What is the best .350 Remington Magnum brass

woodlotowner

woodlotowner

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The .350 Rem Mag split the case necks and shoulders on the second firing of the new Remington brass I purchased. The cracks are hairline and barely visible to the naked eye, but with the loup they are there. My loads were only a bit hotter than starting, so I certainly didn't expect this after two firings. I would like to source better brass for this caliber like Lapua or Nolser. Anyone know if there is some good brass available anywhere in Canada in .350?
 
I don't know of any brass manufactured for the .350 magnum other than Remington. Remington brass doesn't seem to be any more prone to splitting than other brass, so perhaps your chamber is on the large side. But now that you are aware of the problem, annealing the neck and shoulder of your new brass might alleviate the problem.
 
High pressure does not cause necks to crack or split. It is generally caused by brass that is not ductile enough, either through multiple firings (work hardening the brass), improper storage and exposure to chemicals (such as bleach), or improperly manufactured cases.
If your cases are splitting on the first firing then I would take it up with Remington. If there are splits after only two reloads, I would still consider taking it up with Remington. More reloadings than that, then the advice about annealing might help.
But, I have to admit that I have never had splits that needed a magnifying glass to see. Are they splits or scratches?
 
Al-Sway said:
High pressure does not cause necks to crack or split. It is generally caused by brass that is not ductile enough, either through multiple firings (work hardening the brass), improper storage and exposure to chemicals (such as bleach), or improperly manufactured cases.
If your cases are splitting on the first firing then I would take it up with Remington. If there are splits after only two reloads, I would still consider taking it up with Remington. More reloadings than that, then the advice about annealing might help.
But, I have to admit that I have never had splits that needed a magnifying glass to see. Are they splits or scratches?
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Thanks guys.

I'm stuck with Remington brass it would appear. The comments on the annealing are quite helpful. I have found a good site with info in this regard and will anneal all my existing Rem. brass. As for pursuing this with Remington, for the $50 I have 'invested' in brass in this caliber it is hardly worth it IMO.

The splits are visible to the eye at the case mouth in some cases (fortunately, since this is what alerted me to it when I was doing my usual detailed inspection of all prepped brass prior to reloading), but the ones in the neck and right on the shoulder's edge can only be distinguished by eye as very thin black lines that persisted after a good round in the tumbler. The loup reveals these to be the real deal in terms of actual breaks through the full thickness of the brass. They range in size from a few millimetres to almost a full centimetre. I've been loading for a while now (about 3 years) for numerous calibers and have never seen this, even on brass that has had multiple firings. I've never even read about it either.

The chamber on the 673 is in good shape. No worries. I'm going to chalk it up to brittle brass and anneal the rest of this sh*te. Some Lapua or Nosler would have been nice though.....
 
I guess you will have to try another lot of brass or anneal the stuff you have.
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x2 - used alot of remington 350RemMag brass over the years with out issues. If I find just one crack I figure it's time to anneal the lot again.

A follow up on Dan's comment - I bought this form die to make 350Rem brass from 7mmMag and 338Mag - works better than a FLsizer for the purpose which I've done also. I've never "needed" it but have it if factory brass becomes unavailable.
w ww.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0007683266
076-83266.jpg
 
I think many belted cartridges are full-length resized too much thus leading to premature cracking.
Avoid reworking that brass more than needed.
Instead of spacing on the belt, try to do it from the shoulder. Resize gradually until the case barely chambers and keep that setting. Do all your resizing with it.
PP.
 
Right then, I will anneal the stuff I have and see how that goes, but I think I will also order the Redding 'form and trim die' wherever I can find it available. It's listed as an item that 'may' be subject to export license for international orders, so I will explore this with Mid South. Looks like one goes down from .338 Win. to .350 Rem. Mag. according to the Redding site. Now I just have to research the .338 a bit, since all I know is that it appears to be the same belted case (not sure which case is the parent here). Maybe that's all I need to know, other than who makes it. I'm hoping Laupa does...
 
The standard length magnums (257 Wby, 264 Win Mag, 270 Wby, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Wby Mag, 300 Win Mag, 308 Norma Mag, 338 Win Mag, 358 Norma Mag) all come from the same basic case (shortened, then necked down or up, and reshaped as required 300 H&H, basically. Which is a necked down 375 H&H. Etc). 338 Would probably be the best combination of inexpensive (why you don't use 358 Norma) and ease of necking up after the shortening process. You'll have to watch the thickness of the necks, you are moving a lot of brass around. - dan
 
dan belisle said:
The standard length magnums (257 Wby, 264 Win Mag, 270 Wby, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Wby Mag, 300 Win Mag, 308 Norma Mag, 338 Win Mag, 358 Norma Mag) all come from the same basic case (shortened, then necked down or up, and reshaped as required 300 H&H, basically. Which is a necked down 375 H&H. Etc). 338 Would probably be the best combination of inexpensive (why you don't use 358 Norma) and ease of necking up after the shortening process. You'll have to watch the thickness of the necks, you are moving a lot of brass around. - dan
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Yes, it does look like a challenge. I'm think I can see why the Redding die is from .338 to .350, since this is the closest case it would seem.

http://www.stevespages.com/page8d.htm

I have been looking at case dimensions and there really is nothing terribly close the the .350 mag which is why, I think, it is sometimes referred to as the 'original' short magnum (heck, if my .270 WSM was a belted magnum it would be a closer fit!). The .338 case would require a shortening of .033" and the shoulder moved forward.....well, I don't actually see how it is very practical to make the dimensional changes needed for this conversion from any readily available case. Any case would have to be fire formed at some point to move the shoulder forward? The Redding kit comes with 'complete easy to follow' instructions and I always like a challenge. I may try it with Lapua or Nosler or Norma cases, in .338 Win Mag, and see what the outcome is. It's only money. Am I correct to assume that the .338 is the best candidate as Redding suggest?

First though, I think I will anneal the sh*te I have now and see how this works!

Did I mention I inherited this gun? Why would I own it otherwise. It is, however, one of my favourite rifles now so I'm stuck with it. :)
 
Alberta Tacticle Rifle Supply carried an assortment of Nosler brass (no idea if they have .350 RM or not). But they did do a great job bedding, trigger, restocking my .350 RM though. I just bought 100 virgin Rem brass, so I'm committed for a bit. So far nice results with the first 20 rounds.
 
Moosen said:
According to the latest Nosler catologue, .350 Rem Mag. brass is new to their line up. Not sure if it's avilable up here yet.
I think Laupa makes brass for Nosler.
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My experience with Nosler brass leads me to believe it is considerably "softer" than any Lapua brass I have ever used.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
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