Quote History Quoted:
When buying anything used you need to remember to ask alot of questions. You also need to inspect whatever you buy, for a firearm take it to a gunsmith.
Ask the owner if they reload, if not then they probably didn't fire any ammo hotter than surplus. If so, ask what components they used, charge weight... If you think they were loading hot ammo, walk away from the deal.
It also helps to understand what charge weight is hot, surplus ammo is always going to be considered hot. It's made to run M2's reliably all the time, all those moving parts are heavy. Most surplus rounds usually have a charge of 235-240grs of powder. Most people run about 215-225grs of powder in their guns for best results.
Bolt guns and semi's still have to be built strong enough to run surplus rounds. I would think that most manufacturers would think that the people buying their guns will only be shooting surplus ammo. So they build them strong enough to run surplus rounds all the time.
Most people that reload run ammo that has a charge weight below surplus. I've run 215grs for everything from surplus to match and never had a problem. Some people have posted that with 215grs of surplus powder they've got pressure issues. So yeah, you need to start low and work your way up checking as you go.
Back to the issue, check out areas that take the most abuse. The bolt, face of it, as mentioned one member has a flame cut on his from a blown primer. Look down the barrel and check it carefully along with the muzzle brake. Unburnt grains of powder will actually erode the brake.
Bring a snap cap so that you can check the triggers feel, does it break clean or feel gritty? How's the finish, worn with scratches? Redone? Why?
If you do your homework right, you'll be happy and enjoy whatever you buy. Done wrong you'll be upset and have to spend time and money making it right. Just remember to ask questions and don't be afraid to walk away. That or ask them to lower the price to cover the cost of repairs.
View Quote
50 Shooter, the only issue is on the bolt face where the previous owner fired a round and blew out a primer(gas leaked past primer) if I had any doubts, I would have walked. I still bought the rifle.
. I don't think they even knew it happened. For $2K, I think I did alright.
I'm no gunsmith, but I'm 99.8% sure it's not an issue. The gun was really dirty when I went to look at it, but it cleaned up well, original finish. The bore look's really good, rifling is sharp, the brake has lite erosion which to me looks normal and tells me not many rds. fired.
Trigger is a bit heavy, but breaks really clean and smooth, not gritty at all.
After looking through all the fired casings, I've found the culprit with the leaked primer. It looks as though they bought 20 rds. of American Eagle and 100 rd. bulk pack of reloaded factory. They can't remember where they ordered it from
. But the tag says
reloaded by a 3rdparty contractor, it has a mix of LC, WCC and mostly PSD HS brass. I won't shoot any ammo till I get my 50BMG press, I want to check out a few rds.
I really appreciate the help/advice from everyone who replied!!
Happy shooting! Stay Safe!/