Case splitting=time to throw away batch?

[robert101]

This is only based on my experience with my 308 Winchester DPMS Panther. I get about 12 to 14 loadings with my brass. I minimally size the case to the chamber, don't load past mid-range pressure, and anneal every 3 to 5th firing. Yes brass is cheap but why not use the ones you have most efficiently? Of course if I see case head separation or other case deformities (like loose primers) it gets tossed.

[baih777]

if you have been reloading the same 100 pieces all year, then I would consider throwing the whole 100 away.
I reload 223 for my AR and my bolt guns.
but I use different headstamp for the semi and bolt.
the semi I have a whole 2 gallon bucket same headstamp that I reload. beginning of the year I process the brass and get it ready. I reload from that bucket till it gets low, then process some more brass.

this way your loads don't fluctuate much. I have been using this brass going on three years. so no signs of any split necks. its a lot easier this way.
if you can buy brass with the same headstamp, its a lot less headache. cost you a little more, but in the long run its easier.

I do the same for 308

[micro911]

I reload my rifle brass 5 - 6 time and discard after that. I have plenty of them and do not want to deal with case issues.

[alexisjohnson]

Fascinating...i always assumed with Full length resizing....5 or 6 cycles was the max without annealing.

Appreciate all the information. Calguns is like its own university!

[JagerDog]

I'm assuming it's the neck where the bullet registers. If so, adjusting the die isn't going to help. And the final ID has to be what it is, so unless the sizing button has "too much" work to do (sizing down too much that the button has to then upsize), it is what it is.

Annealing would gain you some brass life. You don't need a fancy annealing machine either. Youtube shows a variety of methods. hen we can discuss to quench or not after annealing. Time and volume are primary considerations as well as the cost of replacement.

Splits confined to the neck aren't really much to worry about re: you and the gun, but should obviously be squashed and tossed.

[dadswickedammo]

I have had this zact issue..
#1. quality of brass. At first I was using what I thought was good brass and I am sure to some degree in a bolt application ect... would be fine like win,r.p., Hornady ect...
I used this brass mostly due to no crimp primer. After 2/3 loads started having split necks case head separation loose primer pockets and the extractor damaging the head.
In a nutshell brass to soft.
Then I got a super swag a crap ton of lake city, norma, and assorted other NATO brass you can feel and hear the difference. It appears thicker heavier and of much better quality. I have about 1500 cases i have loaded 3/4 times no case head separation 1 cracked neck i do not anneal.
So once past the primer pocket crimp things have been good.
Hope it helps.

[Excommunicado]

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish, as other already pointed out brass is much cheaper to replace than a gun, or your safety.

I toss my AR brass after the 8th reload regardless of neck condition (LC brass). Ran into a split neck long ago on the 10th reload and figured the 7th/8th is about as far as I can safely push it.

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!

[JackEllis]

I haven't come across this problem with .223 yet but I did have some .243 case necks split out of a batch of about 20 of the same headstamp. The rest are now in the scrap pile.

All of my .223 brass is range pickup. Some of it appears to have been fired once, while others may have one or two more cycles on them. I thought about annealing but decided for the kinds of volumes I shoot and the availability of used .223 brass, it didn't make sense. Here's the math:

If I'm going to do this, I want repeatability and that means either building or buying an induction annealer, which I consider a better choice than the ones that use a flame of some kind. By the time I'm done I'll have at least $500 in it. I figure I'll shoot 15,000 rounds and have to put 5,000 cases through it over the remainder of my reloading lifetime (maybe 10-15 years). At 10 cents a pop to prolong the life of something I can pick up for free, it didn't seem to make much sense. Range pickup requires an initial cleaning that my hand loads don't and a lot of the range pickup to be swaged (one time), but annealing is also a pretty time-consuming step.

Having just acquired a pair of semi-auto .22s I might be singing a different tune if I had an AR.

What I'd do in your situation is get the die straightened out first. Even if you decide to anneal the brass, it's going to stretch over time if the die isn't right.

Be sure you examine the cases carefully before and after each firing so you can spot early signs of splitting.

[JagerDog]

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish, as other already pointed out brass is much cheaper to replace than a gun, or your safety.

I toss my AR brass after the 8th reload regardless of neck condition (LC brass). Ran into a split neck long ago on the 10th reload and figured the 7th/8th is about as far as I can safely push it.

What is going to happen to your gun or safety with a minor neck split?

[alexisjohnson]

These specific pieces of brass are FC, Wolf, and PMC.

But irregardless...they last about 4 or 5 reload cycles before the neck area begins to split.

What is going to happen to your gun or safety with a minor neck split?

I think the concern is gas cutting....

[JagerDog]

These specific pieces of brass are FC, Wolf, and PMC.

But irregardless...they last about 4 or 5 reload cycles before the neck area begins to split.



I think the concern is gas cutting....

Who's concern?

I think it's overblown and really a non-issue to the occassional split neck. I've seen pictures on revolvers (due to the cylinder gap) and it takes many rounds and severe issues to cause it. Hot loads with ball powder are prime drivers. In a rifle barrel you'll erode the throat (not a dissimilar phenomena) before that's an issue. Not a safety issue by any means.

Perhaps if you have a benchrest gun to exacting tolerances...but the barrel is consumable (albeit long term). Some calibers are considered "worn out" at 1500 rounds.

[Excommunicado]

Non Issue if "minor" split. Been there and done that, still have all my eye brows and eye sights. You should try it out sometime, it makes a unique "bang" with a little extra flash.

What is going to happen to your gun or safety with a minor neck split?

[Excommunicado]

I think you'll have much better luck with LC brass. Glad you did not mention Perfecta brass, I have seen them with offset primer flash holes preventing the decap pin from going through.

These specific pieces of brass are FC, Wolf, and PMC.

But irregardless...they last about 4 or 5 reload cycles before the neck area begins to split.



I think the concern is gas cutting....

[17+1]

Who's concern?

I think it's overblown and really a non-issue to the occassional split neck. I've seen pictures on revolvers (due to the cylinder gap) and it takes many rounds and severe issues to cause it. Hot loads with ball powder are prime drivers. In a rifle barrel you'll erode the throat (not a dissimilar phenomena) before that's an issue. Not a safety issue by any means.

Perhaps if you have a benchrest gun to exacting tolerances...but the barrel is consumable (albeit long term). Some calibers are considered "worn out" at 1500 rounds.

[JagerDog]

That's why I want those who claim some serious safety issue or rifle damage to explain just what they think is going to happen. I say Henny Penny.