Israeli TZ80 problems?

[Grinder]

Has anyone personally had any problems with this ammo? I bought a few cans of it years ago because it is reloadable. I did hear of a few cases of corrosion of the brass and some of mine which I unsealed had very light tarnishing. I keep reading suggestions of problems here. Any specifics?

[Batman]

Grinder, Some have posted that the '80 year was dumped because of bad brass. some experience that the case neck will split or there will be a blow out. I have shot three cans of the stuff and have not had a problem. I, unfortunately, didn't do my home work and got taken fairly bad on the price. You should be OK.

[Billybob]

I am one of the ones who had bad luck with TZ80. I bought a thousand of rounds of loose packed TZ headstamps of 79 thru 83. I had numerous case splits, vertical just ahead of the web, and had one split from the web down thru the primer pocket and blew the bottom out of the mag on my M1A. Every single one of the cases that split were TZ80. All the other years seem okay so far. I shit canned all the TZ80 cases but will most likely reload the others. I have had about a 10% fail to fire rate with all this ammo, but I attribute that to being loose packed and bad storage and handling practices by the Israelis.
Billybob

[stargazer]

I try not to act to hastily from one bad post of a certain item, but I have seen way too many 'TZ80" posts, and most were negative. I went through my 254 "TZ's" that I had left of my Southern Ammo can of "pinged".308 and removed ALL "TZ80's". Only found (7) of them. They have been shitcanned. :D

[Grinder]

Thanks Guys,
Mine is in original boxes/ sealed cans with lot # 8-80. I have shot some of it in various rifles and it was fine ballistics wise with no brass problems either. See Radway green post if interested. I will continue to use it, but will closely monitor for any problems.

[xcpd69]

Years ago, I bought 1,000 rounds of TZ80 223, that the cases were tarnished, and had been shined up by tumbling(?)The ammo was loose, and I repacked it on strippers and put it away.

A couple of years later, I broke into the stored ammo, and tried some. Out of first five rounds, two mis-fires(duds) and two with weak reports.(I checked the bore after each weak one.) I ceased and started pulling bullets on the mis-fires. NEITHER had any powder in them.

I later found out that this ammo was scrap that was discarded by the manufacturer. Supposedly, it came from initial runs, when they were setting up and adjusting equipment.
It was sold as scrap, for salvage, and someone with no scruples, resold it as shootable ammo.

I've shot no more of it, and may salvage the bullets someday, or sell it for scrap, if someone were interested.

[garand1944]

I am personally skeptical of the TZ80 horror stories. They are all the same. Reminds me of some UFO abduction stories.

All seem to state that the ammo was purchased loose. DONT EVER BUY LOOSE AMMO. TZ80 from a sealed can is the best surplus I have ever used. M1A loves it. 91 loves it. MAS loves it. AR10 loves it. Anyone with sealed cans of it who is now scared to shoot it may sell it to me. Dirtcheap of course as it is of dubious condition.

The loose TZ was probably opened by an IDF grunt in the Sinai desert 2 decades ago. It then rode around in a jeep for a few years on the West Bank. It took a slow boat to the US via Lebanon and Algeria. Then it sat on a dock in Manhattan for a while. Billy Bob's ammo emporium stored it in milkcrates in the garage just before it was sold cheap at a gunshow. Meanwhile, just up the aisle at the show, a reputable businessman had the same ammo sealed in cans for a few cents a round more. nobody wanted that because they found it cheaper loose. It's the same ammo right?

Wrong? DONT BUY LOOSE SURPLUS AMMO. Buy it in the sealed in the correct containers with the correct MATCHING markings. Don't forget that Billy Bob was kind enough to put a few reloads in with your purchase. he just forgot to tell you.

[Uncle Buck]

I had problems with two different lots of Israeli ammo: 1 lot was new in the box TZ80 ammo and about 1 in 100 fired had a minor split in the web, leaking gas back into the action. Not a big deal, but with all the good ammo out there for cheap, why bother?
The other lot was the mixed headstamp, loose pack ammo that sounds suspiciously like the stuff that Southern Ammo is selling. In this lot, about 1 in 50 of both TZ and Kn Israeli headstamps cases blew and the years varied from the 70s to early 80s. One Kn blew clear across the case head through the primer pocked and blew out the mag contents and I ended up loosing the floor plate. After that one I dumped the rest of the lot. Who needs this kind of excitement? The ammo behaved the same in several different FALs and M1As all of which have correct headspce. The cases blow at LOWER than normal pressures as the primer didn't even flatten out, indicating that the cases are defective.

[Jeremy]

My TZ 80 was lot 12-80 fresh in the can. Had one major failure thru the web (blown mag) and several with case plits. Buddy wanted my brass to reload, but I pointed out to him that there ARE defects in the brass.

I picked up several of my cases and if you look hard down into them you can see what looks like a "pit" or a pinprick type hole. (no it's not the flashhole) they are normaly near the flash hole. I'd say 1 out of 5 had this defect with out looking very hard.

I will say that out of 1000rnds I only had the one BAD one but I did have maybe 20? or more case splits ( I didn't bother to look at every empty casing) but I saw at least 20 without having to hunt for them.

No more TZ 80 for me.

[stimpsonjcat]

I stopped buying this stuff because ejection was erratic even in the same batches after sorting.

I hate that...

[Batman]

Well, after shooting today I shot off another 200 TZs or so and I finally had a problem similar to what was reported. It all came from one box! So, now I would recommend you buy something different.

[EOE]

Well it's not a UFO story.
I've had at least six split cases with TZ-80.
Two of which were severe enough to blow out the bottom of the mag and dump the contents on the ground. However I have noticed that there is a distinction to the ammo that split. In every instance where the case split its exterior color and texture was different from the rest of the lot. Watch for a dull yellow color with what looks like a sandblasted texture.

[Eclipse]

Sounds like if your going to actually shoot this stuff - stick with a bolt action.