Split neck

redrider

redrider

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Hello the last time out shooting I got a spilt neck. It was only the second time that brass was reloaded.
First time was FL when the brass was new. The Second time was neck size only. Having no signs of over pressure. Is the Winchester brass just hard or is there a underlining problem with the chamber.
The rifle is a Savage LA chambered in 264 WM Shilen barrel. The load was 66gr of Rumtumbo, Fed mag primer 140 VLD Running out at 3031. At 67.5gr the speed was 3138 still with no pressure signs. That we're I'm stopping

Thanks Dean




 
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If you are concerned about losing the brass you can always anneal the case necks. I anneal all my rifle brass, and it seams to work great it rarely if ever happens. I do not anneal any of my pistol brass because its so cheep, and I always end up with a couple splits or cracks, but my time is worth more then cheep pistol brass.
 
Brass varies, some is too brittle to begin with. I've had factory loads split, and had brand new brass that had a fold/split when they were brand new. Normally if I get a split neck I shrug, but if there's too many I'll toss the whole bunch. It happens often enough that if hunting something that matters it will get new or once fired brass.
 
Often enough. Also it follows the theme of reliability above all else. The way my luck goes if I leave the door open for something to go wrong it'll catch up with me sooner or later. Knowing better makes it feel worse. A flier, or parted case, or rim worn enough that an extractor jumps, or sticky extraction or any of many things that happen and don't mean much at the range would make me feel pretty dumb if they happened on a hunt. And for what, to save a penny?
 
Yep, brittle brass. I have seen split necks in new factory loads, still in the box!
In your case shrug, throw it out and anneal the rest of them.
Split necks is the common way that brass eventually wears out. Everything wears out in time and if you have been loading normally, and not loading heavy enough to stretch the base of the case and loosen the primers, expect to see the case life end by a crack in the neck. Life of the case can be greatly extended by annealing.
In using a single stage press you get a feel of all these things. If the bullet goes in easier than normal, look for an insipient crack.
For hunting, or in competition, I would not continue loading such a case, but for anything else, if I can't pull the bullet out with my fingers, I just shoot it. I seriously doubt if a person could detect any inaccuracy in shooting it with a split case.
 
A one time event might be a manufacturing flaw. Check your rounds as you reload for defects. I've found defects in WW brass that did not crack as your photo shows and I shoot about 3000 rounds per year with WW brass.
 
Thanks for the input, I have 25 round left from that same batch I will shoot for the load data and I'm going to cull the rest from that batch. I have 50 new WW win brass I'll anneal them and try again.
 
Winchester brass... There has been issues with some lots made a few years back. Do not know if they fixed it.

1 occurrence is not to worry about. But if it recurrent...

The brass is likely too brittle (lacks elasticity), probably from poor (or lack of) annealing at new mfg. Such brass caused me wider (unacceptable) groups with regular flyers. It was so bad I could no longer trust my zero for hunting.

Have a read here, my experience may be useful to you. Winchester did refund me.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1141886-Would-you-reload-this-lot-of-300wsm-brass
 
Had a batch of .300wsm that would do the exact thing about every third round with factory win loads. Never saw it with any other caliber. Think the brass was from about ten or so years ago.
 
Redrider

Below is a Remington .223 case used with their cheaper blasting ammo and has approximately .004 in neck thickness variation. Some of these cheaper cases had as much as .007 to .008 variation in neck thickness. (and the photos below are the average case neck)

IMG_2136_zps079ece9b.jpg


IMG_2137_zps66bcfc13.jpg


Bottom line and possibilities for cracked necks.

1. Cases with uneven neck wall thickness will cause the thin portion of the neck to expand more and crack at its thinnest point.
2. Cases not annealed properly at the factory.
3. The neck of the chamber may be oversize causing the neck to stretch excessively and crack.
4. Your sizing die may be excessively sizing the neck down in diameter and the expander is stretching the necks causing them to stretch and crack.
5. All of the above.

NOTE: In 2001 Winchester lost the contract to produce ammunition at our Lake City Army Ammunition Plant and Winchester fell on hard times. Winchester/Olin sold off its brass manufacturing plant and its ball powder plant and is now a small shadow of its former self. In the reloading forums all you read about is failed Winchester primers and other problems.

Bottom line, both Remington and Winchester fell on hard times after loosing the contract at Lake City. And quality control is being run by the stock holders of these two companies.

To check the quality of your cases the Redding neck thickness gauge is a must have pictured below and it will tell you a great deal about your cases. A case with unequal case wall thickness will warp and become banana shaped when fired and cause nothing but accuracy problems.

reddingneckgaugex250_zps88727434.jpg


I also use my RCBS case mastering gauge to check for variations in case wall thickness and stretching and thinning in the base web area. And both these gauges will help trouble shoot your cases problems.

rcbsgauge_zps9306c010.jpg
 
UR2X3M4ME said:
Winchester brass... There has been issues with some lots made a few years back. Do not know if they fixed it.

1 occurrence is not to worry about. But if it recurrent...

The brass is likely too brittle (lacks elasticity), probably from poor (or lack of) annealing at new mfg. Such brass caused me wider (unacceptable) groups with regular flyers. It was so bad I could no longer trust my zero for hunting.

Have a read here, my experience may be useful to you. Winchester did refund me.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...886-Would-you-reload-this-lot-of-300wsm-brass
Click to expand...


Do you know the date manufacturing date of those rounds. I think I bought that bag of brass in 2013 sometime from p&d...
I wounder if Winchaster had a bad run of brass.. I guess there's always Nosler, or Norma..
 
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