RevDisk
Member
My brother was happily plinking away with some ammo he had picked up from somewhere. Assorted 30.06 brass for his Columbian Mauser. He had a bunch of ammo that looked "sorta old" (his words). He fired a good number of rounds until one ruptured.
I checked the headstamp. RA 43. Remington Arms Inc, made in 1943. Once I informed my brother about the headstamps, he was happy that he actually had WW2 vintage ammo and he will in the future check all headstamps. No more firing 60+ year old ammo for him. (He's a history buff, if one can't tell.)
Aside from the obvious crack at the bottom of the case, there is no other damage to the brass or the rifle. No cracks at the neck, no bulging, etc.
Higher resolution photo here.
What was the likely cause of the rupture? The metal fatiguing with age, substandard metal during time of war, QA problem? None of the other WW2 vintage rounds had any problems. No cracks or bulges with them. Even when the case ruptured, it didn't even phase the Mauser.
I checked the headstamp. RA 43. Remington Arms Inc, made in 1943. Once I informed my brother about the headstamps, he was happy that he actually had WW2 vintage ammo and he will in the future check all headstamps. No more firing 60+ year old ammo for him. (He's a history buff, if one can't tell.)
Aside from the obvious crack at the bottom of the case, there is no other damage to the brass or the rifle. No cracks at the neck, no bulging, etc.
Higher resolution photo here.
What was the likely cause of the rupture? The metal fatiguing with age, substandard metal during time of war, QA problem? None of the other WW2 vintage rounds had any problems. No cracks or bulges with them. Even when the case ruptured, it didn't even phase the Mauser.
