Is this brass bad?

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travisd

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I was reloading some .45s the other day and after sizing and expanding my brass I noticed at least half of them were cracking towards the mouth of the case within the top third.

The cracks range from really obvious to having to scratch it with a pin on the inside other wise you couldn't tell it was a crack. I'm guessing any kind of a crack and the brass is no good?

All my brass started out as once fired with 100 new Win. cases. I have reloaded most of it twice and a few 3 times. Loaded 100 up fairly hot with XTPs otherwise they have all been mid range lead bullets. Fired out of a 1911 and a Springfield XDs.

Any idea why it is all cracking like this? I would think the brass should last longer than this. I did at least 200 cases, only inspected about half them so far and loaded the good ones. It would suck to lose over half my brass, but I still have several 100 loaded so I should still have a few to work with.
 

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All used brass is bad until proven guilty.
When in doubt, through it out.
 
I don't load 45 acp, but considering it is a low pressure cartridge, I would think you should be able to get better than 3 cycles on it? I don't track how many loads I get from my full power loads on .40 and 9mm brass, but I'm fairly certain I'm getting better than 3x.

You may be over belling them? That would certainly shorten the life span. Flare, or bell no more than what is necessary to allow the bullets to seat straight, and without shaving. Any more than that, and It'll shorten the life span dramatically.

GS
 
It might be the pictures or my old eyes but I really don't see any cracks in that brass. With 45 Auto brass I usually lose them way before I have to chuck them. 3 or 4 loads are nothing on 45 Auto brass. It is possible you are using an excessive flare causing the mouth to weaken prematurely?
 
I also do not see any cracks in the pictures, but, it could be the system.

Cracks in the case mouth are probably from over belling the mouth on reloading as already said. Set your expander plug so that the bullet just clears the inside edge of the case mouth. Even better, chamfer the inside of the case mouth a little to help guide the bullet into the case.

45 ACP cases get pretty rough treatment as they cycle through the gun and small dings and scratches are not an unusual result.

Most of my 45 ACP cases have been reloaded many, many times but scrapping brass due to cracks is still a non-issue.
 
I see gouges or ejection marks that go around the brass. If they are not through the brass then I would reload them with low pressure loads. A split case would most often be a vertical crack that will not allow you to seat a bullet with enough tension to hold it in place as well as let hot gasses out. If they are indeed split through (see light through the crack with a flashlight or you can see mark on inside as well) then the casings are done. If it is just gouging the cause should be identified and resolved if you want longer case life. I also loose mine before the primer pockets loosen or necks crack. I never have had a 45 ACP with a neck split that I remember in 30+ years reloading. The 45 Colt on the other hand will split and if excess belling the life will be much shorter. Just do not confuse this type of failure with case head separation that will happen around the lower portion of a bottle necked case between the web and case body.
 
If that is a crack, as in all the way through the case, it is an unusual one. If it is just a mark that is skin deep, load it up.
 
Ok i was planning on throwing them all away anyways. I don't remember exactly what i flare them go but its .470 something, just to let it seat without shaving lead. Like I said the cracks can be hard to see but I can feel them on the inside with a needle or something similar. Pretty dissapointing as from what I hear .45 brass should last much longer
 
travisd said:
The cracks range from really obvious to having to scratch it with a pin on the inside other wise you couldn't tell it was a crack.

Any idea why it is all cracking like this?
Click to expand...
I don't know what is causing it, but, since you have the cases in hand, I'll take your word they they are actually cracks and not dings. That being the case, I would definitely chunk'em. Like OJ's lawyer said, "Any doubt, throw'em out." (Or something cool like that.)

ETA: Oops. You posted while I was answering the phone. I'm glad that you took my advice even before I offered it. ;)
 
All the brass I have started out as:
100 new Win cases
100 WWB once fired
Another 300+ once fired Win, Fed, PMC, and Rem with a few other brands in there that I got from the guy who takes care of the range I go to.
All has since been reloaded 2-3 times, so hasn't been used much. I just flared and measured a case, and it measured at .473. I don't think that's overly excessive?
 
travisd said:
All the brass I have started out as:
100 new Win cases
100 WWB once fired
Another 300+ once fired Win, Fed, PMC, and Rem with a few other brands in there that I got from the guy who takes care of the range I go to.
All has since been reloaded 2-3 times, so hasn't been used much. I just flared and measured a case, and it measured at .473. I don't think that's overly excessive?
Click to expand...
Is there any way of knowing if the cases that are splitting are those you got from the range? How can you be sure those range pickups were only once fired? It's possible there were many firings on some of them, although unlikely.
 
I dont. Just took his word that they were once fired, which he would have no way of knowing either. It didnt look reloaded when I got it but have no proof. Other than the odd head stamps other than win I have no way to tell which was mine. I do find it odd that a whole bag of brass would be bad like that though, and that this kind of crack doesn't seem real common.
 
travisd said:
I dont. Just took his word that they were once fired, which he would have no way of knowing either. It didnt look reloaded when I got it but have no proof. Other than the odd head stamps other than win I have no way to tell which was mine. I do find it odd that a whole bag of brass would be bad like that though, and that this kind of crack doesn't seem real common.
Click to expand...
That is why my question was asked if all the brass that was cracked was of the same headstamp?
Is all the cracked brass of one brand or does it vary?
 
Pistol brass usually splits vertically near the neck. Those horizontal blemishes do not fit with worn out brass. If they are all near the neck, in the same place, could they have been made during ejection?
 
This is what a crack looks like...........

IMG_0198_zpsb0a6fce3.jpg
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Yes I've had your normal split necks, but I've never seen any like this. Some of the cases have a small ding near the neck, which I believe is the ammo I shot in my XDs, but most of the cracks are in different places other than where the dent was. They are anywhere from about a 1/16 to a 1/4 inch down from the neck, all horizontal. I have no idea which gun the bad brass was fired in. Might be something to keep track from now on in case one gun is harder on the brass for some reason?
 
I see what do appear to be cracks longitudinally about where the bottom of the flare would be. Might be a case of too much flare causing the necks to be severely overworked, resulting in cracks. But like everyone else here, I've never seen anything like these cracks.

I load a lot of .45 and while I don't count the reloads I'll bet I load most of it 20 times or more and lose the brass before I wear it out. I was checking some brass last weekend and some cases have been reloaded so many times the headstamps are nearly gone, but it still reloads just fine.
 
By your pics I really do not see a problem. Those tiny nicks are OK. Any tear, hole, rip, spit, piece missing throw it in the trash.
 
I would suggest grabbing a few samples with needle nose pliers at the potential crack and try tearing it open. If it proves pretty tough I'd load the rest. I typically am able to use .45 acp until I have extractor marks all over the rim and can barely read the head stamp.
 
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