I recently acquired some previously used Norma 6.5x55 brass as part of a package deal. It was supposedly once fired but had changed hands at least a couple times so the history was unclear. It looked okay so I prepared some mild loads and headed to the range. After a dozen or so shots, I ejected a case that had no neck -- the neck had completely separated from the case at the shoulder. When the rifle cooled a little, the neck dropped out of the chamber and there was apparently no harm done. The fracture line was smooth; it looked like the case had been scored where the neck met the shoulder. Checking the other fired brass with pliers (crushing the neck), two of the fired cases separated where the neck met the shoulder. Obviously, I will not be using any more of this brass.
Has anyone else experienced this type of case failure? I've been reloading for decades, on a small scale, but have never had anything like this happen.
