Results from archived thread:

81 votes
46 positive
14 mixed
21 bad

Please add your personal experience with Maine Cartridge Company ammunition to this thread. When you do, please give information about:
1) Ammunition used (55gr, 62gr, 75gr BTHP ?)
2) Firearm used in
3) Approximate number of rounds fired.

I am trying to solicit only information about your PERSONAL experience with this ammunition. If you haven't used it, then please don't clutter up the thread. Information about proper functioning (or lack thereof) is obviously the most important, but factors such as the accuracy or other peculiarities you've noticed are informative also. If you have had problems with this ammo which were severe enough to cause you to stop using this ammo, then please describe them. And one more minor request: keep your reviews objective.

cmbmw
62 gr. 1500 rds RRA 16" BM 20" Blown primers!! Got one in lower which jammed trigger, and believe it or not, I got one inside the gas key. The outside diameter of a primer is very close to the inside diameter of the gas key. Pain in the @$# to get out. Have fired thousands of rounds of XM193 and Q3131a through both with 0 problems. Easily 40% of the MCC crap blew the primers. Bought it from the man himself at a gun show in Maine. He told me it was the over run of a batch he made for the Maine State Police. Never, ever again.

DaPhotoGuy
62 grain - 200 rounds 55 grain - 400 rounds 16" DPMS Lo-Pro Classic Zero Problems

Collin
2000 rounds of 55grain from 1/9 twist 20 inch bushy. No problems.

JosephH
I have personally run through 3000 rounds of the 55 gr. ammo without a single failure. I do not find it excessively dirty either. I found it for $129 per 1k at local gun shows. Can't beat the price. Run through 20" Armalite A2 upper, Bushy lower.

Doctor_Chicago
I fired it flawlessly from my Colt SP1 20" My buddy however using the exact same shipment had feeding problems and separated his bolt and extractor on his new Ruger Ranch rifle. Traded his Ruger for a new Colt HBar two weeks later. I don't know what to say definitive about MCC Ammo. It was 55gr. except I notice more variation in the powder loadings or the appearance of it via the sound and the cycling of the gun. That is only speculation and not hard facts.

bmwmc
Have shot about 700 rounds of 55gr. 300 in 16" Flattop 400 in Mini 14 No problems at all. Flash and report do seem to vary. Someone please chronograph this stuff.

WinstonSmith
Bought 500, fired 50 out of a bone-stock Bushmaster 20". About 80% blown primers, accuracy was all over the place. I think I'd rather ram a turd into my chamber than another MCC cartridge.

h8mtv
Been buying 500 round cases for $80 at shows. Functions fine, no problems or anything. Plinking ammo, nothing to brag about, but not bad.

drow223
55gr "match" 70 rounds not one problem, shoots really good

drow223
ate up the last of my first 200 rounds today and still not one problem
ordered another 500 for plinking.
it really is great ammo
wish someone could give me a phone number to this company because I have a few questions to ask the man

brasspile
Went through 300 rounds in a 16" Colt upper on bushy lower w/RDIAS at bulletfest, and 60 rounds through an M4Gery of Bushmaster parts. zero complaints.

Saw several hundred more rounds of Maine CC Go through same upper (intermixed with Wolf and whatever else people had handy).

All 55gr FMJ, $140/1000 @ the shoot!! (convenience! Thanks ammunitionstore!)

Msokol13
Shot 300 hundred rounds of it out of my new m4gery today. Had about 4 rounds that failed to extract, might have been an issue with a magazine because after that no problems with the last 290 rds.

I will continue to use it, best priced ammo I can find.

wolfammoguy
I bought several hundred rounds from Ammunition Store and it is as good as Wolf, but I get brass for reloads when done!

Wheelgunner
I bought 100 rounds. Shot it this last Saturday 7/24/04. I was rapid firing, pop, pop, pop, BOOM! It went boom on the 24th round. WTF!

Made me jump, and my friends 6 spaces away were asking me "what the hell was that".

I checked my AR and everything looked OK.

NEVER, EVER, EVER, NEVER, again will I shoot this in my rifle.

I'll stick with Wolf Poly for blasting ammo. With Wolf Poly I have had 2 FTF out of about 1200 rounds.

I am disposing the 76 rounds. I wont give this to anyone. I wont be liable for damaging a firearm or injuring someone.

Dan

1. 75gr HP.
2. Dalphon Lower, Oly Upper M4gry.
3. 24 rounds.

cruze5
I purchased 1k rounds from ammunitionstore a couple weeks ago, the web site said at the time that it was 55gr copper FMJ match, then changed to -match the day after i ordered it, Hmmm.. It came in clear plastic Boxes, holding 100rounds each.

