What am I looking at here?

[mroels]

Pmc brass 3rd loading.

[stilly]

I dunno. looks like a .223 with a lil black mark on it.

I dunno what that line is from. I would say it is a cannelure to keep the bullet from moving back, but that would make me look noobier than I already am. Do you got issues with yer chamber or something? Does it look like it was manufactured that way and MAYBE you just missed it before? You need a camera with a macro lens and a better flash to go further. If you have a flash that washes out things too much when you get close then you can do the ultra pro thing and put something to diffuse the light in front of it. I use an index card or TWO sometimes when I am shooting my reload questions and the brass gets washed out. I am a professional photographer so my advice is purely professional in regards to doing that. I learned it from my instructor at RCC and I use it from time to time.

[rstbkt69]

is there more than one case like that?

[ChrisToad]

Vague post... at least ask a question bro. What are we looking at?

[mroels]

Sorry should been more clear. I'm wondering about the line on the and yes there more like it. I'm sure these marks weren't there before. It's only on pmc brass

[TKM]

If you take a bent paper clip can you feel a matching ring on the inside of the case?

Weird place for an incipient case separation but anything is possible.

Have you miked the cases to check for stretching?

[the led farmer]

Are you trimming and if so what are you using

[mroels]

I checked the inside of the case with a toothpick, don't have paper clips, and couldn't feel anything. But the ring on the outside can be felt wirth my nail.

I'll mic the case when I get home.

I'm trimming cases every time I load using a Lee zip trim and their trimming tools

[rstbkt69]

Go buy a box of paperclips or ask a neighbor or something. You would bend the tip so it resembles an "L" then stick it in the inside of the case to see if you can feel that line on the inside by dragging the bent tip over the spot. I am afraid the toothpick wont grab the imperfection like the hard edge of a papaer clip. Do you fish, try a fish hook. Hair pin, christmas decoration hook. Anything you can bend to make a dental pick looking device. I woulnd't load a case with that imperfection till it was inspected. Actually I have so much brass I would probably recycle it.

[mroels]

Ok I mic'ed a few cases a couple of pmc brass with the ring, pmc without the ring, black hills brass, lake city brass. All were fired yesterday out of the same rifle.

All cases had the shoulder 0.001" above ANSI minimum.

All PMC cases with and without the ring were 1.750" in length.
LC and BHA brass were 1.755"

The marks on the PMC brass are all in the exact same spot. Most are noticeable but barely. The case in the picture is the worst one.

[mroels]

Honestly just from rubbing over the imperfection on the outside the toothpick caught it the best. Tried with a paper clip, sowing needle, and a fish hook. Couldn't feel anything on the inside. Was about to just toss the case but decided to cut it open because if something's wrong I want to know.

Unlike Stilly, my phone is my camera so sorry for the crappy pic. The were no visible marks on the inside. Looking at the case wall it doesn't seem like the imperfection ran deep. I'm gonna put it off to PMC. If I notice it on any other brand cases I'll revisit this issue again.

[shooterbill]

You have a case that is fractured. It is called insipient case head separation. Very common in the 223 or 5.56. If you were to have used it, it would have come apart in your dies or chamber. A very good reason to inspect your cases thoroughly.

[TKM]

Case head separation almost always occurs near the case head. Otherwise they would call it something else.

Usually the result of stretched brass which would make the cases longer. Not happening in this case.

Weird.

[the86d]

I have seen brass (from range-chickening) that seemed to have a ring on certain areas getting scratched, or ringed toward the middle, or top(, toward the projectile). From what I was told, and read here, separation happens lower, like on your second "cut-view" case, and the ring of separation appears to be in a different spot of the case then the separation so I assume it would be getting scratched/"ringed" in your chamber on extraction, or during the drop into the chamber...

How many rounds have you put through your rifle?

[mroels]

Just to clarify the mark at the bottom of the brass in the second picture is from me bending it to open it up. The round on my rifle is around 3k.