Case splitting=time to throw away batch?

[alexisjohnson]

Hey guys,
I'm a new reloader (been doing it for about a year or so and i was wondering when i should get ready to toss a batch of 223's I usually load lower pressure and i do the paper clip test to check for head separation signs. What usually happens is out of my batch of say 100 or so, i'll start to see case splitting starting from the top end. But only 5 or 6 out of 100 may split during a certain point in the firing.

If i have say 5% case splitting, is that a sign i should toss the batch? if not, what about 10%?

At what point do you all decide its time to toss the batch. This is for plinking ammo as well so extreme precision is not an issue.

Thanks again!

[Lost In The Pits]

Brass is cheap. Guns aren't. If you feel unsure of there safety just move on. Better safe than sorry.

[Divernhunter]

I would toss it. 223 brass is especially easy to get and not worth flame cutting a chamber.

[alexisjohnson]

So if you saw 5 cases split out of 100....you would toss that batch?

[LynnJr]

The dies you are using are overworking the brass and this causes the necks to split.
On a custom chamber the dies are made to fit it exactly and a hundred rounds of brass will last the life of the barrel.
In your situation flip a coin.

[bazineta]

In addition to the excellent advice that others have already given, I'd recommend getting a gage of some type of measure what your sizing die is putting out, as it sounds like it's perhaps over-sizing. I like the Redding Instant Indicator, but there are several other options, such as the Hornady case comparator.

It seems that by default, if you follow a full-length sizing die manufacturer's instructions with respect to setting up the die, you'll end up with over-sized cases; presumably they prefer to err on the side of "it'll chamber".

[pennstater]

This is a question, I believe, for LynnJr. I do not own a .223, whether a bolt or semi-auto, so I don't know the specifics of handloading for a semi. Here's the question: Would "small base" dies help out in OP's situation. I handload for bolt action rifles and handguns, just not semi-auto rifles. Am simply curious. Thanks.

[alexisjohnson]

just to clarify...i usually begin to see case splitting by the 4th or 5th loading....not before. This is in an AR and not a bolt gun.

Is this still a die issue? or just normal wear and tear?

[corerftech]

small base dies will make the situation worse. They work the brass even more but down at case head. The issue is a LARGE chamber/large neck and dies inappropriately set for that chamber or maybe incapable of being set appropriately. Maybe the chamber and neck is so large that no matter what effort you make your going to rip necks. You don't mention firearm specifics but if bolt gun, stop FL sizing unless using in multiple platforms. Back of sizing die and kiss the shoulder just deep enough for the brass to rechamber cleanly. Set back is the term, set back .001 from the current fired condition. Thats enough to chamber and close a bolt.
I would measure the sized neck on a loaded round and the fired neck diameter and compare. Ill bet there is a whopping number there. No fixing this, if neck is large (generous chamber, ovaled, terrible cut) you will ALWAYS rip necks. You have to generate neck tension and that means working the neck region with a die.

5 firings could stand some annealing in the mix. Every 3 firings (including the ne you didnt take when you picked up the range brass Saturday) , anneal the neck/shoulder then size.

Example, 7mm rolling block with .015 neck clearance. Any cartridge you shoot turns into 30 cal rather than 284. Then you size to 284 again and that poor brass has been stretched to yield and attempted to be returned. Simply not possible. On second firing, neck splits violently. There is NO fix, its the chamber. If you get 4 firings with a big neck, your doing good! Tight necks (BR shooters and custom rifles and such) get 10+ due to little motion of the neck brass (and some preemptive and well timed) annealing.

If its an AR, leave it on the ground or send it to the recycler and be thankful its not as bad as the 7mm example (real) stated above. You may be in the ONE and DONE category with the rifle.

Hope that helps you contemplate the situation rather than have simply "what to do with the brass". Measurements of fired brass will go a long way towards answering all the questions completely and accurately.

[OpenSightsOnly]

Hey guys,
I'm a new reloader (been doing it for about a year or so and i was wondering when i should get ready to toss a batch of 223's I usually load lower pressure and i do the paper clip test to check for head separation signs. What usually happens is out of my batch of say 100 or so, i'll start to see case splitting starting from the top end. But only 5 or 6 out of 100 may split during a certain point in the firing.

If i have say 5% case splitting, is that a sign i should toss the batch? if not, what about 10%?

At what point do you all decide its time to toss the batch. This is for plinking ammo as well so extreme precision is not an issue.

Thanks again!

Are you talking about case head separation or case neck splitting?

Are you using range pick-ups, or are you using once fired milspec brass?

If range pick-ups, toss it away. If you are using once-fired LC, it's a toss up since you may have MG-fired brass mixed in that lot but if you sort the LC lot by year at least you can determine which one and toss the bad lot.

By the way, this presumes that your die is set-up to FL-size the brass by 0.003" and this also presumes that the brass is fired from your chamber.

[sofbak]

just to clarify...i usually begin to see case splitting by the 4th or 5th loading....not before. This is in an AR and not a bolt gun.

Is this still a die issue? or just normal wear and tear?

Your brass is "work hardening". Every time you resize it, the brass compresses. Every time you fire it, the brass stretches. This microscopically alters the structure of the brass and makes it brittle. Eventually, it gets so brittle that it loses it's elasticity and cracks when fired rather than stretching.

You have three options:

1. Keep track of the number of "firing cycles" and ditch them after three (per your description of when splitting begins to appear).

2. Invest in some equipment and process education, and anneal your brass after two firing cycles to restore the elasticity.

3. Keep using the brass as before and risk a catastrophic event in your chamber.

hth

[Divernhunter]

Yes I would toss them.
You will probably not be able to part size/neck size the brass because you are using it in an AR.

[Carcassonne]

just to clarify...i usually begin to see case splitting by the 4th or 5th loading....not before. This is in an AR and not a bolt gun.

Is this still a die issue? or just normal wear and tear?

My opinion for popular calibers and easy to find brass is to toss it after 5x.

You could try to re-aneal the neck after the second shooting. That may make the brass last longer.

I have seen brass cases split on the first firing.


.

[RestrictedColt]

I load for ARs and use a FL die set a little loose since I have loose 5.56 chambers and the brass doesn't need to be pushed back to SAMMI .223 size. My brass is all mixed and I don't count how many times it's been fired, but the number is pretty high. The only .223 brass I've tossed was due to loose primer pockets, none have split.

My guess is that you have a loose chamber, common for ARs, and are squeezing the brass down more than needed so it's being over-worked. If that batch of 100 where 5 split are all the same I'd toss the whole batch. Before you toss them, take some fired brass that you haven't resized and see if it easily chambers & extracts, it probably does. This will tell you that you don't need to fully resize it down to new specs. I have my sizing die set to where it just barely touches the shell holder rather than the 'book' way of having it tightly pressed to the shell holder. I've even neck only sized some brass and it chambered fine. My brass will fit in all my friends' ARs and Mini 14s, but is a little tight in a bolt gun.

There are proper ways to measure your chamber and brass to come up with a precise sizing, but I went with the chamber it & feel method and it has worked. If the brass is too big it may not fully chamber and the gun won't fire. ARs can't fire out of battery, assuming nothing is way off with it, so it's not a hazard, but extracting a stuck unfired shell could be difficult in some cases.

[RestrictedColt]

If its an AR, leave it on the ground or send it to the recycler

My .223 reloads are almost exclusively used in ARs and I haven't had a case fail yet, other than loose primer pockets. I make some light plinkers and some ridiculous hot loads, I've never annealed nor had a case crack.