Wichaka
Member
Anyone see something like this before?
223 Case separation?
- Thread starter Wichaka
- Start date
- Status
243winxb
Member
Yes. Shoulder was pushed back to far when FL sizing on a Dillon. Case separations are not alway near the case head.
If not a sizing problem, the firearms chamber would have excessive headspace.
If not a sizing problem, the firearms chamber would have excessive headspace.
OP
OP
Wichaka
Member
Have seen headspace issues, just not clean cut like this.
Cemetery21
Member
Yes, I have had several of those. As 243winxb says, the brass that separated had the shoulders pushed back too far, leading to stretch rings that eventually separated leaving the forward end of the brass in the chamber. On an autoloader, the next round wedges into the forward end of the separated brass. After I bought a Hornady headspace gage kit and started using it, my problem was solved. I had to go through 4000 rounds of my prepped brass with a straightened out paper clip to cull the ones with internal stretch marks after I discovered the problem.
My separations were a little further back and occurred in 3 different prairie dog ARs (heavy bench 24"-26" bull barrel rifles). I don't think I've ever separated a case in a carbine, but I don't shoot a lot in carbines.
My separations were a little further back and occurred in 3 different prairie dog ARs (heavy bench 24"-26" bull barrel rifles). I don't think I've ever separated a case in a carbine, but I don't shoot a lot in carbines.
Last edited:
lightman
Member
Its pretty common to see this on Military ranges or places where full auto firearms are shot. I added a few that I have found to my cartridge collection. I've got a few that did not completely separate, only half separated, that came out of the chamber bent.
jmorris
Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2005
- Messages
- 24,211
I am not real sure what I am looking at. If they are fired rounds, why are there still bullets in them?
If they looked like that after firing or after resizing for that matter, I wouldn't be loading them.
To me it looks like someone was firing cases that separated then chambered another “good” round and it turned into a stuck case remover pulling half the previous round out with the subsequent one. Where the “lege” is is one round, the rest is another.
In other words you have two cases there, not one.
How about a photo side by side with an unfired round and another of what the primers looks like?
If they looked like that after firing or after resizing for that matter, I wouldn't be loading them.
To me it looks like someone was firing cases that separated then chambered another “good” round and it turned into a stuck case remover pulling half the previous round out with the subsequent one. Where the “lege” is is one round, the rest is another.
In other words you have two cases there, not one.
How about a photo side by side with an unfired round and another of what the primers looks like?
carbine85
Member
I'm not sure what I'm looking at either. Almost looks like they went through the wrong chamber or resizing die.
Cases get stretched in gas guns, and they pull apart. Here, this brass was deteriorated by old gunpowder outgassing nitrogen dioxide, which converts into nitric acid gas in the presence of water molecules. Humidity is water, if you don't know, there is lots of water in the air. So when this 30-06 brass was fired in my Garand, the case necks broke off and the next round jammed the action open.
243winxb
Member
Correct. On firing, the front half is left in the chamber. The next round loaded, goes into it and is then extracted by the fresh unfired round.
Necks can also be left in the chamber. Had both happen. M16 left half the case with .014" shoulder set back.
Necks left in both M16 and Savage Axis 223.
- Status
