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Joined: Jun 2015
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 976 |
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.
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 10,365
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Nov 2005
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where the neck turned on this brass, I seen guys turn into the shoulder area and created this problem for themselves.
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 995
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 995 |
I have received brass that had been annealed by someone who probably watched a u tube video, was useless 300 BO the entire case was annealed primers just fell out after firing not every one but enough to trash the whole batch, of course it was pre primed I just loaded and went shooting my first BO upper thought it was the upper until I tried factory rounds, Thinking it was the primers fault I deprimed and replaced all, first 20 no problem the next 3 failed, had some 30-06 brass fail also head separated luckily in an encore was not so hard to remove after cooling, sometimes it just works out like this,
if you want change you have to put in your 2 cents, you can't just sit on the sidelines and whine
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,237
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,237 |
I stopped picking up range brass other than to recycle it after getting neck splits on the first loading (so I thought) of some .223 brass.
molɔ̀ːn labé skýla
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,863 Likes: 4
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,863 Likes: 4 |
With 223 and 308 mil type brass if the primer is still crimped in it's nearly a lock it is once fired. My bitch is that if it's on the ground it probably came out of a semi auto brass basher, particularly the 308 stuff. Even so, I get a certain satisfaction out of turning those sow's ears cases that once held 147 grain fmj into well prepped silk purses launching a 168 bthp.
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 195
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 195 |
I spend way too much money on shooting and hunting to mess with used brass unless I absolutely know its history.
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,161 Likes: 13
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,161 Likes: 13 |
It's astonishing how much of the used brass advertised on the Internet is "once fired."
It's equally astonishing that so many people believe it.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
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Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 26
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 26 |
I spend way too much money on shooting and hunting to mess with used brass unless I absolutely know its history. Being new-ish to reloading, I appreciate the knowledge I can glean from these threads. At this point, this is yet another example why I am only comfortable reloading brass that I started with new... as you said, I know the history.
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 3,167
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 3,167 |
I had what sounds like a similar happening with a single case of 5.56/223 brass. It was surplus U.A.E. ammo I bought new around 2002. I shot it myself and had loaded it twice with 23.0 grs of Accurate Data 68 powder, a surplus ball powder similar to Accurate 2015, and Hornady 55 gr FMJ. That one round had the neck separate from the body and stick in the chamber/throat. I had to pull it out with a screw as a brush would not grab.
I had used other cases from the same lot for several loadings before and since without problem before discarding. I did notice that these cases had a large range of weights running the gamut from some of the lightest to nearly the heaviest of the various brands. Unfortunately, I didn't weight that case so can't say where it fell on the continuum. I chalked it up to a flaw in the case and carried on as usual.
Otherwise, I have bought a fair bit of "mystery brass" as some of what I load is no longer in production and is not easily formed from something else. I've been pretty lucky in this as none of it has given me issues.
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Joined: Apr 2011
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Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,770 Likes: 17 |
You never know unless you are buying from someone you know well.
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Joined: May 2014
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2014
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It's astonishing how much of the used brass advertised on the Internet is "once fired."
It's equally astonishing that so many people believe it. [quote=Mule Deer] Gosh. But someone fired it once.
I prefer classic. Semper Fi I used to run with the hare. Now I'm envious of the tortoise and I do my own stunts but rarely intentionally
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 2,921
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 2,921 |
i just had 270ps of 30/30 brass give to me from a buddy that he found in the trash can at his club .check it an none needed to be trimed put back in fac. boxs an dump
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 11,920
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2009
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I guess i have more time than most folks. I get brass from others and just take my time looking and checking it out.
I have had one lot of brass that had problems with separation but it did not take all of them for me to put them in the scrap brass box.
Some brass i get i don't even reload for but they are treated the same just after the ones i use get done.
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,063
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,063 |
where the neck turned on this brass, I seen guys turn into the shoulder area and created this problem for themselves. Nailed it. When I learned how to neck turn that was the biggest warning. When it comes to common cartridges like 22-250, 270, or 30-06 and I see someone with a new factory box at the range, I ask for their brass. For my sweed's, and 388WM, I purchase new brass or purchase factory ammo and reload them. I track all my loads in lots whether or not I load for myself or family that way I can track how many times I reload them (not more that 5x).
Remember, not everyone has a happy ending, so be happy when you can
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 20,905 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 20,905 Likes: 1 |
I have received brass that had been annealed by someone who probably watched a u tube video, was useless 300 BO the entire case was annealed primers just fell out after firing not every one but enough to trash the whole batch, of course it was pre primed I just loaded and went shooting my first BO upper thought it was the upper until I tried factory rounds, Thinking it was the primers fault I deprimed and replaced all, first 20 no problem the next 3 failed, had some 30-06 brass fail also head separated luckily in an encore was not so hard to remove after cooling, sometimes it just works out like this, Wow, that was all one “sentence”.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day that a U.S. president would raise an army to invade his own country." Robert E. Lee
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,667
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,667 |
It's astonishing how much of the used brass advertised on the Internet is "once fired."
It's equally astonishing that so many people believe it. 😀😀😀 Every ad is once fired, then tumbled in pins so it all looks new. Problem is that they decap take the crimp out if it was there so you can’t tell if it’s once fired or been on the ground for 2 years. Wouldn’t touch that stuff with a ten foot pole.
Swifty
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Joined: Apr 2004
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,835 Likes: 4 |
https://brassmanbrass.com/Campfire member and all around good guy... excellent prices and he knows the history of where his brass came from... give him a call and talk to him if you need to... picks up a lot of police range brass from a batch of Depts... along with having contacts at Sierra and Weatherby to include some other majors...buys their fired brass on contract...
"Minus the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the Country" Marion Barry, Mayor of Wash DC
“Owning guns is not a right. If it were a right, it would be in the Constitution.” ~Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
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