I realise I've gotten a little lax about my reloading .

Looked over some 22-250 cases I'm in the process of loading and realise I wasted a bunch of time cleaning/annealing/sizing/in-out chamfer/priming from what I see in this video .

Where do you guys draw the line ?
Slightest ring sign on the brass ?

Sure looks like a pain having to beat a case out of the chamber .

For checking potential case head separation, I'm more interested in the inside of the case, than in guessing about rings on the outside. Just look in the case with a bright flashlight, you'll be able to see the shadow of a ring if the case has started to go. Some guys recommend a paperclip, but just looking at it is faster and more reliable.

With brass I've been loading though, case head separation is never an issue, because I don't set shoulders back more than needed. Bumping shoulders back too much (because most guys set their sizing die to cam on the shell holder) is the primary cause of case head separations. Stop doing that and the problem goes away, unless you're using a weak stretchy action like some lever guns at high pressure.

I used a paperclip - even sharpened it to have a finer point .
I lost track of how many loadings I had on the brass , I bumped the shoulder on some once fired brass that was shot in another 22-250 . Took my time and only moved it enough to chamber smoothly , gallon baggy full of once fired Winchester brass from a Praire Dog shooting trip 10 years ago .

Like I said I have gotten a little lax with my reloading - trying to change that .

RCBS Casemaster does the paper clip one better, makes it easy to see (not feel) the beginnings of head separation.

But as Yondering said, if you just bump the shoulder back the minimum needed to chamber the brass lasts a very long time.

Higher pressures and a flattened primer "as a result of the weakened case??"

How are those connected?

I use the paper clip also. My belted cases, I shooter three times, then in the scrap brass bin. I’ve had 7 mags completely separate before. I have multiples of several rifles. I full length size all mine.

Have some Winchester 300 win mag cases that have been reloaded 12 times. Alternate neck sizing with minimum full length resize and annealing every 4th reload. Don't know if I want to reload them again, don't feel anything with the paper clip and no ring on the outside.

It's not the fact that you full length size, it how you do it, & it really doen't matter that it's a magnum.

Just as with a standard non-belted cartridge, a belted cartridge also elongates so that the shoulder of the brass fills the chamber to the shoulder as well.

Go back up this thread & read Yondering's post.................you are simply pushing the shoulder back too far when sizing & allowing the case to elongate to the amount you sized it down to so that it once again fills the chamber when you fire it.

And every time you resize it, & fire it, the same amount of elongation happens again, in the same are of the case....................until it comes apart.

MM