Weak brass?

[Hunter609]

I fire formed 50 rounds of 338 lapua improved. I used 90 grains of magpro with a 285 eldm jammed .010. Out of the 50 rounds 3 randomly split the side of the case no signs of pressure on the primers. This is adg brass, has anyone seen this?

 

[waspocrew]

Might be a bad batch of brass. I'm assuming this was new brass since fire forming to AI. I've lost a few cases while fire forming 270 Win to 6.5 Sherman, but it was 1x fired brass and the split was at the shoulder. I'd reach out to ADG - I'm sure you'll be taken care of.

 

[can1010]

Peterson brass had the same problem a few years ago, it ended up being faulty annealing during the brass forming process at the factory. when there is a lot of taper blown out like the lapua cases and when not annealed properly the work hardened case will split.

 

[Hunter609]

Might be a bad batch of brass. I'm assuming this was new brass since fire forming to AI. I've lost a few cases while fire forming 270 Win to 6.5 Sherman, but it was 1x fired brass and the split was at the shoulder. I'd reach out to ADG - I'm sure you'll be taken care of.

It was the first firing

 

[Seabeeken]

Happened to 1 case when forming 257ai. Was Jamison brass. The rest are still in service

 

[Mikecr]

I'd reach out to ADG - I'm sure you'll be taken care of.

I like this plan

 

[Hunter609]

I like this plan

That's the plan for tomorrow

 

[lancetkenyon]

I wonder if ADG will replace, since you did not fire these in a SAAMI chamber, and are altering the case design.

 

[308win]

I had the exact same thing happen with Alpha brass forming into 7-08AI. Alpha's response was that their brass was not to be used in fireforming AI. Out of 100 pieces I had this happen 4 times with the initial fireforming process and 1 with it being once fired. I am now on my 6th reloading with this brass with no issues and still have tight primer pockets. I think Alpha is premium brass and very hard near the case head which is why it happened in the forming process? I really can't say, .maybe this is just part if the process when doing AI with premium brass? I have done other AI's (223 and 280) and did not experience this. The 223 was virgin Lapua and the 280 was once fired Hornady.

 

[QuietTexan]

You have to consider the total movement of the brass - 223 AI isn't much, 243 AI is a whole lot. If you're going to 35* pr 40* shoulder on a 338LM that's a pretty significant amount of movement.

That's why I use false shoulder on "larger" (in the sense of lots of movement) AIs and not bullet jam to keep the case located better.

 

[Mikecr]

I deep body dip anneal before the 1st firing.
That's not a factory full anneal, but a standard process anneal half way down the body(after all the factory forming).