1. Q: What is the difference between a Tactical Load and a Commercial (Regular) Load?
A: The Tactical Load has a higher powder charge than the Commercial Load, which results in better performance.
2.
Q: Can my gun shoot Tactical (Combat) Loaded ammunition?
A: There are many different gun configurations on the market but these are the
recommended for firing SSA Tactical Load ammunition:
Minimum
configuration: Spec II Chamber, 1x10
twist, 6-groove barrel.
Best
configuration: Spec II Chamber, 1x11
twist, 4-groove barrel (or slower twist rate)
Tip: Check your fired brass to look for pressure signs.
3. Q: Who makes your brass cases?
A: All brass cases sold by SSA with the SSA head stamp on them are manufactured in our own factory. "We make our own brass".
4.
Q: What is the difference between .308 and 7.62 ammunition?
A: The main difference between the .308 and 7.62 ammunition is the
extractor groove. Because the 7.62 is used in machine guns it has a larger
extractor groove. The .308 has a smaller extractor groove. In most cases, the two are interchangeable among
weapons, but there are some weapons where the .308 cartridge may not extract
from a 7.62 weapon properly.
5.
Q: What is the difference between the .223 and 5.56 ammunition?
A:
The base of the brass case of 5.56 ammunition is heavier than the .223,
which allows the 5.56 to be loaded hotter.
The heavier base of the 5.56 is
able to handle the increased pressure of a hot load. There is also a chamber
difference between the .223 and 5.56. Generally, there is no problem
shooting .223 ammo in a 5.56 chambered gun, but it is not
recommended to shoot 5.56 ammo in a .223 chambered gun.
6.
Q: What is the difference between 6mm PPC Benchrest and 6mm PPC Non-Benchrest?
A: The difference is the base diameter. The Benchrest diameter is .438 and
the Non Benchrest diameter is .441. The Benchrest will work in a gun
chambered for Non-Benchrest, but Non-Benchrest will not work in a Benchrest
chambered gun.
7.
Q: I have ammo that did not fire and the primer looks like it had a good hit
from the firing pin. What happened?
A: We get an email from time to time saying that our
ammo is not going bang. The reason is that SSA only uses top-grade
Military Spec Primers in all of our cartridges since the 6.8SPC was
designed as a Military round. The military primer has a thicker and harder base
than a commercial primer. The harder base is required for military weapons
to avoid what is called “tapping”.
M16’s and AR's have free-floating firing pins in semi or full
auto. If you stop shooting, the firing
pin will jump forward and tap the primer. With a commercial primer (thinner and
softer base) it can send the weapon into full auto mode (even a semi auto
weapon) with your finger off the trigger until the magazine is empty. Even though the primer may appear to have a
good hit, it probably was not. With a weak hammer spring, the initial
hit was cushioned by the stronger base primer.
Solution: Try to re-chamber the round to see if it will fire
on a second strike. It is highly unlikely that you have a bad Military Spec primer. One misfire in a million rounds is one too
many and could cause an entire lot to be rejected by the
military. To date, SSA has had zero
rejections.
Weapons like TC'S have a weak hammer spring to start with and
can and will have difficulty setting off a Military primer. We have one AR
lower (and we have many) that has difficulty firing a Mil-Spec primer
because of a weak spring. Gun owners that have had this problem have
changed out their springs for a heavier one and had no further misfires. We
supply most of the major gun companies with 6.8SPC ammunition and again, no
reported failures.
For 6.8PSC, SSA is the leading industry producer. In
Military testing, our 6.8SPC rounds out-performed the competition in accuracy,
velocity and reliability thru all phases of testing.
If your weapon is misfiring, try changing the hammer spring and it
should solve your problem.
8. Q: What is your return
policy on ammunition?
A: Once ammunition has left our factory, we
cannot accept any returns on ammunition.
As a matter of fact, shipment of ammunition by a private individual is
prohibited by law unless the item has been recalled.
9. Q: I purchased Xtreme ammunition from SSA a
couple of years ago. What about returns
for this ammunition?
A:
Since it was determined that the projectile (which was not made by SSA)
was defective on these rounds, returns are permitted. SSA will take back any
unused Xtreme ammo that is in good condition. SSA will grant the sender .65
per round credit towards the purchase of newer ammo.
10. Q: I want to order SSA ammunition but I do not
like using my credit card over the internet.
Should I phone in an order or is there a better way to place an order?
A: The best way to place an order is through our
website e-commerce system. This way, you
can be assured of receiving the best price and fastest service. If you don’t want to use your credit card on
the internet, then just select the “In Store” Payment Option during
checkout. With the “In Store” option,
your order is routed directly to our Order Desk and an SSA representative will
contact you via phone to finalize payment info.