308 case head separation
- Thread starter john1c
- Start date
John,
has your case formed a visible shiny line at the case-head body junction. Have you straightend out a paperclip and passed it over that junction on the inside of the case. If you feel it catch what feels like a crack then it might be time to retire that piece of brass. If you don't feel a crack, reload it. I personally think your primer pockets will loosen and your necks will give out and split before you start to get case head seperation even though you are loaded on the upper end. Are you full length re-sizing every time? Do you have the means to anneal your necks?
I have a matched set of 50 pcs of Hornady brass that has been reloaded 14 times and is still going strong.
Do a visual inspection before each reload and cull suspect brass.
has your case formed a visible shiny line at the case-head body junction. Have you straightend out a paperclip and passed it over that junction on the inside of the case. If you feel it catch what feels like a crack then it might be time to retire that piece of brass. If you don't feel a crack, reload it. I personally think your primer pockets will loosen and your necks will give out and split before you start to get case head seperation even though you are loaded on the upper end. Are you full length re-sizing every time? Do you have the means to anneal your necks?
I have a matched set of 50 pcs of Hornady brass that has been reloaded 14 times and is still going strong.
Do a visual inspection before each reload and cull suspect brass.
John1c, Case separation is not caused from the number of times your brass has been reload, it's cause by overworking your brass by not having your die set up properly. You would be surprised how many folks just take a standard full length die and screw it into their press until it touches the shell holder and then back it off a little and believe they should be good to go. What's important is that you DO NOT BUMP THE SHOULDER OF YOUR BRASS BACK TO FAR CAUSING EXCESSIVE HEADSPACING BETWEEN THE BRASS SHOULDER AND THE FRONT OF YOUR CHAMBER. Because when you do that you cause the brass to become overworked from the constant stretching when fired and being pushed back excessively everytime you resize it. You need to purchase a tool if you don't already own one that will allow you to measure the length of your rireformed brass from the shoulder to the base of the case head, preferably after depriming the case. Then measure a couple of your full sized resized brass, this will tell you exactly how far your bumping back your shoulders. Then set up your sizing die to bump the shoulder back no more then .002. There are various tools sold that will allow you to do this. The best I've found to date is the new Digital Head Space Gauge sold by Innovative Technologies. It's simple to set up, easy to use and fairly priced and will also performs other necessary measurement functions. This tool sure beats attaching a comparator body to your caliper and then inserting the correct size bushing in the body and fussing around trying to get the brass aligned perfectly straight to insure a correct measurement. I sure hopes this helps to point you in the right direction. Their web suite shows the tool and explains the process. Wishing you good luck and safe reloading.
Regards
RJ
Regards
RJ
Do you have a link for them?
Not the calliber you are using but it's the right tool
RCBS - Precision Micrometer 270 Winchester Short Magnum,WSM)
Product Number: RC88315
Web Product Title: RC PRECISION MIC 270 WSM
Item Price: $50.74
Availability: In Stock
Shipping Weight: 0.57 lb.
few twists of the Precision Mic and you'll know your chamber headspace and bullet seating depth to 0.001'. The Precision Mic measures from a datum point on the case shoulder to the base, giving you the exact SAAMI tolerance readings. An indispensable tool for safe, accurate loads that extend the life of your brass and firearm.
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=RC88315
RCBS - Precision Micrometer 270 Winchester Short Magnum,WSM)
Product Number: RC88315
Web Product Title: RC PRECISION MIC 270 WSM
Item Price: $50.74
Availability: In Stock
Shipping Weight: 0.57 lb.
few twists of the Precision Mic and you'll know your chamber headspace and bullet seating depth to 0.001'. The Precision Mic measures from a datum point on the case shoulder to the base, giving you the exact SAAMI tolerance readings. An indispensable tool for safe, accurate loads that extend the life of your brass and firearm.
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=RC88315
john1c said:
John.
If you are worried about head separation while you are shooting it will affect your scores.