1) 55gr FMJ
2) bushmaster XM15 E2S 20"
3) 200 rounds in two seperate weekends

first trip.... no problem, shoots like ultramax ammo, maybe its just me
second trip.... shot 100 rounds as fast as i could load the mag...no problem
will keep my fingers crossed

drow223
I had one go BOOM on me too
nothing felt differant when it went off but it sure did sound differant
checked the case and the neck was split
had me wondering a bit but the rest worked fine
It was one in three hunderd rounds so far "match" in the clear containers

do you think it might be because of the split neck?

the boom sounded like I was on the wrong side of the gun
not earth shattering just louder and differant sounding

do you know the differance between a bolt gun muzzle blast and that of a semi
it was kinda like that almost the semi being the bolt gun
it hard to explain your use to one noise and then you hear somthing else

ken3983
I got some MCC at a gun show here.Have'nt had a single problem.In fact, I was getting in the center target at 100 yds with a 16" upper and a Double Star lower.I used a Colt 4x20 carry handle scope and it did great.The ammo is about 140 bucks at Ammunitionstore.com or so.I'm going to try the SS109 and see what they do.I want to get the new SPC remington upper from Model 1 Sales and play with that.Don't know that ammo is going to cost.

M4-CQBR
I fired 200rds today out of a case of 62gr - SS109.
It is recent production and good stuff!
No troubles what so ever. . .not a one! No Fear!

onrope1971
Just finished up 500 rds. of 55 gr. FMJ. A buddy om mine split a case and it has functioned flawlessly out of both rifles . We were both using DPMS 16 inch chrome moly barrels. I loaded 5 30 rd. mags and fired continuously without any problems. We were also getting 3/4 " groups with the ammo. Going to try the Wolf polymer next but would definitely buy again. Chronographed veloctiy was 3150 fps.

Belial
right at 3K without a hitch....55gr all pretty consistant and very reliable...

GhostZR2
Bought a case a few months back....
I have fired about 200 rds with no problem out of RRA 16.

sobrbiker883
I got 600 rounds MCC on a trade/buy a month or so ago. Loose 55gr in mixed (I mean MIXED) brass.

Finally got my flattop 16" Model One upper scoped and floated and took it with the MCC to the range today.

15 or so rounds of sighting in then THUD.......squib.
Cleared round and unburnt powder spilled outta the case when it hit the table. Bullet lodged neatly in the barrel at the chamber.

I had no cleaning gear so I was screwed. Borrowed a rod and dislodged bullet, but bolt wouldn't close from powder behind the locking lugs, and of course, there wasn't an AR on the range to borrow a chamber brush! Usually there are at least 2 at any given time!

Closer inspection of my cases shows many that looked like the case was trimmed with a buck knife.

I'm gonna weed out the crappily trimmed cases when I get time , pull their bullets and check the charges. Powder in the squib that didn't burn (primer popped enough to tlodge bullet, but not ignite the powder, WTF?), was a greenish flake powder.

I'm not sure if I'll try any of the rest, but I ordered a buttstock cleaning kit and 100 rds of Black Hills 55 as soon as I got home!

Lion_Dog
I have fired 300 rounds so far from the MMC group buy - so far no problems.

Urban_Ops
I have shot just over 4000 of the 55g .223 from MCC through several rifles. zero problems.

Hokie
100 rounds of the group buy 62 gr SS109 and no problemos ... me gusta.

Lost-Drive-In
200 Rounds (so far) of the Group Buy SS109.

Accuracy is as good as I am with irons. Only problem so far is one round loaded "long", it wouldn't fit in the Magazine.

I'd buy it again.

clintl1
I have shot approximately 1500 rounds of 62 gr. Maine and at least 500 rounds of 55 Gr. Maine.
I have not found it to be that accurate, except for the rounds in the 100 round plastic boxes. The guns I shot it in were a 20" Bushmaster flat top and a 16" RRA carbine. Of course, the bushmaster had the better accuracy based on the 24X scope vs. open sights on the RRA. Note that I changed out the mediocre trigger in the Bushmaster for a NM RRA trigger

Msokol13
Just put 300 rds. of MCC M193 through my new rifle. No problems, maybe accuracy was not great but functioned 100%

Bump to prevent archiving

I have a pile of MCC for a match gun I like.  Shoots great. Came in 50 rnd. cardboard boxes with plastic holders.  Good practice ammo even though its only 55gr.    

pmc cases. softish primers (a silver color) and standard FMJBT 55 heads.

20" RRA CMP w/SS HBAR

shot about 750 rounds.

1) Ammunition used -55gr FMJ
2) Firearm used in -RRA 20 inch, RRA 16 inch and M16
3) Approximate number of rounds fired- between 3 and 4 thousand

Back a couple years ago you could buy 1000 round for $100.00 if you bought 10,000 rounds at one time.

to this point I am very happy with there ammo. Never had any trouble with any of it to this point.  

Cant VOTE because I wont evrer buy it!

Was Told by a very good source it was NO GOOD 2001 !

Their ammunition blew up my AR15 and when I attempted to recieved compensation they briefly looked at the rifle and blew me off. Maine Cartridge Company is NOT to be trusted unless you like your AR blowing up with you left to foot the bill. Pray to God that you are not injured - I was lucky - only lost a Bushmaster Rifle.

Here's the thread!!

ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=16&t=274082