Sig P232 brass

[bob.whills]

Relatively new to firearms here. I own a p232 '06 model with probably less than 1000 rounds fired. Last time I went to the range the RO notice that the spent brass was pretty burned on one side. He suggested that I not fire it. When I asked the guy I bought it from (family member) about it. He said that this was how his brass has always looked from this piece. He also mentioned that he had it previously checked out by a gunsmith.

I figure I have 3 options: keep shooting it, send it back to sig or trade it in on something else.

I would like to hear what some of you have to say about this, thank you.

 

[rcmodel]

Range Officer said that huh??
He must be new at his job.


It is perfectly normal for brass to have powder burns on the outside of the case partway back. It happens to the best of them.

Some brands of ammo do it worse then others.

It is due to the fact the case has to expand to release it's grip on the bullet at the moment of firing and seal the chamber.

Once the bullet comes clear of the case mouth, but before pressure can expand and seal the case fully, powder gas / soot gets between the case and the chamber wall.

It can be worse with some ammo then others depending on the pressure of the cartridge, and the .380 is a low pressure round.

It also depends on the hardness of the brass case and how easily it expands.

It also depends on the type of powder used. Some is slower burning and takes longer to reach max pressure and fully expand the case.
And some powder is just plain dirty when it burns.

Bottom line is, your SIG is going exactly what it is supposed to do.
Don't worry about it.

If it really really bothers you, try changing ammo brands.
A different brand with cleaner burning powder, or softer brass my not do it much at all.

rc

 

[MattTheHat]

What RC said...

I hand load everything I shoot. I also tend to load a bit light because I usually run copper plated bullets that typically want lower pressures. All my light loads do the same as what you're seeing. I have at least a half dozen .380 ACP pistols, they all do it. So do my .45 ACP pistols, my 9mm pistols, my .32 ACP pistols, and my 10mm pistol.

When I load full metal jacket bullets I run a bit more powder. Just a few tens of a grain of powder hotter, and the cases expand enough more or enough quicker (not sure which) that those one sided burn marks just disappear.

As RC said, try using a slightly hotter ammo brand and see if the marks don't either partially of fully go away. I find that Euro ammo brands are typically loaded a bit hotter. Sel & Bel and Fiochi come to mind.

Or just don't worry about it.


-Matt

 

[bob.whills]

Hey thank you for both of the responses. This a relief to me and it looks like I have something to shoot this weekend.