Author Topic: Found at range: plastic/brass .223 (Read 990 times)

Questor · « **on:** May 01, 2006, 01:04:47 PM »

I found a spent .223 case that's interesting. It's got about a half inch of brass at the case head. The rest, up to the case mouth is black plastic. Got any idea of what this is, who makes it, and what it's for?

astrix · « **Reply #1 on:** May 01, 2006, 02:33:38 PM »

my local shop has some of those for sale,except they
are a cream colored plastic.They are mil. spec. ball ammo.
At least thats what they are labeled.Hope that helps.
Gary

mjbgalt · « **Reply #2 on:** May 01, 2006, 02:48:43 PM »

not sure what it's FOR but i have a piece of it, still loaded. apparently a gimmick made for a change of pace. i believe it is still made. i forget who makes it...maybe an Israeli company....

-Matt

ricciardelli · « **Reply #3 on:** May 01, 2006, 03:39:00 PM »

That crap is manufactured by NATEC, Inc., located in Plattsburgh, New York.

They call it PCA for polymer cased ammunition.

Around 1999 they tried to sell that stuff to the military...

.223 REM, 55 grain FMJBT
.223 REM, 55 grain Sierra Blitzking
.223 REM, 69 grain Sierra Matchking HPBT.

They had "intentions" of also making the following:

.308, 150 grain FMJBT
.308, 150 grain Sierra Gameking
.308, 168 grain Sierra Matchking

Case colors were, beige, blue, green, white and black depending on which bullet was loaded.

astrix · « **Reply #4 on:** May 02, 2006, 05:52:25 AM »

Thanks for the clarification Steve :-)

Questor · « **Reply #5 on:** May 02, 2006, 09:31:18 AM »

ricciardelli:

What makes it so bad?

ricciardelli · « **Reply #6 on:** May 02, 2006, 12:56:15 PM »

Quote from: Questor

ricciardelli:

What makes it so bad?

Grouping sucks, the cases are not bio-degradable, they cannot be reloaded, and they just look like hell!

Besides that, the last time I saw them being offered for sale, they were practically being given away...

myarmor · « **Reply #7 on:** May 02, 2006, 04:10:03 PM »

I tried some of it. Not impressed, and as a matter of fact shocked at the out come..
http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=66534&highlight=natec
Not that great.
-Aaron

Questor · « **Reply #8 on:** May 02, 2006, 04:34:39 PM »

Cool! Must be designed by the same guys that managed to design 14 independent safeties into the last handgun I bought (grip safety, individual finger safeties, button safeties, inertial safeties, trigger safeties, etc.) They just have a sixth sense for what shooters want! Imagine how many nights' sleep they must have lost figuring out how to wrap all of the least desirable features of ammunition into each product in a product line. Genius!!!

By the way, that pistol goes into full auto every time a cell phone rings within 50 feet.

myarmor · « **Reply #9 on:** May 03, 2006, 01:26:16 AM »

Quote from: Questor

Cool! Must be designed by the same guys that managed to design 14 independent safeties into the last handgun I bought (grip safety, individual finger safeties, button safeties, inertial safeties, trigger safeties, etc.) They just have a sixth sense for what shooters want! Imagine how many nights' sleep they must have lost figuring out how to wrap all of the least desirable features of ammunition into each product in a product line. Genius!!!

By the way, that pistol goes into full auto every time a cell phone rings within 50 feet.

Humm...Phoenix Arms 22? :-D

JBMauser · « **Reply #10 on:** May 04, 2006, 05:20:00 PM »

As I understand it, as I asked a dealer when I saw this odd stuff. It was designed to be lighter than brass so a soldier can carry more ammo in the field. It made sense as that is why we went to .223 from .308 and .30/06. It did not stick as the dealer stated. Now it is a novelty. JB

dscp · « **Reply #11 on:** May 25, 2006, 05:01:02 PM »

:shock: WOW... I HAVE A FRIEND THAT HAS SOME IN LIGHT BLUE...50 BMG..ON HIS THE TIPS ARE THE SAME COLOR .SOME MUST BE TRACER AS THE VERY TIP IS RED.
THE ONES YOU FELLOWS SAW ...DID THEY HAVE REGULAR BULLETS OR PLASTIC

REALLY CURIOUS...dscp

Kmrere42 · « **Reply #12 on:** May 26, 2006, 05:04:28 PM »

HI,

The 50 cal blues are a short range training round for use when the range is restricted. It had tto be used in conjunction with a specially made barrel that had a recoil accentuator. I fired quite a bunch during my time in the guard.

The 50 bmg was the only weapon that we had that was litterally chained to a set of limmiting bars set into concrete when we trained with real ammo.

Didn't need the chains when we used the blues.

Paul

astrix · « **Reply #13 on:** May 28, 2006, 04:53:58 PM »

The ones I looked at had 55 gr. FMJ bullets.

snuffy · « **Reply #14 on:** May 29, 2006, 07:09:28 AM »

A shooting buddy saw some of this at a local gunshop. He bought a couple boxes, tried it in his bushy ar-15. 3.5 inch groups @100 yds was 3 times bigger than what his rifle was capable of.

He gave me most of a box to test in my identical bushmaster, same result!

I tried reloading some of the empties, the bullets are loose in the necks, but I do believe they would fire. BUT in a semi auto, the bullet would most likely come out when being chambered. I may try the ones that are reloaded in my contender .223.

I heard somewhere that PCA may be supplying the plastic front ends to reloaders. The bullet is cast into the plastic front end, which gives it the required bullet pull.

I predict that this will go the way of the dinosaur. If you run accross some, buy it but don't shoot it, they may be collectable some day! :grin: :roll:

dakotashooter2 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 02, 2006, 10:20:04 AM »

It would be interesting to see some balistics data on these rounds like extreme spreads in velocities. While they obviously have some resiliance to combution heat one has to wonder if that doesn't cause more variation in a plastic case than in brass or steel. Same with neck tension. I wonder if a "snap fit" useing a cantilered bullet was considered?