Split 45 Colt cases

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C

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I have some relatively new 45 Colt cases that have split. Loaded 3 times. 8.0gr of Unqiue behined a 255gr lead SWC. Fired from a 16" Rossi 92.

These 2 examples are Winchester cases, I have had one or two Remington's do the same thing. Are these cases only good for a few loads?

Any ideas? Pressure should not be an issue with the load above - including a pic of the primers too.

Thanks!
 

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The .45 Colt case seems to split sooner than some of the other calibers. I believe it's a result of a couple of things. One is the size of some .45 Colt chambers, which tend to be on the large side, and the second is most .45 Colt sizing dies, which size the brass down too much and over work the brass.

I finally stumbled on a sizing die that just barely works the brass, yet gives me good neck tension, and that's solved a lot of my case splitting issues. Most sizing dies leave a ridge just above the web of the case when full length sizing, but the die I'm using doesn't.

You might try sizing the case about half the length and see if that helps. As long as they'll chamber, you'll be good to go. You'll be essentially neck sizing, but I'd suggest sizing to just below the base of the bullet you're using to ensure a good grip on the bullet.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
That is what typical, worn out and hardened brass looks like when it splits, but its very unusual for new brass after just 3 loads. I'm still going to say the issue is with the brass, and nothing you are doing wrong.
 
Splitting after only a few reloads is not normal for .45 Colt brass. I think you may have an issue with faulty brass, size dies or possibly chamber. It it is just faulty brass the problem will go away when the brass is all gone.

Lafitte
 
I’ve had similar problems with Winchester brass in 44 Mag, with W231. At times it doesn’t seem to matter how new the brass is. Not sure what is going on.

I do suspect the carbide dies contribute to the problem since they size the entire case to the same diameter. They are a necessary compromise to achieve good bullet tension, sizing the entire case down to the small diameter needed to secure the bullet. I’m left wondering if the excessively sized case combined with somewhat loose chambers and perhaps harder than normal brass is what causes some of these case splits.

I’ve considered getting a non-carbide sizer (with a little taper) or a Redding dual ring set to see if it reduces the frequency of splits. But the interesting part is I’ve only seen it with 44 Mag., Winchester brass, and below max charges of W231. And in at least two different revolvers.
 
Thanks for the replies folks.
This has happened to 4 or 5 cases (these 2, a couple of RPs and another Winchester) out of a batch of around a hundred cases.

I am using RCBS carbide dies to FL size. I will experiment with what Fred suggested.

I will also play with resizing (FL & partial) in my Hornady 454 Casull dies. I also have Lee 460 S&W dies too - may try them as well. I just need to be careful so I don't end up with too many "batches to manage".
 
I have a small batch of range pickup .45 Colt cases I was doing some testing with. A couple of them split after three or four firings, but the rest are still going strong.

It happens, and I believe Fred called it pretty well.
 
Could also be other things, 8.0gns of Unique is near Max dependent on bullet used. Also how does the Rossi 92 chamber support the shell? Loose or tight chamber. May be too much powder with that combination of brass, powder and chamber.

LeftyTSGC
 
You may find that 454 and 460 dies will size it smaller than 45LC dies. The original RCBS 454 dies did in order to create more case tension to keep the bullet from creeping out.
 
They are really expensive but Redding does make a dual ring carbide sizer die with the lower ring being larger for the body and the second upper ring being tighter for neck tension. I don't know how much it would really help though because most splits I've seen start at the case mouth, and it is still getting worked just as much.

In a SAAMI chamber, most of the slop is towards the base, not the case mouth.
 
May just be me but looking at the headstamp picture, that brass looks "beat" and older than dirt.;)
 
The O.P.'S brass looks a lot different than mine especially the face of case head. That texture pattern makes me think that the load is too hot causing the cartridge head to recoil hitting the frame of the gun leaving the impression.

Back off of your load 1/2 or so grain of powder and see what happens.
 
I ditched my RCBS .45 Colt carbide dies years ago and bought a set of RCBS steel dies instead. Much happier with the slight case taper they provide.

Don
 
8.0gr should be fine in a Rossi 92. Could actually go several grains higher since the Rossi is fit for "Ruger" loads.

Do the steel dies actually taper? That is kind of odd since SAAMI dimensions for the .45 Colt don't show a taper. Surprisingly .357 and .44 magnum actually do have a taper.
 
Well that's mainly why I'm curious if the steel die is actually tapered because based on the specs, the round should not be. I am a bit surprised because I had heard that the .45 Colt was allegedly tapered unlike .44 mag and .357, but based on the specs, the opposite appears to be true. All three seem to have tapered chambers though the .45 Colt seems to be much sloppier when comparing a max cartridge to a minimum chamber.
 
I believe RCBS once made a slightly tapered steel .45 Colt sizing die to roughly match the chamber.

I have a carbide sizing die that sizes the case just enough to provide good neck tension, but I also have several carbide sizing dies from various manufacturers that severely over size the case. Those other dies leave a pretty good sized ridge at the web area of the case, with is why I no longer use those dies.

All of my .45 Colt firearms, both handguns and Marlin rifles, all have rather large chambers, so I prefer to minimally size my .45 Colt brass and at least get a reasonable life cycle out of it.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
I reload on a Dillon 550B and have been meaning to trade out my RCBS dies for a set of Dillon carbides. I've got those for .44 magnum, and they do not appear to undersize the brass, and they run super smooth.
 
My .45 Colt sizer is also a bit tight. I adjusted it to stop a bit short which helps a little, but a larger diameter sizer is the best answer.

You can see how much it sizes, and where it stops in the pic.

attachment.php
 
May just be me but looking at the headstamp picture, that brass looks "beat" and older than dirt.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what it looks like to me. I think some new brass will go lot further to ending this than different resizing dies.
 
I'm kind of curious if the sizer issue is much todo about nothing. Like I said before, nearly every case split I have seen started at the case mouth, not in the middle of the body. The case mouth seems to get necked down similarly whether you are using a tapered die, dual ring die, or only partially resizing. If you are loading hot, a hard roll crimp is going to take its toll on the case mouth. I am not sure what I gain exactly by fussing over the middle section of the body. Maybe a bit better chamber fit, but the portion of the body near the rim already isn't resized by many dies, so it ought to be somewhat larger and fit the chamber as well as it's going to get for that particular chamber.
 
I have had brand new cartridge brass of commercial manufacture ammunition split the same way as the O.P.'S. I always figured it is because the brass was not heat treated properly.

I am stil puzzled by the appearance of the case head. None of my brass is that rough looking.

I still am I inclined to think the load is too hot for that gun. Oversized chamber could also allow the brass to flow back.against the bolt. Back off of the load a bit (1/2 gr) and see what happens.
 
Thanks for all of the replies.
I have checked the other cases that I shot yesterday - and, like the ones above, all have nicks/dings on the edge of the case head that seem to correspond to the number of times loaded/fired. The pic above (with camera flash) maybe making them look worse than they are.
I will load up a few rounds (new brass) - sized with different dies as I mentioned above and take 'em to the range. Also will drop the charge to 7.5 gr on some of them - then I will inspect the cases.

Thanks again.
 
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