Chiappa 1892 44mag brass bulge.

[Gillen1]

So I picked up this 16” Chiappa 1892 in 44 rem mag.

Shoots well and cycles no problem. Only bought it last week and took it out on Saturday to try it out.

Shot some factory hornady and then Started to do some load development.

Noticed that the brass bulges near the bottom of the case.

First picture is the factory hornady case. 240gr xtp
Second is my reloads in Winchester ww super case. Load was 11.5 gr unique with a 240 gr campro 44.
Loads starting at 10gr did the same, but not as noticeable as the 11.5.
Link to pics. https://imgur.com/a/XEyJHDy

Is this just due to a generous chamber or is the gun defective?
Fired cases can only be put back in chamber in correct way. Resizing removed the bulge, and there is no line or crack inside the case I can see.

I’ve read that marlin 1894 have this issue, and on my 303 brass has similar bulging near the base, but not as bad.

Like I said, bought new last week and could probably send it away if need be, but I would rather not.

Thanks.

 

[propliner]

Are you able to borescope the chamber? I'd say that barrel is defective.

On closer inspection, it looks like a serious headspace issue. The case appears to be stretching at the rear, as though the bolt has too much movement when locked up and then fired.

 

[Gillen1]

I am not able to borescope it. A snap cap and a dummy round I made up feel lose in the chamber. Using my Winchester 1892 in 357 as a reference point, it feels a lot looser.

I’m thinking I may have to send it away.

Are you able to borescope the chamber? I'd say that barrel is defective.

On closer inspection, it looks like a serious headspace issue. The case appears to be stretching at the rear, as though the bolt has too much movement when locked up and then fired.

 

[just having some fun]

you could try neck sizing your brass .... only the top....

you also prob need a oversized Bullet as well

 

[Gillen1]

Firing, loading and extracting are all fine. Accuracy, from my limited testing seemed fine.
Putting a spent case back in the chamber is impossible unless you orient it correctly. So would be impossible to only neck size, as the cases enter fine but get held up at the bulge.

I have contacted Chiapas warranty person about this. It seems odd to me. If I didn’t reload I probably wouldn’t care one bit about it.

you could try neck sizing your brass .... only the top....

you also prob need a oversized Bullet as well

 

[B]

I have a Rossi M92 in .357 doing the same thing. Seems to be random and doesn't happen with my max loads, just with some .38sp cased 30,000ish psi loads. I never bothered worrying about it honestly. I figured it was from resizing the brass too much since it doesn't happen with every headstamp. Whatever the problem is, you seem to have it worse than I do.

 

[Gillen1]

This is all virgin brass I’m using too. It sizes back to normal case dimensions, although I have not checked the over all length to see if it’s stretching much.

I do notice that the factory brass and loads from hornady have the bulge far less than my reloads. My loads were a lot lighter than the factory stuff. Although I was near max listed for unique, I could get some hotter powder and see what happens. I was thinking it’s just not hot enough loads to fully expand the thicker base of the brass.

I have a Rossi M92 in .357 doing the same thing. Seems to be random and doesn't happen with my max loads, just with some .38sp cased 30,000ish psi loads. I never bothered worrying about it honestly. I figured it was from resizing the brass too much since it doesn't happen with every headstamp. Whatever the problem is, you seem to have it worse than I do.

 

[B]

Yeah my first guess was that that line was right at the case head at the beginning of the web but it doesn't appear to be so in my case. So without having given that much thought I'm really not too sure what the issue is.

Given the strength of the 92 action and the fact my gun is a brand new CBC made rifle I'm guessing it's somewhat normal. At least in my case. I will take a better look at the cases that have the bulge and I haven't resized later and take some quick photos. Maybe we'll be able to see some consistencies in the issue.

 

[Gillen1]

Given the strength of the 92 action and the fact my gun is a brand new CBC made rifle I'm guessing it's somewhat normal. At least in my case. I will take a better look at the cases that have the bulge and I haven't resized later and take some quick photos. Maybe we'll be able to see some consistencies in the issue.

In some recent googling, it seems the marlin 1894 has similar issues and is fairly normal with
Them. I guess to aid in feeding the chamber is a bit roomy.

 

[B]

^that would make sense. These same loads aren't causing any issues at all in my revolvers. I only have one rifle so nothing to compare to.

 

[Smcx]

I’d send that back for repair or refund. My Rossi didn’t do that and I wouldn’t expect it to.

 

[RRH.01]

All 1892s and clones will do that, look where your feed ramp is cut into the chamber and where the bulge is in the brass, the case is just unsupported there. Not defective in any way.

 

[Gillen1]

All 1892s and clones will do that, look where your feed ramp is cut into the chamber and where the bulge is in the brass, the case is just unsupported there. Not defective in any way.

I'm new to levers and straight wall cartridges. I have a winchester 1892 and brass is straight as can be really. That's why I am concerned about it since the Chiappa is different. It seems to be more common and I guess if its not an issue, will probably not result in me sending it in.

 

[Janeau]

Your gun work well with factory ammo..it’s not defective. No gun has a warranty to provide nice case for reloading after firing.
Thats not a requirement.

 

[alpining]

It will definitely shorten the life of your brass, but increase reliability in dirty field conditions. Baggy chambers seem to be common with these rifles, even if they warranty it there's no guarantee that a replacement would be any better.

Also, it's not necessarily just a "hot vs cool" ammo thing - Crimp and OAL especially (depending on bullet ogive) can have a pretty big impact on peak pressures.

 

[Gillen1]

The front sight is also canted a bit to the left. I think I can adjust with rear sight and have a skinner peep on the way for it as well. I think I will shoot it a bit more to see some difference in crimp and oal. I have more factory ammo to try , as I only fired 5 of the 40 I have. The bulge was least noticeable on the factory stuff. Brass seems to be same thickness in the neck and body with the hornady and Winchester, but my callipers only go so far.

I do fear that a replacement would have same results. So if I can live with the front sight being off a bit, I’ll just stick with it and keep an eye on the brass as I load. I do value reliability over anything else with rifles so we will see what ends up happening.

But I did reach out to SFRC, who are the warranty depot for Chiappa, and they were very quick getting back to me about sending it back.

It will definitely shorten the life of your brass, but increase reliability in dirty field conditions. Baggy chambers seem to be common with these rifles, even if they warranty it there's no guarantee that a replacement would be any better.

Also, it's not necessarily just a "hot vs cool" ammo thing - Crimp and OAL especially (depending on bullet ogive) can have a pretty big impact on peak pressures.

 

[Smcx]

I say send it back. You have nothing to lose. Tell them about the front sight as well. It’s stupid to just accept a shoddy product for over a thousand dollars.

 

[Gillen1]

Ya the more I think about it, I think I will send it in. Even if I’m just out shipping it’s prob worth it to have it looked at. I was slightly hesitant buying a Chiappa, and so far not super glad I did.

I say send it back. You have nothing to lose. Tell them about the front sight as well. It’s stupid to just accept a shoddy product for over a thousand dollars.

 

[Big Uke]

I agree with "return it".
I had the same case issues with a .303 rifle, but those were made to have a generous chamber dimension to allow dirty rounds to be fired under difficult wartime conditions. That's to be expected with an 80 year old surplus rifle, not a new firearm.

 

[Smcx]

A generous chamber doesn’t cause a bulge. The chamber should still be uniform if it’s generous. The front sight shouldn’t be canted. Way too many people accepting of crap like this these days.