splitting at the neck

[SmokeRolls]

I'm having some splitting happening with factory loaded Hornady Frontier brass. I know this is reloading forum but I'm assuming that this is the best place to ask.
I'm shooting an old 788 Remington 22-250 and I have never reloaded for it (yet).
I have grown up shooting the old rifle and received it when my Grandfather passed away.
I have a bunch of boxes of ammo from different manufacturers (All is fairly recently manufactured).
I have shot some remington factory loads and it performed well and the brass looked perfect after shooting.
I shot the factory Hornady varmit loads with the 50 or 55 grain V-max which seemed to shoot well but I noticed that the brass was split up to three times or three splits that run parallel with the case length, (some were only split in one area).
The splits are short and are only above the shoulder and extend into the crimping area.
If I had to guess I would say that this Frontier brass is too brittle or too hard.
What's your take on this?
Enlighten me...
.....Thanks.....SmokeRolls

 

[270grdeerbullet]

Re: splitting at the neck

I have seen this quite a bit on reloads that were not annealed and there fore work hardened but i have never heard of it on factory ammunition. Is this happening with several different factory loads or just one? if it is just one i would say its bad brass if it's across the board i have no idea but it would be interesting to hear what others have to say.

 

[bohem]

Re: splitting at the neck

I've seen it happen on factory WSM ammo nickle cases on the first firing. The brass is very thick and the nickle process embrittles it. I don't know if the frontier brass is nickle but I wold be calling hornady to ask.

 

[SmokeRolls]

Re: splitting at the neck

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bohem</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've seen it happen on factory WSM ammo nickle cases on the first firing. The brass is very thick and the nickle process embrittles it. I don't know if the frontier brass is nickle but I wold be calling hornady to ask.</div></div>
It's not nickel, just plain brass.
I have shot these same bullets in another 22-250 Remington 700 VS with no problems whatso-ever.
I think it's a bad batch of brass but I cannot substantiate that.
.......SmokeRolls

 

[samnev]

Re: splitting at the neck

If other brands don't cause the neck splits I'd say it's the Frontier brass.

 

[Victor N TN]

Re: splitting at the neck

I know it's the chic' thing to blame the brass. But do you have ANY idea how many rounds has gone down the barrel? If the same ammo doesn't split when fired from another rifle, your chamber / throat may be shot out. Remember that's a pretty good hand full of powder being dumped down a little hole while it's on fire. After 1,000 rounds it's going to be loosing accuracy. You might want to think about getting a new barrel for it. But don't take my word for it. Take it or ship it to a well known riflesmith, or even the factory(after a phone call) and have him / them borescope the throat and show you what it looks like. Then ask him to try some go no/go chambering guages in it. Between all that, you should be able to pin it down if it IS IN FACT the chamber / throat eroded.

Good luck.

 

[SmokeRolls]

Re: splitting at the neck

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Victor N TN</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I know it's the chic' thing to blame the brass. But do you have ANY idea how many rounds has gone down the barrel? If the same ammo doesn't split when fired from another rifle, your chamber / throat may be shot out. Remember that's a pretty good hand full of powder being dumped down a little hole while it's on fire. After 1,000 rounds it's going to be loosing accuracy. You might want to think about getting a new barrel for it. But don't take my word for it. Take it or ship it to a well known riflesmith, or even the factory(after a phone call) and have him / them borescope the throat and show you what it looks like. Then ask him to try some go no/go chambering guages in it. Between all that, you should be able to pin it down if it IS IN FACT the chamber / throat eroded.

Good luck.</div></div>
Vic, you probably are right in this situation. This rifle has been shot a fair amount but there is no way I could tell how many rounds are thru this rifle. My dad bought it for his father in law (My grandfather)back in the early/mid 70's I presume and we all waxed groundhogs with it for years.
I do know that the remington brass looks perfect after it is fired thru this rifle but Frontier stuff looks horrible after it's been fired in this rifle......
...Thanks for the advice /opinion.
.....SmokeRolls

 

[DocB]

Re: splitting at the neck

SR,

How old is the ammo? I've got a case of Frontier brass in .308 which splits just about every case. This stuff is from the pre-2000 time period.

HTH,
DocB

 

[longshooter]

Re: splitting at the neck

What is the before and after neck diameters?

 

[SmokeRolls]

Re: splitting at the neck

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DocB</div><div class="ubbcode-body">SR,
How old is the ammo? I've got a case of Frontier brass in .308 which splits just about every case. This stuff is from the pre-2000 time period.
HTH,
DocB</div></div>I'll have to check, I have had it for a while but I would not consider it old.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: longshooter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What is the before and after neck diameters?</div></div>I havn't checked that yet but thats not a bad idea.
...Thanks...
.....SmokeRolls

 

[vman]

Re: splitting at the neck

If your sizing it down way too much and the brass is brittle this will happen.

You mention you have fired these cases in another rifle. That rifles chamber dimensions may be pretty different from yours and that could be part of the problem. Were the same dies used to size the brass for both of these rifles?

 

[Garvey]

Re: splitting at the neck

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TheSmokeRolls</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm having some splitting happening with factory loaded Hornady Frontier brass. I know this is reloading forum but I'm assuming that this is the best place to ask.
I'm shooting an old 788 Remington 22-250 and I have never reloaded for it (yet).
I have grown up shooting the old rifle and received it when my Grandfather passed away.
I have a bunch of boxes of ammo from different manufacturers (All is fairly recently manufactured).
I have shot some remington factory loads and it performed well and the brass looked perfect after shooting.
I shot the factory Hornady varmit loads with the 50 or 55 grain V-max which seemed to shoot well but I noticed that the brass was split up to three times or three splits that run parallel with the case length, (some were only split in one area).
The splits are short and are only above the shoulder and extend into the crimping area.
If I had to guess I would say that this Frontier brass is too brittle or too hard.
What's your take on this?
Enlighten me...
.....Thanks.....SmokeRolls </div></div>

That very same ammo did the very same thing in my Savage .22-250 and it was not a worn out chamber or barrel. I've got hand loads for the rifle now with frontier brass and they don't split necks. My theory was that Hornady was loading them too hot for their brass.

 

[SmokeRolls]

Re: splitting at the neck

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: vman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If your sizing it down way too much and the brass is brittle this will happen.

You mention you have fired these cases in another rifle. That rifles chamber dimensions may be pretty different from yours and that could be part of the problem. Were the same dies used to size the brass for both of these rifles?

</div></div>
I havn't reloaded for the 22-250 yet. All the bullets I have fired in both rifles were factory loaded shells.
What I meant was, that I shot the same box of shells in two different rifles. I may shoot five rounds of that box in one rifle and then 10 rounds in the other 22-250 until I was out of rounds. Sorry for the confusion. I didn't explain it as clearly as I could have.
...SmokeRolls