Mystery

[JackEllis]

I picked up a bunch of .308/7.62x51 cases that all have unusual markings like this one in this photo.

[IMG][/IMG]

The .308 cases are all Winchester brass while the 7.62 cases are all Berdan primed cases and I assume they were made in Europe. I have no idea what they were fired from.

The raised stripes that run along the length of the case had to be made by either a sizing die or the chamber but for the life of me I can't figure out which.

[ar15barrels]

HK type roller delayed blowback actions have fluted chambers that do that to the brass.

A 308 case was most likely fired in an HK91 or a G3.
Look for someone who drives a land rover to be the culprit.

[JackEllis]

Thanks Randall.

Is it possible or even safe to reuse these cases in "standard" 308 rifles, or should they be put in the the recycler pile?

[justMike]

So the brass is Winchester branded and not milsurpus of some kind? Not quite clear there for me. Never knew that winchester made berdan primed cases in Europe.

[Sailormilan2]

I have reloaded cases like that several times in bolt action rifles.

[smoothy8500]

I've reloaded a bunch of HK fired brass and cycled them through my M14 without issue. The "ridges" will still be visible but don't affect anything.

[kcstott]

I have a barrel that matches those cases. Grooves and all

[JackEllis]

So the brass is Winchester branded and not milsurpus of some kind? Not quite clear there for me. Never knew that winchester made berdan primed cases in Europe.

The Winchester .308 cases appear to be boxer primed. The 7.62s have an unfamiliar headstamp and there are two flash holes when looking through the neck so I assume they're berdan primed.

I've seen .223 cases get beat up by the ejector but this kind of case "deformation" was something new.

[kcheung2]

A G3/PTR91 type gun does that. And yes the brass can be reloaded, but the hard part is recovering it since they get ejected pretty far. For that reason I generally use steel-cased or berdan-cased brass like the older MEN or the Swiss stuff (IV HP headstamp).

[hermosabeach]

You might find 9mm with the same marks from the MP5

[hermosabeach]

M

[divingin]

The HK-93 and similar designs (and, apparently the MP-5 - never knew that; thanks) begin extraction while the case still holds a bunch of pressure. The flutes in the chamber are supposed to bleed a little gas between the chamber and the brass to keep the brass from locking against the chamber wall, thus easing primary extraction.

I've talked to a lot of people who reload these cases without issue, but I personally leave them on the range.

And yes, 2 flash holes = Berdan primed. Reloadable, but you need a special decapping tool, and different sized primers (which are pretty hard to find on this side of the Atlantic.)