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Posted: 1/12/2019 5:17:11 PM EDT
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I bought 1000 rounds of 5.56 Frontier amok from Midway USA in November. I thought it was good ammo and read a few reports if it being decently accurate. Today I have been reading about it blowing up guns. I noticed when I shot it it seemed a little hotter just because it seemed louder, but it shot pretty well. Should I be worried? |
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There were several threads here a while back, probably archived now. Seems the issues with the frontier M193 was lot specific. I bought 1k rounds. Shot and chronographed it through several guns (including 18" Stealth barrel, 16" Stag M4gery, and 11.5" frankenbuild) checked brass for pressure signs. I had no issues. Chrony results were on par with other M193 offerings I have (Prvi, MEN, IMI). I also have some Frontier 75gr BTHP 5.56 but like most Hornady match ammo, it doesn't shoot for shit in my guns.
Shoot it while checking your brass for pressure signs. In the case of kabooms, there are usually signs leading up to it. Just be diligent until you are comfortable that it's safe in your rifle. |
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If it were me, I guess I'd contact Frontier with my lot number, and ask for confirmation on if that's supposed to be a good lot. After that, I'd probably go ahead and shoot a few, and then inspect the casings with great care for signs of excessive pressure (blow primer, extrusion into the ejector hole, etc). Note that flat(ish) primers and a little head-swipe is not necessarily unsafe overpressure, it just means it's hot and running at full 5.56 pressure in many cases. Outright extrusion or blown/pieced primers, or just flattened to crazy-excess primers though, is a sign of too high.
After it passed all that, frankly I'd run high-round count range outings and just burn it up; preferably at a range where there's someone else somewhere around, even if 100 yards away doing their own thing - just in case something goes awry. Statistically, you'll probably be fine.... probably. I wouldn't shoot this in your $3000 BravNoveskRue boutique gun. |
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I bought 2k from SG Ammo last spring and have fired around 1k thru 2 20” uppers- a BCM and PSA Freedom, and a 10.5” PSA nitride pistol upper.
No problems at all, but I’m not sure if it’s all the same lot. I just recently heard about the kabooms. I may call Hornady before shooting the rest and see what I can find out. |
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Just got off of the phone with Hornady. They said that although they have accepted returns of Frontier ammo and they have even replaced some guns that there are no issues with any hot ammo. They said all of the guns that have had issues have had issues because they are having out of battery explosions. On all of the returned ammo they say that they have tested it and all of it was within specifications. Hornady also said people are not taking care of their guns and should be cleaning them every 2 to 3 magazines. Hornady says the guns that have had issues have had around 400 rounds through them without cleaning which they said is too many. (As an avid 3 gunner this sounds pretty crazy since many 3 gunners go over 1000 rounds without cleaning their rifles.) On one hand I am glad they said there are no issues with the ammo. On the other hand my bullshit meter is going off. |
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Quoted:
Just got off of the phone with Hornady. They said that although they have accepted returns of Frontier ammo and they have even replaced some guns that there are no issues with any hot ammo. They said all of the guns that have had issues have had issues because they are having out of battery explosions. On all of the returned ammo they say that they have tested it and all of it was within specifications. Hornady also said people are not taking care of their guns and should be cleaning them every 2 to 3 magazines. Hornady says the guns that have had issues have had around 400 rounds through them without cleaning which they said is too many. (As an avid 3 gunner this sounds pretty crazy since many 3 gunners go over 1000 rounds without cleaning their rifles.) On one hand I am glad they said there are no issues with the ammo. On the other hand my bullshit meter is going off. |
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Quoted:
Just got off of the phone with Hornady. They said that although they have accepted returns of Frontier ammo and they have even replaced some guns that there are no issues with any hot ammo. They said all of the guns that have had issues have had issues because they are having out of battery explosions. On all of the returned ammo they say that they have tested it and all of it was within specifications. Hornady also said people are not taking care of their guns and should be cleaning them every 2 to 3 magazines. Hornady says the guns that have had issues have had around 400 rounds through them without cleaning which they said is too many. (As an avid 3 gunner this sounds pretty crazy since many 3 gunners go over 1000 rounds without cleaning their rifles.) On one hand I am glad they said there are no issues with the ammo. On the other hand my bullshit meter is going off. 
