brass with ejector marks

[.243]

Is it safe to reload brass that has ejector marks from hot loads ?

 

[stool]

Re: brass with extractor marks

extractor or EJECTOR ??
WHAT RIFLE
what caliber/cartridge ??

 

[.243]

Re: brass with extractor marks

Sorry meant ejector. It's a rem 700 in .243

 

[DOGCAPPER]

Mike the head expansion and the overall length. The head should not be over 0.002 of loading diagram dimensions.

 

[stool]

in my opinion..it gets down to personal qualification of just how deep those marks are....
a load that pushes brass into the ejector hole in the bolt face is not a "normal" load in normal conditions.

i would look at the base up about .2/.3 and look for stretching inside the case.

a single hot load in a tight chamber may just warrant a good fl sizing, but in a loose "factor chamber" it might be trash.

the word is mic as in micometer...not mike as in someones name.

 

[XTR]

pay attention to the seating pressure on your primers (use a hand tool)

If the primers go it too easy or if the brass doesn't want to fit into your shell holder on your press you've broken it.

 

[243winxb]

Some factory ammo with show a light ejector mark. Look for loose primer pockets.

Overload on left. Primer fell out. Lightest load on the right. www.photobucket.com/joe1944usa

 

[XTR]

Oh yea, lube on cases, lube in the chamber or wet cases will cause that too (along with a stiff bolt lift)

 

[.243]

Don't have access to Mic at home, have one at work. I'd already fl resized
Them and then started thinking would they be safe, had one piece that was
Quite tight in the shell holder. Haven't primed them yet thanks for all the
replys.

 

[243winxb]

Looks like scrap brass now.

 

[.243]

Yeah going to scrap it. Only 20 or so pieces thankfully the rest are ok. Like XTR said I must have left lube on the cases or got them wet , I was a full grain below maximum load.

 

[stool]

a full grain below BOOK max load ??
or a full grain below max load for your rifle.....???

does not look good..not at all...

 

[.243]

Sorry below max load on hodgdons website. min load 33gr max load 35gr i was at 34gr using varget and 95gr hornady sst's .

 

[Dgd6mm]

Scrap them, keep the chamber and the brass clean and dry. Is your FL sizing die set up to bump the shoulder back .001-.002 ?

 

[SWThomas]

I also let the primer pockets tell me if the brass is done.

 

[M-61]

Yeah going to scrap it. Only 20 or so pieces thankfully the rest are ok. Like XTR said I must have left lube on the cases or got them wet , I was a full grain below maximum load.

A few weeks ago there was a very informative thread regarding cases that have ANY lube on them and what happens. Without the brass having the ability to grasp the sides of the chamber due to the lube it put unreal force on the bolt (face, lugs). It even went into the Brits proofing rifles by applying lube for their test.
I probably have some of this wrong and I believe the thread was deleted because the wheels started to come off. One part I got right was dry cases (and Chamber) are a must. I'd like to re-read it. But if you "might" have left lube on the cases it is something consider.

 

[CaptainMal]

Scrap if both shell holder and primer pockets have issues.

Might have been a normal load but other issues, like carbon fouling, may have come into play.

 

[.243]

Scrap them, keep the chamber and the brass clean and dry. Is your FL sizing die set up to bump the shoulder back .001-.002 ?

Im using a Lee fl die installed as the instructions say.

 

[amlevin]

I also let the primer pockets tell me if the brass is done.

Which can be after just a couple of loadings if it's "FC" brass.

 

[BoydAllen]

The long and short of it is that the Lee Instructions are, being as polite as possible, oversimplified. Here they are, for any who have not read them.
http://leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/RM3508.pdf
The whole body of modern accuracy reloading information sharply contradicts these instructions (as to how to set a FL die). The proper way to set up a full length die is to take exact measurements of a fired case, using one of the several tools designed for the job, and to set the die for a specific datum line to head dimension. Rather than go into all of the details as to how this is best done, I will simply recommend that you do some research on various forums that cater to precision shooting and reloading, and then come back with any unanswered questions, or to verify the correctness of what you have found. I am not saying that this is what caused your cases to extrude into your rifle's ejector hole, just that you should probably choose a more sophisticated approach to setting your FL dies. Recently there was a thread on another site in which one poster extolled the virtue of following manufacturers' instructions to the letter when adjusting a rifle scope. The instructions that I posted a link to above, are a perfect example of why this is often not the best way to proceed. Neither they, or the scope instructions were intended to be anything more that basic, and both omit information that can be very important for the most critical, and technically sophisticated users.