Signs brass is "shot"

LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1

LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1

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I was wondering what the signs that brass has reached the end of its life are. I reload 303Brit and i heard it does not have a long life so I will have to check the brass quite often.
 
aside from visible case cracks, you can check for incipient head separation by "feeling" the inside of the case with a 90º bent paperclip. If there's a case thinning, you'll find it pretty nicely/
 
x2 on the bent paperclip. My SVT-40 is notorious for stretching the cases & causing head separations. My Savage .303 does it also occasionally. Other than that just do a good visual check while prepping your brass. Loose primer pockets are also an indication of wear or too hot loads.
Full length sizing reduces brass life. If the loads are being used in a bolt gun, I suggest neck sizing only. This will dramatically increase your brass life. Brass for semi's, lever's, & pumps should always be full length sized. Neck sized brass should only be used in the same firearm, because of differences in chambers.
 
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enfields are known for streaching brass.

Neck size only and the brass will last many loadings, and if you aneal the necks they will last that much longer (+10 loads no problems)

If you full lenght size you will get case head seperation, watch for the shiny ring above the case web. If you don't aneal occasionaly you will get cracks in the mouth of the case from work hardning.

Cheers and good shooting
 
Here's some pics of some 300 win mag brass in various stages of failure. Look for the light rings above the belt. The impending failures get worse going from left to right. The last pic is of the far right case after I gave it a not very hard tug with a pair of pliers.


Shells007.jpg


Shells006.jpg


Shells008.jpg
 
If you've got a #4 you could have the headspace checked and potentially get a replacement bolt head to tighten things up.
 
Ok thanks, I will probably get around 3-4 reloads since i only have full sizer. Maybe 5 if i keep the loads light.
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i have some ingman .303 brass here going on round #8... it really depends on the rifle as to how long the brass will last... dont forget to check for loose primer pockets and any primers showing trace of gas blowby should be discarded.

on a side note i have 200 sized and primed cases here for a yote hunting trip in sask come early spring... guess i should get some powder!
 
how can you tell if a primer pocket is loose? I went to the range today and test fired some reloads and on about 8/10 the primers had come out a little. i was told this was due loose head spacing but when i fired some factory ammo the primers stayed the same.
 
I went to the range today and test fired some reloads and on about 8/10 the primers had come out a little. i was told this was due loose head spacing but when i fired some factory ammo the primers stayed the same.
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there are alot of opinions and a few well noted reasons a primer will back out of a case when you fire the round.... heres the 2 most common reasons.

#1 Light reload's, not enough case pressure to stretch the case back to the bolt face and take up the headspace so your left with a bit of the primer sticking out...

#2 excessive headspace, fire as hot of a load as you like it wont reseat that primer... got an old winchester here in 38-55 that damn near spits the primer out of the case when you fire it because the actions so worn it wont lock the bolt closed... its a safe queen now.


you verified this with factory ammo because it will reseat the primer = example #1, what load did you try? bullet weight, powder weight, primer, outside temp etc etc?

if your paranoid about it you can take the rifle to a gunsmith who has a headspace gauge and get them to check but i highly doubt that is the issue.
 
LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1 said:
how can you tell if a primer pocket is loose? I went to the range today and test fired some reloads and on about 8/10 the primers had come out a little. i was told this was due loose head spacing but when i fired some factory ammo the primers stayed the same.
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This sounds more like a low pressure issue to me than it does a loose primer pocket. Upon firing, the pressure generated from the cap firing pushes it part way out, but due to the low pressure the case does not set back against the bolt face with enough force to drive it back in.

If the primer was backed out due to excessive head spacing, the case would have likely failed as it tried to stretch to match the length from the bolt face to the shoulder of the chamber. But have the headspace checked to be sure.

You know you have a loose primer pocket when there is no resistance to the primer being seated.
 
ya thats a lite load... thats 3.5gr under starting load for 180gr bullets in my LEE 2nd Edition... i would step it up to about 41gr and keep going till you get desired results on paper.

just tossing this out there for others to see... here are some dramatic headspace pic's from my 38-55 and a pic of a reduced load primer stickout from my .303... for the .303 i think the load was 34gr of H4895 with Hornady 174gr RN's.



if your rifle does this i strongly suggest a piece of string and an old tire if you want to hear it go BANG.
DSCN0384.jpg


here you can clearly see the primers did not burst but they are about 1/3 of the way out of the pocket.
DSCN0385.jpg


here is a lite load fired from my hunting rifle... SMLE No1 Mk3, not much stickout but its very easy to feel with a finger nail.
DSCN0386.jpg


no pressure signs on the primer, no smoke ring around it, just a clean yet slightly off center hit from the fireing pin.
DSCN0389.jpg
 
it could damage the bolt face if the primer blows out... but thats a big "if"... if you have a bullet puller then you had best get to work... if not and you chose to fire them dont let anyone stand to your left at the range.
 
Enfield bolt heads can be changed to allow for headspacing issues and lever action can have their bolt faces plated at any machine shop to take up the slack.Neck sizing dies will get you a lot more milage with the .303 provided they are used in the same gun.Harold
 
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