL 25-06 when I returned home from one of my trips overseas. It was a beautiful rifle and I expected it and myself to become great friends. Well, long story short it wouldn't keep any of my handloads in any sorta group, like 1 shot would be 12" away from the other. So, after trying a bunch of powder combo's and bullets, I bought a box of 100 grain Remington Core Lokt's. Well, the first one I tried to put in the rifle wouldn't chamber..

I couldn't figure it out, as 3-4 of them in the box just wouldn't chamber. Enough of them did to get the same results as the handloads..

Well, once I measured the base to shoulder, I saw the ones that wouldn't fit were about .015-.020 longer than the others..

When I called, they sent me a label, I sent them back and I was refunded, but man, would I have been livid would that have taken place during a hunting trip. I actually like the Core Lokt bullets in some cartridges, but I am very critical of their loaded ammo anymore.

Turns out the rifle just needed to be floated, it was bedded so tightly at the forend tip I couldn't even begin to pull it apart. I pillared, glassed and floated it and it came around pretty decently.

Ended up shipping it down the road for a Model 70, but I did like that rifle a bunch.

Ya really I was like what If someone would have not looked and just shot it

I open the boxes in the store and make sure the cartridges are correct and in good shape before I buy. I also run them through the chrono and velocities are normally good at least in .270 and .30-06. And no the brass is not different lengths as one poster implied, but the bullet seating is pretty inconsistent.

[/quote]holy chit that can get ugly quick if you wasn't watching [/quote]

Not really, 06 won't chamber in a 270. However the 270 will chamber in an 06 and that can get really ugly.

Shod

Been more than a few .270s go down a .30-06 barrel at ranges and I would suspect in actual hunting. I've yet to see anything happen other than a fire-formed case and bad accuracy.

I still wouldn't recommend to make a habit of the practice.

The .30/06-.270 mixup *could* have been from customers pulling ammo out to look at them and switching by accident. I have used factory remington ammo to shoot quite a few critters, but it think I will avoid it in the future. I have always favored federal from an accuracy perspective, and their loaded ammo looks alike a million bucks compared to the remington. The federal fusion and hornady interlock are both sub MOA most of the time in this gun, the Remington produces groups at least twice as big.

Makes no difference. It straightens right out when fired!

I too have noticed the difference in primer colors. Seems to make no difference. I'm getting MOA (often less) with factory Corelokts with 140s in a .260 Rem 725 SA, and 150's in M98 '06.

I picked up a couple of boxes of Remington Core Lokt 308 win last month. Should have looked at them first. The bullets don't look as good as other companies second. The tips about a quarter inch back have deep lines as if skived only on one side covering half the bullet. These should have ended up in the scrap bin. I'll use the for range fouling shots but will not hunt with them.

I come close to trying some the new hornady I think it is called american. Should have bought that but I was thinking of the brass. Don't know how good the hornady brass would be.

Not really, 06 won't chamber in a 270. However the 270 will chamber in an 06 and that can get really ugly.

Shod [/quote]

No, it wouldn't get ugly at all. You'd be WAY under pressure, though the bullet would exit (and likely not be anywhere near on target).

I wonder if any of this is directly tied into the rush to get ammo out and onto the store shelves. I ask this because on another forum I visit there was a guy who bought some Winchester power points for his 308 and had the exact same complaint. he posted pics showing the different seating depths of various rounds from that box.

In light of some other Remington shenanigans in the past couple of years, there's no telling by who or where this ammunition is made. This ain't our old DuPont no more.

The new Marlin is a good example.

Funny, I just opened two boxes of Remington 100 grain .243. New factory stuff. Every cartridge was just as it should be.

I still have some old Core Lokt rat holed from the 80's that I wouldn't hesitate using.

The last Remington ammo that I fired was 260 Rem. It burnt through the side of the primer and back into my face.

Remington sent me a couple of boxes of ammo and offered to fix the burn on my bolt so no bad mouth for Remington. Something happened in the early 90's though where Remington took a down hill turn.

I shoot alot of Remington Core Lokt's myself, in many different calibers, funny, but I get great accuracy out of all that I have shot so far. Hum......

I won't say this is not the fault of Remington, but this is the reason you see signs in stores "No returns on ammunition". You don't know what wing nut would do something like that, but sabotage is not out of the question...

Yep. Got a box of shells back at the LGS one day...25-06 put into a box of .30-06...




Only problem was the box was Remington, and the ammo was Federal.

In my usual tactful demeanor I told the custom I believe that remington could make that kind of mistake,if they were remington shells, but I DONT believe someone from Federal snuck into the remington ammo plant and filled that box up!

On the plus side a lower cost way to get brass. That's usually the only reason I shoot the stuff.

Bought my 4th box of Hornady American Whitetail ammo in 30-06 yesterday.
First three boxes had nice shiney brass, this one had fairly dull and dirty brass.
Turns out the dirty stuff was just as accurate as the shiney.

Dirty and dull brass is a far cry from wrong caliber in the box

I believe you're thinking of American Whitetail, and it's been a pleasant surprise in several rifles I've tested it in to date. Low price, very accurate and more than adequate for deer.

Last year, while I was hunting for brass and dies for a new .300 Win Mag, I stopped in Dick's while I was in Las Cruces and bought a box of 180 Core-Lokts on sale for about $19. They produced three-shot groups that were consistently under an inch at 100 yards.

A few years ago, I chronographed factory 7mm Remington Mag ammunition for three friends with whom I hunt elk each year. There were two Browning BLRs and two Remington 700s. I was mildly surprised to see that the resulting three-shot average velocities were within 25 fps or so of the factory specifications. Both of the 700 averages were within 10 fps.

I won't give up handloading, but neither do I have nightmares about the prospect of having to use factory ammo in a pinch. However, finding mixed headstamps in a box of factory ammo would give me pause.

That american whitetail is just a Hornady interlock factory load. It has done very well in my .30/06 and the .243, so I just grabbed a box to try in a few .223's.