Case neck cracks on .357 Magnum Range Brass

i wanted to see how many reloads i could get so i pre measured 50 powder charges (15gr of h110) and brought my lee loader to the range. i got up to 25 reloads before a very small crack in the neck formed.
 
I've been reloading 38 special and 357 for a while now. I've noticed sometimes first fired brass new from factory you get those cracks. other times you get 10 good hot loadings before they crack. seems to just be the way 38/357 goes.
 
floriosean1 said:
I've been reloading 38 special and 357 for a while now. I've noticed sometimes first fired brass new from factory you get those cracks. other times you get 10 good hot loadings before they crack. seems to just be the way 38/357 goes.
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I agree - there doesn't seem to be a definitive rhyme or reason. I don't pick up range .357 or .38
 
Spawn-Inc said:
i wanted to see how many reloads i could get so i pre measured 50 powder charges (15gr of h110) and brought my lee loader to the range. i got up to 25 reloads before a very small crack in the neck formed.
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Nice to have some definitive numbers. Straight walled cases typically have a very long life expectancy. However, hotter loads (like .357 or 44 mag) will shorten case life. I have also found that nickel cases don't seem to last as long (probably because they are harder and a little more brittle) but they sure are purdy.:d
 
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I also have at least 10 reloads with some hornady brass in 500 magnum with very hot loads and a heavy crimp that has yet to split in the neck area. I was planning on annealing then but haven't bothered yet. For the price of 357 I would bother annealing them unless I already had an annealing machine.
 
Case life can also depend on whether or not you have to full length resize after each firing.

MY revolvers seem to have the same chamber diameter and I find I can get away without resizing until l I notice some 'stickiness' in extracting.
 
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