Case dents: How much is too much?

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bloominonion

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Recently I bought 1k .45acp range brass, and a good number of them have dents in the side of the case. My question is, how much of a dent is too much of a dent?

Should the dent be completely removed in the sizer die or is it just a no crease in the brass thing? I looked around and can't find a solid answer anywhere.

Thanks.
 
Dents are of no real concern in .45 ACP brass as long as the mouth isn't creased flat.

Deep mouth dents can be ironed out enough to get them in a sizing die with a tapered punch or something.

Dents in the sidewall will mostly disappear when sized.
Whatever is left will disappear when you shoot it again.

rc
 
Wasn't worried about the case mouth, more the sidewall dents. Is there a limit for sidewall dents?
 
I've reloaded a pile of .45 with a ding in the side. The sizing die doesn't really iron it out, but firing it after loading usually does. For me, as long as the case mouth isn't split, .45's are good to go.
 
Use something to get most of the dent out and return the case mouth to approximately round. I usually use a pair of needle nose pliers to work the dent out.

As rcmodel said, most of the dents will be removed on resizing. Any indication of the dent will be pretty much gone on firing.

Sometimes the case is too dented and the dent not worked out, the case will collapse on resizing and become useless.

If the case mouth is torn along with being dented, the case is no good.

And what ColtPythonElite said on body dents.

You should be able to salvage most of the cases with a little work and TLC.
 
well since I only have a camera phone and it failed at getting a decent enough picture, that may be hard to do. Basically I am concerned if the ones that have gone through the sizing die and still have a dent that looks like it has a sharp dent in it, like from a nail. Well under 1mm in depth.
 
Dents aren't a problem, neither case or mouth. Mouth dents can be straightened out with the belling. Case dents will blow out upon firing. Creases are the thing to worry about, they are weak spots that can split.
 
I have a similar question, but also lack photo ability. In this instance, the case has a dent in a straight line on the bottom of the case. It is not deep. It is only on 200 cases of Remington UMC. The line goes completely from one side to the other. Is that anything to worry about?

45 case.png
 
I have a similar question, but also lack photo ability. In this instance, the case has a dent in a straight line on the bottom of the case. It is not deep. It is only on 200 cases of Remington UMC. The line goes completely from one side to the other. Is that anything to worry about?

View attachment 136076
These dents are on the face of the head? What caliber, what gun and are these reloads or factory? Need more info.
 
I have a similar question, but also lack photo ability. In this instance, the case has a dent in a straight line on the bottom of the case. It is not deep. It is only on 200 cases of Remington UMC. The line goes completely from one side to the other. Is that anything to worry about?

View attachment 136076
That mark on the case head is from machining marks on the breech face of the pistol that fired it. My S&W 1911 had a slight step which left similar marks on the brass.
 
These dents are on the face of the head? What caliber, what gun and are these reloads or factory? Need more info.
Its from shooting a 1911 - 45 acp & like I said it is Remington UMC

It is only on that brand. I have two other brands I regularly shoot that do not get those marks. Should I refrain from reloading these?
 
If a dent looks like a fold (like when you fold a piece of paper) toss the case cuz it'll split when you resize it. If the dent is gradual, it will resize without a problem.
 
Its from shooting a 1911 - 45 acp & like I said it is Remington UMC

It is only on that brand. I have two other brands I regularly shoot that do not get those marks. Should I refrain from reloading these?
As jja327 said, it's most likely from a machining mark on the breech face. The rim may be thicker on the Rem cases. I'd reload them, starting low and keep watching for signs of case failure.
 
"how much of a dent is too much of a dent? .... I looked around and can't find a solid answer anywhere."

Any dent that's deeper than 3.4 thou will blow up, toss it. That's "solid."

Or not. That's honest. ??
 
"how much of a dent is too much of a dent? .... I looked around and can't find a solid answer anywhere."

Any dent that's deeper than 3.4 thou will blow up, toss it. That's "solid."

Or not. That's honest. ??
That's what I was looking for, as well as the idea of the crease.

Is that pre or post sizing?
 
Thanks fellas. The dent does appear to be a machined mark from the breech face and it is very mild and does not look like a paper fold. But I will follow the advice to work them up slowly and safely.
 
cfullgraf said:
Use something to get most of the dent out and return the case mouth to approximately round. I usually use a pair of needle nose pliers to work the dent out.
I do the same thing. I give pretty much any case a second chance at life, if it splits or otherwise fails, it doesn't get a primer and in the recycle bin it goes. No harm done.
 
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