So im out scrounging brass........

[Hotwheels81]

Any indicators that i should look for on any of the brass i have? I did chuck anything that had a dent in the case or cracks in it. Anything else? I do have some rds that are a darker color around the neck area. Are those signs of a hot load?

a bit of black around the neck means nothing really... probably either a bit of soot in the throat or maybe some lube left on the neck from the last reloader...

the F C and W W Super head stamped cases should yeild alot of reloads if you dont push the max load's... i have some i'm going on 13 reloads with, watch the ingman cases! if you have any and there's a black mark around the primer flatten the case and discard.... if the primer is really easy to remove then flatten it as well...

i fell in love with a tic-tac in .223 at our local range... something about shooting tennis balls at 300m with cheap UMC FMJ's that appeals to me

 

[tiriaq]

You have to check the inside of a case to see incipient separation. If it is really bad, you can see it on the outside. This is not the expansion ring. It will be a frosted ring ahead of the expansion ring. There will be a groove running around the inside of the case, perhaps 1/4" or 5/16" up. Some people use a little steel probe (bent paperclip) to feel for it. If you find one, section the head portion of the case, and you will see what it really looks like.
I once sorted a sandbag full of brass fired in issue rifles. About 20% had incipient separation.
Now a separated case in a .303 usually does no harm, but it is still something to avoid.