Should I be concerned about these case shoulders?

dfraser

dfraser

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Hi all,

I reload 338-378 Weatherby Magnum

I just noticed that I have a few cases that the shoulders are completely flat, wondering if I should be concerned about these particular cases?

The one on the left is a normal one, in the picture



There are 4 cases in the lot that this has happened, I am thinking that these happened during the setup of my new redding neck sizing die.

Regards
 
I did something similar with a Lee collet die - something catches the neck and drives it down, collapsing the shoulder.

2 possible causes that I can think of (the CGN Brain Trust will no doubt have others):

1. Die screwed down too deep; or
2. Die not cleaned/degreased prior to first use (or residue buildup).
3. Confirm correct bushing (if a neck bushing version of the die is being used) to make sure the neck didn't hang up on a narrow bushing (thicker neck walls could in theory cause this).

Not fireable or salvageable - don't risk damaging your firearm for a few pieces of brass. Pull the components and start afresh.
 
If you can chamber the brass... I doubt it... you can salvage these cases WITHOUT shooting a bullet. Light charge of pistol powder, cornmeal, piece of paper towel ... pop at the range, brass is useable.

Remember that the case can and will headspace off the belt. It just needs to get into the chamber.... maybe run through a FL sizer enough so it will chamber.

If too much hassle, toss them but at $4 a piece, I would try and salvage them.

I would definitely find out what caused the problem in the first place.

Jerry
 
If those chamber, shoot them. The only condition you have created, if they chamber, is increased freebore. What can happen??? The necks are in their proper position in the chamber and the bullet has no place to go but down the bore.

Freebore was how Roy Weatherby kept the pressures generated by his famous overbore capacity cartridges under control.

IMHO those rounds are safe to shoot if they feed and chamber.

Just for full disclosure I have personally shot ammunition with the same issues without a hiccup on several occasions. They made great fouling rounds. In a few instances I took the depriming rod out of the sizing die and ran the cases up into the die until they chambered. They may not be accurate but they aren't dangerous either and the cases will be fireformed back to proper dimensions.
 
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First thing is to find out WHY so as to not repeat the issue.
If you are going to try and save the brass I would follow Jerry from Mystic Precision advice.
Very easy to do and no chance of damaging your equipment.
I have done it and had no problems.
If they don't chamber I would try to resize then then fire form.
David
 
So the cases were like that BEFORE you filled with powder and seated the bullets?
I've seen similar destruction with a seat/crimp die set wrong.
 
Hitzy said:
So the cases were like that BEFORE you filled with powder and seated the bullets?
I've seen similar destruction with a seat/crimp die set wrong.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same as I have had similar happen when using the seating die to crimp and a couple cases were not trimmed to the same length as my others. Looked exactly like those.
 
dfraser said:
Hi all,

I reload 338-378 Weatherby Magnum

I just noticed that I have a few cases that the shoulders are completely flat, wondering if I should be concerned about these particular cases?

The one on the left is a normal one, in the picture



There are 4 cases in the lot that this has happened, I am thinking that these happened during the setup of my new redding neck sizing die.

Regards
Click to expand...

Looks seriously FUBAR to me......... pull them apart, keep the powder and bullet, trash the brass
 
It looks like you were seating the bullets and crimping them as a single step.I have caused this collapsed shoulder problem before reloading for .416 Rigby but never heard of it with with Weatherby brass.

If that is how you did it,do seating and crimping as separate steps.First turn down the die until it touches the brass then turn it back half a turn and seat the bullets.Now crimp all cartridges as a second step.
 
We have all done that by setting a seater or neck sizer too deep.

If that was my brass, i would pull the bullet and run it through the FL sizer.

Then I would load it with the cheapest bullet I have and fire form the brass.
 
HuntersStand said:
It looks like you were seating the bullets and crimping them as a single step.I have caused this collapsed shoulder problem before reloading for .416 Rigby but never heard of it with with Weatherby brass.

If that is how you did it,do seating and crimping as separate steps.First turn down the die until it touches the brass then turn it back half a turn and seat the bullets.Now crimp all cartridges as a second step.
Click to expand...

BINGO!

I did the exact same thing with .303 British. Seating and crimping in same step can collapse your shoulders if die not set up right, or if cases not evenly trimmed.
 
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