Sign of possible case head separation?

[NY700]

I had a modern (Tikka) 6.5x55 that had been loaded rather hot.
I had experienced flattened primers.
I ended up trading away that rifle and mothballed all my 6.5x55 stuff

I recently acquired a M96 so I pulled out the old stuff. Now I am aware these will need to be loaded much lighter and have no interest in pushing this rifle hard.

as I was looking at my lapua brass I was wondering if I may have pushed them too far. Hard to capture in a picture but are these rings signs of future case separation or just where the die bottomed out on the tapered case

 

[Huskydriver]

Have you run a paperclip or something down inside? You can feel the dip in the brass where it's getting thin and about to seperate or shove a bore scope in there.

To me that looks like a ring from the brass rubbing the inside of your ammo box after you returned it back to box primer side up after firing

 

[NY700]

I just ran a paper clip. It’s not “catching” on anything. I’m not sure I would know what the feel of a tapering would feel like or that I would be able to tell.
Unfortunately no access to a bore scope

 

[NY700]

I do typically put them in upside down after shooting!

 

[brainiac]

I have seen pushmarks from one of my sizing dies that looked similar to that. Paperclip tells the tale.

 

[1J04]

If you really wanna know 100%, cut that case open. You'll know 100% with zero doubt. People talk about the paperclip method, but why? It's very easy to miss what you should be feeling with that method, whereas cutting a case open reveals all you need to know.

 

[Huskydriver]

If you really wanna know 100%, cut that case open. You'll know 100% with zero doubt. People talk about the paperclip method, but why? It's very easy to miss what you should be feeling with that method, whereas cutting a case open reveals all you need to know.

View attachment 7262317

I do this exact thing too. When in doubt cut one in question open. Another fact is the rub ring from being in an ammo box upside down will rub off with polish, a ring of death will not.

 

[1J04]

I do this exact thing too. When in doubt cut one in question open. Another fact is time rub ring from being in a case upside down will rub off with polish, a ring of death will not.

View attachment 7262323

THIS

We're the determining factor when it comes to reloading. We're in control of what we're doing and usually have the ability to answer our own concerns literally right at our fingertips. Incipient Case Head Separation can be dangerous shit. If you think a mark on your brass is suspicious, stop guessing what it 'might' be. Cut one open and WHAMMO, your definitive answer is right there, no questions asked.

 

[Rocketvapor]

My USB $50 Borescope, plug it in, no mirror, 6.5x55 Swede case.
This thing is just so easy to use.

 

[1J04]

You didn't deburr your flash hole !!! Either that or you're Polyp free........

 

[Rocketvapor]

Factory didn't deburr the flash hole.

 

[hafejd30]

That’s from your dies. I second the paper clip method and cutting one open to be sure.

My rule of thumb is new gun/barrel = new brass.

Chances are if run hot you may be approaching end of life anyways and having to go through the gymnastics if you get a case head separation would give me more reason to just start fresh

 

[nutation]

I could never quite get the feel of the paperclip test. Instead I shine a little keychain sized maglite down the case, which makes a very distinct shadow where the case is thinning.

I tried a borescope, but the light on the scope washes out the groove too much to see easily.

 

[918v]

Your cases look fine.

 

[supercorndogs]

What i see on the O.Ps case does not look like the beginning of CHS. Its just looks like normal fired brass. I would not cut up some Lapua brass 1x that looked like that. Most of the time CHS is from shoulder movement and not loading hot. You can load way too hot and blow the case off or have a big fat chamber at the base overworking the brass. But most of the time what we are looking at in CHS is thinning somewhere in the brass from the shoulder moving forward and back over and over.