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this is why I will no longer shoot reloads

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BamAlmighty

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at least reloads I did not make myself...

Went shooting today and every thing was going fine until I switch over to reloads... eventually I got a stove pipe and when I went to clear the chamber I found the bottom half of the case jamming things up. The front half was still stuck in the chamber which I was able to remove using a rod and cleaning patch.

Judging by the primer bulging out, I assume this was a over charged round?

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Case head separations like shown are typically the result of overused brass

Case failures due to overpressure are typically on a magnitude more spectacular than pictured.
 
Case head separations like shown are typically the result of overused brass

Case failures due to overpressure are typically on a magnitude more spectacular than pictured.
Click to expand...
Yep. Classic case head separation from. It could be from being fired too many times, or excessive headspace, whether built in to the chamber, or artificially produced from excessive sizing. Or a little of both.
 
Definitely a case head seperation because of overworking the brass...a case loaded too many times. A pending case head separation will always show a bright ring or a fine bulge around the case right before it separates. Any reloader of a 22 Hornet learns to spot these very quickly. Very common to have a case head separation after 2 or 3 reloading with this little cartridge and I own 2 Hornets.
 
If the brass is worked heavily with your FL die, it may show a line around the case and can separate on that line because of the stretching and thinning that occurs.
Inspecting your brass can reduce this occurrence. It's just part of the responsibility to safety associated with reloading.



NCsmitty
 
That is pretty neat and tidy
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It is, isn't it? But that's exactly what a case head separation looks like. I've had about 5; two in .30 Carbine and three in .357 Magnum, and they looked just like that. And other brass from the same batch had a thin bright line where they would have split the same way if used one more time. (I crushed them and threw them in the recycle bucket)
 
And THAT is why I don't buy machine gun fired, once-fired brass. Unless a 7.62x51 case's headstamp says "Match", "NM", or "LR", it is an almost certainty that it was fired in a machine gun.

Don
 
Bam,

That was no big deal. The case has simply been overworked most likely from to many full length resizings and or setting the shoulder back to far in the die. A separation like that one will stay contained in the chamber/barrel.

Don't buy reloads unless you really know the loader. But those typically aren't dangerous.
 
I think that one was reloaded one to many times....

The failure was a nuisance for sure, but did it hurt anything? Or anyone?
 
looks more like generous headspace than hot loads to me.

primers back out because they have room to back out (excessive headspace) and this is a common cause of early case head seperation.

my usual first signs of over pressuring is flowing of the primer cup into the firing pin hole around the pin, like the primer firing pin mark will have a raised area around it, like a little tank dam.

like others have said, very common. if it seems to happen more frequently with one particular rifle, with cases with only 2-3 firings, its most likely a headspace issue, but i wouldnt worry about it unless they are my own reloads and its happening early in the lifespan of the brass. (in which case i'd slip a field gauge in there and see what it does.

(seeing as you dont know how many firings are on the case its tough to tell)

i agree i dont see anything there that looks like signs of over pressure.

EDIT: looking at the pics again i cant tell the primer is backed out. probably old tired full length sized brass
 
krochus said:
Handloads are like underwear

You wanna be careful who you swap with.
Click to expand...
Hehehe, that is sig. line quality right there. animal.gif

As others have said, it appears to be overworked brass leading to fatigue at the section where the web begins to thin. Not likely overcharged...just overused.

:)
 
I've seen this on brand new Remington factory 7.62x39 fired in an SKS, I suspect a headspace problem with the gun, but I don't know the owner, I just witnessed his "jams" and after he was done, picked up a couple of the rejected rounds which had fresh rounds wedged into the part left in the chamber which then extracted with it when he cleared the jam. For every shot that fired there was a broken case head on the ground. He was getting a jam every other shot as it seemed every round fired separated. He switched to steel cased ammo and had no more jams, and then left. He seemed pretty oblivious to what was going on.

If its only one, this piece of brass was used once too often. It happens, that is why I never do anywhere near maximum loads unless I'm reloading verified once fired or virgin brass.

Wouldn't hurt to have the gun's headspace checked, especially if it happens again.
 
I've never had a 223 do that do me YET. When that happens, do you just use a broker case extractor and continue on with life, or can you get that broken case out some other way? (I ask because I don't have an extractor and would hate to lose a week of shooting while I wait on midway to ship.)
 
Case cracks...and separations

When I was shooting silhouette with my .270 Rem 700, I reloaded one batch of cases 5 times. I noticed cracks on 2 of the cases after shooting a round and scrapped all the brass at that point.

I have never had a complete separation like the one posted, and I hope I never do. Brass at full powered loads has a shorter case life. As others have said.

Good luck.
 
Just think when it grows and you have to trim it after sizing...Notice the shiny ring around it not to far from the base and the brass is flowing :what:

One mentioned headspacing...:confused: Many felt the belted would cut down on the problems with it happening...

Buying reloads and shooting them, is not something I do...

One thing today with so many calibers is you can still shoot safe and if wanting more ponies go to the next one up...458 Win mag comes to mind and then changing to 458 Lott...Still can shoot the 458 Win Mag in it if you have no Lott...

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Belt+...t+belted+rifle+cartridges+ever...-a0210604748
 
I've never had a 223 do that do me YET. When that happens, do you just use a broker case extractor and continue on with life, or can you get that broken case out some other way? (I ask because I don't have an extractor and would hate to lose a week of shooting while I wait on midway to ship.)
Click to expand...
A broken shell extractor would be your best bet, though I am sure there are some other methods to do the same thing. If it is very important (sounds like it is) and you use your brass hard (though proper inspection reduces the risk), it would probably be a good idea to pick one up.

:)
 
if you don't have a broken case extractor you can generally get it out with wire bristle brush. from chamber, push brush into the case neck and reverse.
 
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