Dented brass

[eastwood44mag]

I bought several hundred rounds of virgin bulk brass, and have some that show dents through the neck/shoulder (i.e. you can see the dent on the inside of the case). My reloading mentor said they will split on firing, and just to scrap them. I've had cases with minor dents that fired fine, but I really don't want to ruin a $500 rifle because of a 50 cent piece of brass. What if I just load light to fire-form the case? Anyone know if this is/isn't safe to do?

Thanks.

 

[elkhuntingfool]

Any brass that is dented - whether it's minor or not - is scraped. Why take the chance on anything bad happening to you or the $500 weapon?

 

[TexasSkyhawk]

My reloading mentor said they will split on firing, and just to scrap them.

.

I think you need to find a new reloading mentor.

People load with dents all the time. A common cause of dents is too much lube or lube getting on the shoulder during decapping/resizing. Dent pops right out when fired.

I have no idea how many necked cases I've fired the dents out of over the past several decades--and not one has split on me where the dent was.

Jeff

 

[04JRB]

somewhere on this site I remember seeing a thread that showed some big time dents in a cartrige that after firing, the case was unbelievably reformed. If I have some small dents that happened from a little to much lube or some cases I pick up at the range that have been dented from ejecting from a semi auto, I size them and load them. I fortunately have never come across anything as bad as the pics I saw here.

 

[Quigley_Sharps]

I will take all your dented ones and load and shoot the hell out of them.
I have reloaded brass that was so flat in the neck and shoulder I had to use pliers to open it up for the sizer to get in, went bang and fire formed out just like new.
Your mileage may vary.

 

[ants]

Like several of the guys above, I've fire formed a thousand dented brass cases. My gosh, maybe more than a few thousand. I've been loading metallic cartridges since the early 70's.

But if the dent is deep, first I take note of how they run through the sizing die, and run them through the action to make sure they chamber. If everything runs good, I prime and load.

eastwood44mag, I usually use them for practice or plinking with my regular favorite loads. On rare occasion, I have used very light reduced loads I find in published data just to fire form the brass. But it seems like such a waste of bullet, primer and powder just to fire form, so I make a plinking load and have fun shooting it at tin cans rolling down a hill.

Don't waste brass. In another twenty years when brass costs a fortune and is hard to find anywhere, we'll kick ourselves for wasting brass. Just like we kick ourselves today for not stocking up on bullets and primers in 2006.

 

[Sunray]

"...My reloading mentor said they will split..." Yep, he's daft. Dents on shoulders is too much lube. A case mouth you can't get the expander into is easily fixed with needle nosed pliers. No big deal.
Virgin brass with dents is nothing more than the cases bashing together during shipping. No big deal either.
However, get one cracked/split case mouth after multiple loadings, pitch that case and anneal the rest of your cases. Case necks and shoulders get work hardened through repeated loading and firing. Still no big deal. Put the cases into a pan of water up to just below the shoulder, heat with a regular propane torch until the brass changes colour and tip 'em over. There's no need for the brass to be heated red hot.

 

[MMCSRET]

You said it was virgin, unfired if I remember correctly. Midway ships bulk brass with a notice that some new brass may have small dents and such. That is caused by loose bulk packaging and normal bulk freight handling. Size it and load.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Resize them...Load them...Fire them...And the dents will be gone. If they are creased, like some one stepped on them, then I would worry. Other then that...Not a problem...

 

[Zeede]

What about brass that looks like when it was ejected it landed on the pointy part of a rock? It didn't go all the way through the side of the case, but it would be like smashing a small pointy object into the side of the case.

Cameron

 

[The Bushmaster]

Not that common. I would resize it and load it again not having seen it...But when ever you are in doubt. Toss it. Brass is very cheap even in these times...

 

[rcmodel]

Dents from about half-way from the mouth back to the middle of the case are not a concern, and will iron out when fired.

The important part, critical in fact, is the thicker web taper from the mid-point back to the head.

Large dents or scratches in that back half of the case could allow gas to find an escape route back to the bolt face.
And that would lead to a catastrophic failure of the action.

Dents & scratches in the front half = Load'm & Shoot'm.

Dents & scratches in the back half = Toss'm!

rcmodel

 

[Walkalong]

If it is a sharp crease or sharp, deep dent, recycle it. Otherwise load it and shoot it. Minor dents etc. will not hurt a thing.

 

[eastwood44mag]

Will try to get my digital camera working, and post pics so you can evaluate on a case-by-case basis (no pun intended).