Case cracking issue

[ArcherAdam]

Hey guys!

Shot some reloads my uncle made for me a bit ago. I noticed that about 75% of the cases has a crack or more in the neck portion. I am just getting into reloading so what causes this? Is this what "too much pressure" is? Could cheap brass do this too?

The backgroung info is:
Ruger M77MKII, 30-06.

The cases were once-fired Remingtons from my old shells. My Uncle wrote on the box the following:
Powder--IMR 4350
Powder weight--57 grains
Bullet--Speer 150 grain MT.
Primer--CCI LR
COL--3.165 (btw, what does this mean?)

Any comments are appreciated.

thanks,
AA

 

[rick smith]

Not a hot load with the info you supplied. How many times have they been loaded? How old is the brass? How much have the necks been sized not just the number of times?
COAL is the length of the loaded round from the base of the case to the tip, not the best way to measure a loaded round. Measure to the bullet ogive not the tip.Rick.

 

[taylorce1]

I'd say throw all your old brass away and go buy new. Salvage the other componets as best you can and start over. I'd say the brass has been reloaded more than once, if the necks are split and it isn't from pressure then the brass has been over worked and has become brittle.

 

[DrMike]

From the information supplied, it would seem to be an issue with the quality of the brass and not a problem with the load. I recently had a lot of brass that had to be returned for a refund. The brass was sufficiently brittle that it wouldn't seal when the rifle fired. This was new brass, and the customer had supplied four bags. I ultimately was able to secure used brass which worked without a hitch. For various reasons, one may have a lot that is not up to specs, and that seems to be what you are describing.

 

[PJGunner]

Methinks it's season cracking. A few years back I loaed up 250 rounds of new Reminton .308 Win. brass with my pet load. About a month later is as getting close to deer season and I had a tag. I took a box and went to the range and instead of the normal 1.25" groups my Ruger M77 RSI usually gave, shots were all over hell and gone, some not even on the paper. I looked at the ofending brass, the ones that were way out of he group and evey one had a cracked neck. :shock: This was, as I said, brand new brass. I looked over the unfired rounds and thee were several more with the necks cracked and these had not been shot. I'd heard about that season cracking and the problem being either a poor annealing job at the factory or a step in the manufacturing missed, that is no final anneal. I finished shooting anther rifle I'd planned to use as back up and when I got home, broke down all the shells that had not cracked, salvaged the powder and primers and set them aside. About 35 of those rounds had cracked neck so the bullets easily pulled out with my fingers and the powder and primers salvaged from that brass as well. I annealed all he ones with "good" necks and that brass has been trouble free ever since. Once that was done and the brass reloaded, the next rip to the range proved that good old RSI was still sighted in. :grin: 8)
Check out the rest of your reloads. If that unshot brass hass cracked necks, break them doen, save the powder and emoved the primers (carefully) and anneal the necks. The brass should be OK after that.
Paul B.

 

[Newysan]

All good answers. I am curious how one "salvages" primers? I thought about this on several occasions when my own mistakes needed to be undone. Usually the now powder less and bullet free brass goes into a bucket of water to be neutralized then "unprimed" safely using a normal die for decapping, Any new techniques are always welcome. Be safe. N

 

[DrMike]

I use a universal decapping die to ease the primer out into the catch tube for recovery. Be sure to wear safety glasses, just in case.

 

[PJGunner]

I do the same as Dr. Mike. I'll reuse them in plinking ammo rather than serious target or hunting loads.
Paul B.

 

[AzDak42]

If it's any consolation, I had two bags of new 35 Whelen brass and both had multiple rounds with cracked necks before they came out of the bag. I've never had that with Win.

 

[Guest]

I use a universal decapping die to ease the primer out into the catch tube for recovery. Be sure to wear safety glasses, just in case.

I do the same, but I also generally wear hearing protection, too, and leather gloves. I am a safety nut!

 

[bullet]

If when you use brand new brass and you see any signs of cracks or lines then it is very possible a headspacing problem. Keep and eye on how the brass does especially after you have fired the new brass and have sized them for a second firing. Hope it all works out.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I have had old brass which has electrolytic corrosion between the bullet and the case neck which sometimes will crack necks when fired after sitting for awhile. This is pretty common particularly with ammo that has ben exposed to large temperature cycles and/or humidity.

What I have done is set the seater stem down a 1/4 turn and move the bullet slightly deeper to break this bond before firing these cartridges.

 

[bullet]

I have had old <a class="inlineAdmedialink" href="#">brass</a> which has electrolytic corrosion between the bullet and the case neck which sometimes will crack necks when fired after sitting for awhile. This is pretty common particularly with ammo that has ben exposed to large temperature cycles and/or humidity.

What I have done is set the seater stem down a 1/4 turn and move the bullet slightly deeper to break this bond before firing these cartridges.

Very good idea, I have some old ammo for one of my rifles and that will be done before I fire them. Thanks

 

[onesonek]

I have had old <a class="inlineAdmedialink" href="#">brass</a> which has electrolytic corrosion between the bullet and the case neck which sometimes will crack necks when fired after sitting for awhile. This is pretty common particularly with ammo that has ben exposed to large temperature cycles and/or humidity.

What I have done is set the seater stem down a 1/4 turn and move the bullet slightly deeper to break this bond before firing these cartridges.

Very good idea, I have some old ammo for one of my rifles and that will be done before I fire them. Thanks

Indeed!

 

[Oldtrader3]

Good luck with that, it should work.