Went with a buddy over to his co-workers new farm that he inherited to do a little shooting last weekend.  Took my FAL along with my AR15 and a few other guns to have some fun.  His buddy had never shot a FAL before so I break it out of the case to let him take a look at it.  I then ask him if he wants to fire it up, he says you shoot it first then I will give it a try.  

So I put in a mag and after about 15rds I get one that didn't feel right and I didn't see a splash in the water.  I was plinking a few rounds into the stream that runs through his land.  So I take a look and the bolt carrier is about half way back with a shell stuck in it.  I pull the charging handle back and extract the shell.  It is completely cooked.  So I open up the rifle and take a look down the barrel and it is plugged with the bullet.  That ended the FAL's day since I didn't have any way to push the bullet out of the barrel with me.  I am just glad that I realized something wasn't right and checked the barrel otherwise it might have turned into a really bad day.

Here is some pics of the shell and bullet.






Then I found this round with some type of residue on it.  I'm not sure if it is old and some type of chemical reaction happened or what.  Anyone have any ideas what this is or what could cause something to seep out of the shell?

What kind of ammo were you using?

Quoted: What kind of ammo were you using?

Indeed!

Is that KBO headstamp short for "KABOOM?" 'Cuz you dang near had one.I'm thinkin' that might be the markings of the infamous Indian 7.62, but I'm not sure.

It is military surplus.  I can't remember if it Portugese or Indian but it is one of the two I believe.  Both have the same head stamp (OFV 86 M80 7.62).

OFV, and you wonder why it's so cheap?

Surplus ammo is "surplus" for a reason... caveat emptor

kaotic: good catch.

If it doesn't sound & act right, stop and investigate. Trust your instincts.

Good save amigo !

Throw that ammo in the stream!!!

www.cetmerifles.com/forum/kb.php?mode=article&k=45&sid=2ffda1b738d27008a91722925f75830f

It's indian, do yourself a favor and inspect each and every round of that stuff you have.   Even then it's risky ammo.   I have some that I burn off but I pay attention to the rifle when I do, make sure the bolt fully closes each shot and it functions like expected.   Steer clear of that headstamp.

I never had any rounds that looked like the ones in the link "Noname" provided.  The worse ones I found just had tiny dents in the shell and I tossed those.  I bought 500rds of it from a gun show and tossed about 15rds with dents in the shell.  The rest had all functioned well and I only have maybe 80rds of it left.  I usually buy the Portugese or South African surplus ammo.  Maybe I will go to Wolf, since it is just a fun gun and all I do with it is plink with it.  

Why oh why do you guys buy surplus ammo from a third world shithole of a county. Nothing good ever came out of India or Pakastian. I wouldn't use it if it was free.
"Throw it in the stream" is good advice!!

I had the exact same thing happen in my AR.I thought it might be due to lack of powder in the shell.Not enough charge to propell the bullet out of the barrel so the little bit of gas forced the bolt back just far enough for the gases to escape and torch the hell out of the casing in the process.Thats the only thing I could come up with since the casing wasnt damaged in any way.

Quoted: Surplus ammo is "surplus" for a reason... caveat emptor hr

There is good surplus (Australian, etc.), and then there is surplus from India.

Quoted: Surplus ammo is "surplus" for a reason... caveat emptor

Nothing wrong with surplus ammo - as long as it's not Indian.  OFV is Indian.

I read good advice somwwhere concerning buying surplus ammo...



" Never buy ammo from a country that craps/pisses in their drinking water...."



Sounds like good advice to me...

I've got a bunch of the KF(I think, not at home right now though) '92 stamped Indian.  it works great so far, consistent, good ammo, and damn inexpensive to boot.  

YMMV of course.

It'll continue to be inexpensive right up untill your gun blows up. Then the average price will be higher.

kaotic,

Sounds like a problem with your rifle. I'll do you a favor and take that gun off of your hands for $100.




Good Catch!

Well I put a couple mags through it this last weekend and it seems fine.  So I am chalking it up to bad ammo.

Quoted: kaotic, Sounds like a problem with your rifle. I'll do you a favor and take that gun off of your hands for $100. Good Catch!

LOL...um no

Quoted: It'll continue to be inexpensive right up untill your gun blows up. Then the average price will be higher.

further research would show that the ammo I have is actually pretty decent, its the tar sealed stuff that is a big problem.  I've gone through all of my ammo and havent found a single bad one yet.

Quoted: First of all, good on you for having the presence of mind to detect this problem before it got a LOT worse. Ammo issues aside, and not to pick on this poor guy, BUT If his rifle had an included, in-the-buttstock cleaning kit, like the M1A, M1, or standard-stocked AR,  he could have tapped the bullet out and gone on shooting with the FAL. Just with different ammo . This sort of thing is annoying on the range, but imagine if the situation was more "serious"... Moral:  Every Battle Rifle and every Battle Carbine  should always have an attached, dedicated cleaning kit, with rod and oft-used special tools. If your weapon doesn't have room in the buttstock, then fabricate some kind of pouch/container, and attach it to the rearmost end of the sling. You never know when you might need it.  Maybe real bad...

The FAL's cleaning kit fits in the pistol grip.