Just don't...

[Patrick Chadwick]

... use ancient steel-cased ammo in your rifle.

The following horror photos are of what was extracted with great difficulty from a Portuguese 98k in great condition. Unfortunately the owner seems to have acquired some steel-cased ammunition of a similar vintage. After popping off several rounds without mishap, this one shattered in the chamber. The rest of the case (which was binned before I saw the "patient") was described as internally rusted.

Attachment 47065 Attachment 47066

As the rifle had already been heated up by previous shots, and this was a case of fire-forming relatively cold steel in a hot chamber, when the whole mess had cooled down the result was terribly close to a shrink-fit. The case neck was a beast to remove and, as you can tell from the bright areas, the extractor had to be modified to be able to grab the case neck without hazarding the throat area. Please also note that the metal does not look as if it had stretched and then torn. It just shattered, and the edges are razor-sharp.

The shooter has now binned the rest of his oh-so-cheap surplus ammo. I counsel others to do the same. Unless, of course, you actually like risking your rifle to save a few cents!

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