Seek wisdom from those wiser on brass failure

[sp6x6]

As mentioned,you can cut case from bottom up lenghtwise.And see thinning or mic it

 

[wasskeet]

The benchrest folks, if completely separated and really stuck, use a "rat tail" file of the right diameter to carefully stick inside the case half to remove.

 

[StoneyBurk]

if you resize the brass case by only bumping the shoulder back .002 - .003 you will greatly increase case life . these cases were loaded close to 20 times , 18 I think . the brass I'm using now is about used up , some of it's on cycle 15 . you should get the tools to be able to measure case length , and learn to set up your dies . from my experience the brass all seems to fail at about the same number of fires . meaning , your brass is probably about all used up , being it was all sized the same way .


I've removed a few separated cases , by using a large cleaning brush . pull the bolt , jam the big brush into the remaining case , and pull it back out . clean the chamber and get shootin .

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you can see the different stages of the cases . some have a smoke ring at the fracture . some show a lighter ring where the fracture will happen . some look normal .

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some separated cases with a tool I made to feel inside the case . I've never felt a sharp edge inside where they fracture . I'll feel a dip , a rounded out , or hollowed out , area where the brass is thinning at the place they separate .

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hope this helps . Jim

Did you anneal the cases ?

 

[jimbires]

Did you anneal the cases ?

yes , every cycle

 

[257 STW]

The problem is almost always caused by repeatedly oversizing as stated above by others. My buddy has this problem fairly often with one of his Weatherby rifles.

Just use a brass brush that is larger in diameter then the case body and use your cleaning rod to push it into the case until it stops. Then pull the brass brush out. It should have the brass case stuck on the brush. I've seen this done many times.

Good luck.

have used this method on my Ruger #1 swift

 

[257 STW]

Have also used a tap on a buddys rifle. Just be carful to go too big n score the chamber. Screw tap in and use a coated rod to pop it out.

 

[Hugnot]

I tried to get a stuck case out with a tight brush,patch and couldn't get the **** thing out.Finally I packed a patch inside the broken case from the chamber side.Then I put some JB Weld Kwik on a a small swab and carefully shove it inside the broken case.I waited about 30min for the JB Weld to set.Then I inserted a cleaning rod from the muzzle end and let it drop about six inches or so to the stuck case.On the second drop the case popped right out.View attachment 305775View attachment 305777

Like this. I have struggled to extract one separated 6mm Rem case with a .38 bronze brush. Learn something new every day.

More info:

This is a look into a case with an incipient (just starting) head separation - note the hairline cracks at the end of the blue arrows. No paper clip drag test would reveal it. Next to the sectioned case is an intact case with indications head separation is starting.

The other photo is of my B&L 10X Hasting Triplet magnifier - I continually use it for close up inspection of stuff that has gone wrong.

The other is a cheap feeler gauge from Home Depot - I use it to set up F/L dies for sizing my .300WM & .375-.338 belted cartridges - gently lower F/L die on gauge between die & shell holder reserved for that rifle.

 

[QuietTexan]

Did I miss what kind of rifle this is? I agree that oversizing the cases caused the separation, but I think RD57 hit the nail on that head saying what happened to him. I think that you have a long chamber, and need to measure a fired and sized case side by side to see how much you're moving the shoulder on the case.

 

[Hugnot]

All chambers are too long for excessively bumped brass. Sounds like some kind of 6.5 Creedmoor with 143's. 3-5 firings with excessive bump back will sure make for case separations. Back off F/L die.

Belted cases are the easiest to over-size/bump back, if head-spaced on the belt. I believe Peterson makes "long" .300 WM brass for head-spacing on shoulder.

 

[QuietTexan]

I'm at 8 firings on Hornady 6.5CM brass using a Hornady FL die set up per the book.... no head sep issues because that only pushes the shoulders 0.003-0.004" at most. The die won't let you push back past a certain point, it has a bottom that hits the shellplate eventually.

Everyone is just guessing until he measures.

 

[Hugnot]

My problem was easily fixed by using the same shell holder for that chamber & backing off the die so it touched the shell holder. Redding sells a set of shell holders having variable heights intended for fussing with head-space. For me no more ringed cases having hair line cracks and snug fit as shown by slight resistance upon closing with stripped bolt.

For the OP it is likely to have more case separations if the fired cases have radial rings just above the web portion. I might suggest checking them all out and then dismantling 3-5 for sectioning looking for internal hair line cracks as shown in my photo.

 

[NeedForSpeed]

Did I miss what kind of rifle this is? I agree that oversizing the cases caused the separation, but I think RD57 hit the nail on that head saying what happened to him. I think that you have a long chamber, and need to measure a fired and sized case side by side to see how much you're moving the shoulder on the case.

Ito a Seekins Precision Pro Hunter.

 

[cajun]

Get a hornady headspace tool. If you are not measuring you have no clue how much you are sizing the brass. Dies, chambers all have tolerances. Following the die instructions you are running blind. Had the same issue with some very hard to find brass once. Live and learn.

 

[Hugnot]

Stress fractures most often occur at right angles to direction of force, like split necks or case separations.

Shell holder height may be used to control head-space or degree of full length sizing. As per cajun, the Hornady head space gauge may be used to determine how much to F/L size brass. Using the same, proper height shell holder each sizing with the same F/L die will prevent case separations.