To ease your mind select a piece of brass and hacksaw it down the middle lengthwise,clean it up with a file or belt sander and deburr.
Now you can see the thickness of the brass.
A few suggestions.
46 gr. of varget is a bit stiff with a 168 smk and is not needed at 600.
Shoulder bump your brass only .002.
If you are full length sizing each time keep a good eye on overall length.
My loads,depending on case volume run from 43 to 44.5 of varget with the 168 smk and do well out to 800 yds.
Chuck.
john1c .....
Few shooters fully understand that chamber clearance,at the shoulder) needs to be kept to a minimum, like -.002' or less. This tool is very simple to operate, and it accurately measures chamber clearance at the shoulder. I developed this Digital Headspace Gauge to show how YOUR handloads fit in YOUR particular chamber.
Many shooters rely on bumping their shellholder into their resizing die to get their correct headspace. This is definitely not the best way to do it - not even close. Unlike the RCBS Precision Mic, our Digital Headspace Gauge works on ALL calibers. Unlike the Stoney Point tool,now Hornady) our gauge doesn't require using a collection of bushings to operate, and you also don't need to balance your cases on the blade of calipers to measure a case.
,This tool also measures the bullet jump to the rifling.) The link you asked for is www.larrywillis.com
- Innovative
Few shooters fully understand that chamber clearance,at the shoulder) needs to be kept to a minimum, like -.002' or less. This tool is very simple to operate, and it accurately measures chamber clearance at the shoulder. I developed this Digital Headspace Gauge to show how YOUR handloads fit in YOUR particular chamber.
Many shooters rely on bumping their shellholder into their resizing die to get their correct headspace. This is definitely not the best way to do it - not even close. Unlike the RCBS Precision Mic, our Digital Headspace Gauge works on ALL calibers. Unlike the Stoney Point tool,now Hornady) our gauge doesn't require using a collection of bushings to operate, and you also don't need to balance your cases on the blade of calipers to measure a case.
,This tool also measures the bullet jump to the rifling.) The link you asked for is www.larrywillis.com
- Innovative
John, let me know if you still need a 40S&W case. Does it need to be resized or just fired?
You would be surprised how many folks just take a standard full length die and screw it into their press until it touches the shell holder and then back it off a little and believe they should be good to go
RJ, I'm going to disagree with one aspect of your post. With a few exceptions, very little in reloading is cast in stone. There is most certainly a rifle/caliber combination that virtually never lends itself to anything other than FLS.
The 7.5 Swiss in the k31 and the zfk55,among a few others). Less than FLS usually ends up with sporadic chambering results in those rifles and case neck only sizing will be nothing short of frustration.
Point being, virtually all reloading rules are subjective, and the novice, within the bounds of safety, common sense and study, should be encouraged to determine what works well for his/her caliber and rifle. My own meager experience has proven that longevity of my brass depends solely on sizing methodology pertinent to the applicable rifle and annealing. YMMV
zfk55
*And, Innovative...... I think you've made a sale. I enjoy finding and buying these sorts of things for the reloading room. Keeps me feeling younger and interested.*
RJ, I'm going to disagree with one aspect of your post. With a few exceptions, very little in reloading is cast in stone. There is most certainly a rifle/caliber combination that virtually never lends itself to anything other than FLS.
The 7.5 Swiss in the k31 and the zfk55,among a few others). Less than FLS usually ends up with sporadic chambering results in those rifles and case neck only sizing will be nothing short of frustration.
Point being, virtually all reloading rules are subjective, and the novice, within the bounds of safety, common sense and study, should be encouraged to determine what works well for his/her caliber and rifle. My own meager experience has proven that longevity of my brass depends solely on sizing methodology pertinent to the applicable rifle and annealing. YMMV
zfk55
*And, Innovative...... I think you've made a sale. I enjoy finding and buying these sorts of things for the reloading room. Keeps me feeling younger and interested.*
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.