I had a similar weird experience probably 10 or 15 years ago.

Went to the gun show. Ammo man was selling 5.56 with SS109 bullets for a reasonable price, in fifty round boxes. Stuff was made in Greece. Open up the box, this stuff looked beautiful. Three-stake primers, green sealant neatly applied, pretty brass and bullets. I wanted to buy a case, but I thought better make sure, so I only bought a fifty round box.

Took it to the range and shot it in my Mini-14 truck gun. Good heavens. Minis are not known for accuracy, but this stuff made buckshot patterns at 25 yards. Some rounds failed to cycle the gun--if you can't cycle a mini-14, something's seriously wrong. Some of the primers fell out. You could feel the difference in recoil from round to round.

After about 25 rounds I quit and put the rest of the box in the trash. Good thing I didn't buy that case!


Moral of the Story: just because ammo looks good, doesn't mean it isn't dookie.