Factory round with wrong cal stamp.

Aussie308

Inactive
I bought a new .308 rifle recently and after shooting a number of the rounds I had bought to sight it in (big manufacturer), I noticed that one of the rounds was stamped as 22-250, not .308.

On first inspection it looked like a .308, but there were a number of small differences including a thinner case head and different profile on the channel in front of the case head. Also the bullet seems inserted further within the case, as there is about 1-2mm of texturing visible on the other bullets and not the 22-250 one, and the case is only lightly if at all pressed to seal to the bullet, whereas the other rounds have distinct press marks in the brass and are solidly sealed to the bullet.

Now I don't know what happened, if it is just a 308 stamped as a 22-250, or if it is a 22-250 case thats been partially made and then finished as a 308 with a 308 bullet in it. I've been told that it could be very dangerous to fire if for example it had different powder designed for a .22 bullet in the 22-250 trying to push out a 308 bullet. I have no idea if that is true or not, but I won't be firing it anyways. Are the differences just because it was made on a different set of machinery or at a different factory, or is it a re-worked 250 case?

Has anyone ever seen this before in factory ammunition? I emailed the manufacturer and they said just take it back where I bought it and the manufacturer will replace it.
We took it back to the gun shop where we bought it, and the owner said he has never seen anything like it in all the years he's been in the game. He's holding it for us and going to show the manufacturer rep who is due to visit this week or next.

What should I do? Someone said to keep it as it could be worth something to a collector. Someone else said I should notify whatever consumer authority is relevent as it's a safety risk and should be looked into.
I'm in Australia by the way, if you didn't get that from the username.
 
Never seen it happen, but certainly can see it happening. I've seen photos of bullets loaded backwards into the case. I've got a wood screw around here that never got threaded. Looks just like a steel rod.

Somewhere along the assembly line someone messed up. I wouldn't shoot it. Just put it up somewhere and keep it as a novelty.
 
Sounds like a 22-250 case might have gotten on the 308 line and got processed. I don't know if that's even possible. I did once buy a box of "factory" 308 at a gun store, only to discover later that they were somebody's reloads. Did the rest of the cartridges look new? Also, I'm not sure I'd want to shoot the other rounds from that box if there are any left.

I'd give the manufacturer a chance to look into the situation before notifying anyone else. Here in the States, we've learned not to trust "consumer authorities" when firearms are involved.
 
Mistakes are made !! like 243 rounds in among 308 , primers missing, backwards .Wrong bullets in case like 308 in a 7mm-08 . Collapsed necks .
These and other problems can be found and you should be aware of them as they can be dangerous .Be especially careful about SD rounds and check if they will cycle through your gun.
 
Yeah Flopsweat, I originally thought it a 308 like the rest, just mis-stamped, but like you say I now think it 'could' be a case thats started out as a 22-250 case and somehow gotten on the wrong production line and finished as a 308. I don't know the 22-250 round well enough to know if this is a 22-250, but from what I've seen 22-250 case is pretty similar to 308, apart from obviously being necked down for the bullet.
Yes they all looked new.

Yeah I won't be shooting any more from that box; my gun shop has the box of rounds and will be showing (but not giving em to) the manufacturer rep. See what he says. The rep I emailled didn't seem too interested, just said send em back.
 
I think the ammo maker would be happy to replace it in return for you doing their QC work!

Did you by chance try to chamber the round? From your description it sounds as if the case might be a little long, so that might have prevented it from entering the chamber all the way. From what little I know about an ammunition line, I would assume that the line is automated from where the case enters to the finished round. So even if the wrong case started , it should be charged with the same powder as the others. I can see a 22-250 case being accidentally thrown in with a bin of 308 cases, but I can't see a charged 22-250 case being pulled out of its line and put in the 308 process.
 
Doesn't surprise me in the least. Not in this day and age. There are few companies today who practice good QC any more.

Heck, I've actually seen a GUN that was marked with the wrong caliber. I was at the gun store when some guy brought it in. The box was clearly labelled 9x19mm. The barrel of the gun was clearly stamped 9x19mm. He had bought the gun believing it was a 9mm. The guy took the barrel out of the gun, held it up for the clerk to see and dropped a 9mm round in the chamber. It fell out the other end. A little measuring showed the barrel was chambered for .40.
 
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