Federal Claims these are the same bullets.

[CanuckShooter]

Federal claims these are the same bullets [sorry for poor pic quality]. In 2012 I started hunting deer with a 243 and bought what I thought was 100gr Nosler Partitions [two bullets on outside], I was running low this year so went and bought 2 more boxes marked exactly the same as my 2012 rounds. Imagine my surprise when I was out in the bush to discover that the new bullets appeared very different from the ones my gun was sighted in for. My question is, do you have a best guess at what the outside bullets are, I am pretty sure the center one is an actual partition.

Oh ya, Federal says it's because they are putting a moly coating on it and I am just too stupid to be able to see the difference. [I added that in but that is about what it comes out as]

 

[CanuckShooter]

Jim,



We recently started MOLY (Molybdenum Disulfide) coating the Nosler Partition bullet in our .243 loads. This coating is why there is a visual difference between the two bullets. One is coated the other is not coated, this is why you are able to see the lead tip on one bullet on the older none coated bullet. We use this coating to increased overall bullet performance with pressures and velocities.



Molybdenum disulfide or "Moly", as it is commonly called, is a lubricant used in extreme pressure conditions due to its high degree of lubricity and high melting point. Moly has been found to reduce bore fouling when applied to bullet surfaces. It will decrease bore cleaning effort and time. Published reports have shown an increase in Ballistic Coefficient, longer barrel life, and an increase in accuracy.



The bullet is still the same bullet just with any additional MOLY coating. However with this new coating you might notice a small difference in point of impact, so you might have to resight in your gun. Since there is reduce barrel drag with coated bullet you should notice improved accuracy.

 

[barnesuser28]

Barnes TSX.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

Looks like you bought some with a mis-labeled box the first time. I think barnesuser28 is correct that your earlier bullets are likely barnes.

Remington is currently doing this on their rum ammo ( both 7mm and 300); labeling the mild loads as "extreme range" instead on the full throttle stuff like they did a year ago. I wonder how many poor souls are buying the new stuff and not hitting crap thinking they have the other load. The only time they actually recall the stuff is if it is dangerous.

 

[CanuckShooter]

I had two boxes of the earlier type bullets also...maybe something happened at the factory?? All I know for sure is I am sure disappointed in Federal....they lost a customer for life over this. I no longer trust them to produce a consistent product.

The ones you fellows think are Barnes worked pretty good on bears and deer too...I'll have to see who loads these bullets.

 

[barnesuser28]

If there was a picture from the top i would be able to 100% confirm these are barnes. Barnes might have a vortex factory load for the tsx.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I had two boxes of the earlier type bullets also...maybe something happened at the factory?? All I know for sure is I am sure disappointed in Federal....they lost a customer for life over this. I no longer trust them to produce a consistent product.

The ones you fellows think are Barnes worked pretty good on bears and deer too...I'll have to see who loads these bullets.

The only way to know for sure if it is a Barnes TSX is to pull one of the bullets and see if it has all the cannelures in the base of it. If it is, that would explain the incredible performance, being that Barnes TSX's are solid copper boat-tail hollow point bullets.

 

[Edd]

Why don't you pull one of the bullets and cut it in half?

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I had two boxes of the earlier type bullets also...maybe something happened at the factory?? All I know for sure is I am sure disappointed in Federal....they lost a customer for life over this. I no longer trust them to produce a consistent product.

The ones you fellows think are Barnes worked pretty good on bears and deer too...I'll have to see who loads these bullets.

Federal is actually one of the better loaders from what I've seen. They make ammo that shoots acceptably well in most guns I've seen it used in. All can make a mistake now and again.
Send them a good pic of the differences between the bullets if you want to continue the conversation with them. There are other fish (ammo makers) in the sea, but if you want to know what you WERE using, I'd invest a bit of time, pull a bullet from the old box, and send in a few pics and all the info you've got. I'd bet the rep. at federal was actually answering a different question than you actually asked if you weren't terribly specific....

 

[Edd]

There has got to be some really smart people at Federal but those aren't always the people that talk on the phone and answer emails.

 

[varmintH8R]

There has got to be some really smart people at Federal but those aren't always the people that talk on the phone and answer emails.

So true! And 99% of the questions they are used to answering are probably from folks just a bit less "informed" than our OP, if you know what I am saying.

Put those two things together hundreds of times a week, and you end up p'ing off your knowledgeable customers when they call with a legitimate issue.

I agree with the earlier poster who said to get a solid ID and continue the dialogue.

 

[busse fan]

Pull a bullet, weigh it and get a file and section it and post pictures.

 

[CanuckShooter]

They don't even look like they are both 100gr. I can't be bothered to push Federal any further, it just aggravates me when they come back with those stupid responses.

By showing this on the internet I can warn others about the CRAP that FEDERAL sells and how they treat you when you do have a problem.

If this is what you get when your looking for 100gr Nosler bullets...just imagine what the powder charges can look like. Clearly I can no longer trust them to provide me with a Premium ammunition and I will be looking for a new supplier for ALL of my firearms.

I've already dropped them for the 338 and now shoot Hornady.

 

[SidecarFlip]

First off, IMO, it's a bit crass (on your part) to label Federal as crap across the board because that is a false assumption based entirely on your ONE experience.

Secondly, they could have been an 8AM monday morning first run and the operator was nursing a Sunday football hangover, in other words, the human factor has to be weighed in.

I'm not condoning Federal's comments but as an employer, Federal will stand behind their employees, just as your employer will stand behind you, thats how it works.

I'm not sure they are Barnes (as Riley assumes). The only way to ascertain that is a pull and section but they appear to me to be Sierra's in the modified Match King flavor....and Sierra offers them in a moly coating.

They certainly bear little resemblence to your original pill.

Having said that, I would have returned them immediately without ever igniting any. Physical comparison dictates the difference. Thats something I've done in the past (returned mis-labelled rounds). Wasn't Federals but another major player.

To actually use them is admitting your acceptance of them, whatever they are......