.223 Resize Analysis

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otisrush

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I came down with a cold and am not feeling very well. What to do? Retreat to the basement and size some cases of course! :D

I have questions on the 2 cases pictured below. They're completely different situations but I'm curious and would like people's opinions.

The setup: RCBS Rock Chucker single stage; RCBS .223 FL Die Set; RCBS case lube and lube pad; I lube inside the neck using RCBS brush every 3 cases or so.

The Case On The Left
When this case went in the die I felt resistance when the case was roughly 50% into the die. I've never felt this before. Normally I feel some resistance early (presumably when expander goes into the neck) and at the end when the base of the shell goes into the die and the press cams over. On this I felt the normal resistance early, then another piece of resistance, then the final piece of resistance at the end.

When I pulled out the case I saw the crescent shaped mark - which is in the brass. I can feel it with my fingernail. The marks above it (scoring?) feel completely smooth.

I don't know if the case was this way prior to going into the die. This could be range-scrounged brass - I'm not sure because I tend to mix scrounge with stuff I've shot that day. BTW, I probably had 4 shells out of a few hundred tonight that felt this way. This is the only one that came out looking like this. Lastly, I gave the sizing die a really good cleaning after the sizing session. The first shell this odd resistance sequence happened (not the one pictured) I actually thought I crinkled the case. When I pulled the case out of the die I figured it would have been a wreck, but it was fine. BTW, I'm pretty sure it was NOT over-lubed. As the night went on I could feel the lube lightening up on the pad. I had previous cases with more lube than this one and they were fine.

The Case On The Right
I know that dent was in the shoulder before it was sized. And the sizing die did nothing to change it. Is it shootable (assuming it passes the plunk test)? I presume so but wanted to check.

Any info folks might have I'd appreciate. BTW, I've only been loading about 6 months. So I don't want to represent this as something that has happened for the first time in thousands of rounds. I've loaded roughly 800 rounds of .223 and shot probably 400. But this is the first time I've had the situation I describe above.

Thanks!

OR

20150402_211910_resized.jpg
 
The one on the left looks like it got dinged when it was ejected. Weaker there but not a stress area.

The one with the dent will fireform back to normal. Sizing should have made sure it will chamber & headspace properly.
 
I don't care much for the way either piece of brass looks and wouldn't personally load either one.

Even though the one on the left isn't damaged in a high stress region, it looks as though the defect has broken the skin, so too speak.

I would load the one on the right if after it's tumbled, the color returns. Other wise it appears as if the integrity of the metallurgy has been degraded, it's very splotchy looking, like some leaching has occurred? But I'm extremely critical (OCD) of the brass I load.

GS
 
Thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

Interesting re the metallurgy. I'll keep an eye on it.

OR
 
I am not too concerned about the ding (Unless it is sharper than it looks) or the dent, but as gamestalker posted, pink can mean zinc has been leeched from the cases, which is not good. Not much there, but pink is a red flag and should be checked carefully. If it's brown, don't sweat it.
 
Marginal, but if in doubt, toss 'em out.

The resistance thing is normal. Seems like every few cases the "feel" is a bit different.
 
"sharp" crease --> 'Probably No'
soft edge dent --> 'OK'

Toss the left one; load/shoot the right one
 
My vote is to forget about it. Shoot 'em both. If/when either of those cases finally break, it'll be because the neck will split or the primer pocket is too loose. Just like all your other cases. Even if the crease were to be a true crack all the way through, it's not going to cause a problem... unless you're shooting a new kind of rifle that doesn't have a chamber. If it somehow developed a crack that let gas thru and caused a black mark on the spot, then you can scrap it. No more damage will have been done than firing weak ammo, steel-cased ammo, or a case that cracks the neck upon firing, in that it will let a little gas and soot back into the chamber.

The thing that will momentarily jam your gun is casehead separations due to stretched brass. You can't see that, so unless you get really good at the paperclip method, just use a case gauge and toss long brass (before sizing it). Otherwise just load w/e cases you have and stop worrying.
 
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I have to disagree about the crescent mark on the left case. I get those with my bolt gun too. Something else is going on besides it hitting the ejection port.
 
The case on the left looks like ejection port damage. The one the right is a lube dent. Unless you are short of brass I would toss it.
 
I know for sure the right was not caused by excess lube. I saw the dent prior to resize. When I did so I was curious if sizing would change it in any way......and it didn't.
 
For 2 pieces of 223 brass I would pitch both of them. Especially the one on the right, The question is why bother with them when there is so much better looking brass out there???

If that is all you have to work with I would be more than happy to send you some.:)
 
FYI: I'm not so desperate for brass that I'm looking to use every scrap I have. I'm just trying to learn and build my database of knowledge. For example, I started this thread not knowing anything about possible corrosion signs. Independent of whether that particular case is usable or not I've learned about a new thing.

The case on the left has already been put in the trash. The case on the right is in the tumbler and completed a cleaning cycle. I need to find it among the ground walnuts and the 250 or so companions in there with it.
 
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I'd chunk both of them in the recycle bin. They have served their purpose well as educational tools. ymmv
 
I thought I'd tie a bow around this.

Below is the case that was possibly corroded after polishing. Pitching (which I've done) appears to have been a wise recommendation.

Thanks all for the info!

OR

20150403_184352_resized.jpg
 
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