I've always thought of them as a good brand but the Frontier issues and derp like that makes it tough to think of them the same way now. |
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Quoted:
Just got off of the phone with Hornady. They said that although they have accepted returns of Frontier ammo and they have even replaced some guns that there are no issues with any hot ammo. They said all of the guns that have had issues have had issues because they are having out of battery explosions. On all of the returned ammo they say that they have tested it and all of it was within specifications. Hornady also said people are not taking care of their guns and should be cleaning them every 2 to 3 magazines. Hornady says the guns that have had issues have had around 400 rounds through them without cleaning which they said is too many. (As an avid 3 gunner this sounds pretty crazy since many 3 gunners go over 1000 rounds without cleaning their rifles.) On one hand I am glad they said there are no issues with the ammo. On the other hand my bullshit meter is going off. |
| When Hornady can't find an other excuse, blame the shooter. If an ammo maker told me I had to clean a rifle that frequently (every 2-3 magazines), or that I couldn't shoot the ammo if the ambient temperature wasn't within a reasonable specific range (say 20F to 125F), I wouldn't use that ammo. |
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Quoted:
When Hornady can't find an other excuse, blame the shooter. If an ammo maker told me I had to clean a rifle that frequently (every 2-3 magazines), or that I couldn't shoot the ammo if the ambient temperature wasn't within a reasonable specific range (say 20F to 125F), I wouldn't use that ammo. |
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Quoted:
BS response is BS... Quoted:
Quoted:
Just got off of the phone with Hornady. They said that although they have accepted returns of Frontier ammo and they have even replaced some guns that there are no issues with any hot ammo. They said all of the guns that have had issues have had issues because they are having out of battery explosions. On all of the returned ammo they say that they have tested it and all of it was within specifications. Hornady also said people are not taking care of their guns and should be cleaning them every 2 to 3 magazines. Hornady says the guns that have had issues have had around 400 rounds through them without cleaning which they said is too many. (As an avid 3 gunner this sounds pretty crazy since many 3 gunners go over 1000 rounds without cleaning their rifles.) On one hand I am glad they said there are no issues with the ammo. On the other hand my bullshit meter is going off. Quoted:
“Out of battery explosions” Bullshit. |
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When we attended Hard as Hell 2 Gun competition this summer, we learned of an unadvertised stage we'd be shooting the second day. Worried, we didn't have enough ammo we stopped by a local gun store. They had Frontier ammo, and knowing it was made by Hornady using Hornady components we bought some. Bought a box of 150 M193 and 150 55gr. (We didn't realize someone mixed all the boxes up in our hurry.) Anyway, we decided to use the frontier M193 on the bonus stage... it was a fun stage where you shot against your own squad. Our rifles were zero'd for 77gr Nosler reloads... the frontier hit over 1ft high at 50-75 yards. I've NEVER seen a POI shift like that by switching ammo types. It took both me and my friend a few rounds to learn where we were hitting to compensate our aim. |
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I had been using Fed American Eagle XM193 only and decided to try/test some "other" ammo. Having had good results with a box of Frontier 68 gr BTHP I purchased some Frontier 55 gr. I had 3 failure to feed events out of 120 rounds. The first event had to have the previously chambered round cleared with a rod by the RSO. My rifle, a Ruger MPR, has never had a malfunction before. I'll try to use up the remaing 60 rounds of Frontier I still have. For my next test I have 150 rounds of CBC XM193 and a box of IMI green tip. A LGS has a case price going on Wolf Gold too. I might split a case with a friend to give it a try too. But for now I'll stay away from the Frontier 55 gr.
I hope the problems with the Frontier ammo have been identified and were indeed confined to a certain lot. But with customers loosing confidence in the ammo it could take a while before enough of it is used without incident to prove it is GTG. |
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Why would an ammo manufacturer replace a damaged rifle, if their ammo didn't cause the damage? That doesn't make good business sense, and doesn't pass the smell test. Crap, I thought I read GUN manufacturer. Sorry, carry on. |
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Does anybody have a list of the known bad lots? I have 900 rounds that I'm afraid to shoot until this gets resolved. https://www.ar15.com/forums/General/-ARCHIVED-THREAD-Witnessed-a-KABOOM-today-Updated-pics-on-page-5/5-2145296/?page=1 |
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Not a "list", but there's some information in this archived thread about lot numbers. Don't know that we got anything conclusive as OP ghosted and the thread archived. https://www.ar15.com/forums/General/-ARCHIVED-THREAD-Witnessed-a-KABOOM-today-Updated-pics-on-page-5/5-2145296/?page=1 |
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Quoted: Just read the entire thread. The I read your posts about your lot of 1418000 working alright. My lot is 1418008, so I am hoping I am good since you appeared to be good. I will definitely watch the casings though. |
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Why would an ammo manufacturer replace a damaged rifle, if their ammo didn't cause the damage? That doesn't make good business sense, and doesn't pass the smell test. 
I found out that my Dad bought some of this and I was sad. I like their bullets but I don't buy their ammo anymore after I got over pressure 110gr 300 Whisper ammo. |
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