How many is too many? Case separation ...

[Snakum]

I have about 250 Winchester and Black Hills cases that have been reloaded using a full length resize four to six times and the primer pockets are still good, never lost a primer. And they seem to be generally in very good shape with little stretching. Unlike Federal cases that dropped primers after the first reload, the Win/BHA brass seems to be holding up great. I don't tumble them, but agitate them a few minutes in water, distilled vinegar, and Jet-Dry. I always check a few with a paper clip for any ridges or deformations forming inside, and have thrown out a few that were questionable. And I don't anneal them, either. But loading up a bunch last week I found a classic case separation. It looks like a jagged crack all the way around, about 1/4" above the case head. It looks like you could pull it apart, but I can't.

So I'm wondering ... how many times is too many? Should I start checking every single case individually?

 

[former naval person]

Re: How many is too many? Case separation ...

The FL resizing does it...if you bump the shoulder back a little too much each time. If you set the die correctly you should get a bit more life. Neck sizing will reduce that. If you load for more than one rifle, you have to set all the brass to size so that it will interchange. That may result in over bumping for one of the rifles and cause premature separation. Try setting for .002 max bumping and keep the cases segregated to individual rifles. If you shoot for fun, neck size until you notice a bit of resistance on chambering a round, and then bump. With a semi or for serious work...matches and such...you'll need to bump the shoulder each loading to avoid a hard chambering problem. JMHO

 

[SScott]

Re: How many is too many? Case separation ...

It really depends on your brass in your chamber. I was getting 12 reloads on RP brass before I started to feel a valley form inside, while neck sizing most of the time.
When I went to FL sizing them, I stated feeling a valley form inside of the case at 8 shots, after that I just checked every case and culled the ones that felt the worst.
SScott

 

[Snakum]

Re: How many is too many? Case separation ...

Thanks for the info. I'm just now loading for two, a semi and a bolt, and just got 500 more cases. I'll try just necking them and keeping them separate.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: How many is too many? Case separation ...

Ditto the excessive shoulder set back, get your sizing right. And, if it were mine, the whole batch would get tossed. I would NOT continue to use that lot.

 

[Snakum]

Re: How many is too many? Case separation ...

I cranked down the dies to where they are now because the bolt gun wasn't closing easily on them last Summer (last time I shot much). I have probably over done it. With the next 500 I'll try neck sizing only till I need to bump them. I'm still a noob at this stuff. Lots to learn.

 

[MitchAlsup]

Re: How many is too many? Case separation ...

I've got a set of brass with 31 reload cycles on them (47.8 gr Varget and 155 Scenars) with only 4 lost cases (2 cracks, 2 IHS).

 

[BigMahi]

Re: How many is too many? Case separation ...

Haha - sizing is easy to learn but hard to master.

I used to set up following the instructions: twist die until it touches the shellholder and then extra twist.

Then I spent too much time on this forum and took a handful of cases that were becoming difficult to chamber and ran them through a RCBS body die that didn't even bump the shoulders at all. Then I would try to chamber the case and if there was still resistance, I'd screw down the body die a quarter turn and repeat.

Took forever to get it *just right* (then had to clean out all the lanolin/wax from the chamber...).