Neck Thickness Variations

[CatShooter]

hi catshooter, I've got proof of case wall blow out in my hand, if I could send pic's I would. been saving this for a couple of years. first off its head stamp is GRAF (always a good start) 7.5x55 shot out of a K-31. I know these rifles have generous everything but!! had a moving blanket on ground, when I cleaned up spent shell's found this one with a 1'' vert. split from just below shoulder to near the base. did not feel anything different during course of fire. but I still remember picking it up and thinking WTF!!! dogdude

That is not case blow out...

That is a case split.

 

[hogpatrol]

Popcorn, anyone?

;D

I'll get the beer. The semantics police movie is always fun to watch. ;D :'(

 

[dogdude]

Thanks Catshooter

 

[CatShooter]

I'll get the beer. The semantics police movie is always fun to watch. ;D :'(

Well, let's see. There are neck splits, shoulder splits, shoulder pleats, body splits, head separations, incipient head separations, pocket expansions, primer perforations, ejector stamps, ejector wipes...

... but what the hell. Why try to explain any of it so others can know what we are talking about.

We'll just say, "My neck blew, my shoulder detonated, by head exploded, my primer blew... "

You know, man, it like sounds, so like, cool to say something blew and detonated, instead of actually describing what the hell you are talkin' about.

Then people can use 4 pages of questions to try to narrow it down.

Ain't public edu-ma-cation wonnerful... you don't have to waste time with all them big confusing technical words.

 

[CatShooter]

Thanks Catshooter

Dog...

That is a drawing fault that comes from a small void in the brass billet (like a bubble). When the case is drawn, the bubble gets pulled up along the wall, and it winds up looking like a gouge from a "V" chisel.

When they are on the outside, the inspectors catch them at final inspection, but when they are on the inside, they show up after the first firing.

 

[bigedp51]

I could have asked my question at AR15.com or M4carbine.net, but I didn't because I didn't want a bunch of knuckle draggers arguing and screwing up my posting.

A simple neck thickness question and it descends into a pissing contest by people who weren't supposed to have hairy knuckles that drag on the ground.

I mean China can send a spaceship to land on the moon and I can't get a simple neck thickness question answered at accurateshooter.com.

 

[Martin52]

I think the first 2 responses actually did provide informed comment. You are talking about a significant variation in case neck thickness. I can only comment from a competitive shooting background where that amount of variance is sufficient to result in the brass being culled - or as Phil3 said..canned. However, such variance is not uncommon for a small percentage of cases in any given lot, hence my question whether these "few" cases are part of a much larger quantity and therefore not typical....in which case you might junk a small percentage, something most of us have to do with a small number of cases in most lots.

I agree with the first 2 posts and what Phil3 said, if that helps.

Martin

 

[Eddie Harren]

There are some, on this forum, who would gladly argue with a fence post over the color of the sky.

 

[bigedp51]

I just got a nice PM from CatShooter asking a few questions, so here goes.

It is once fired Remington .223 cases fired by our police, and I'm beginning to think the cases were seconds and rejected for standard ammunition. The cases were resized with a RCBS small base die and then the necks were expanded with a Sinclair expander die. The neck thickness was checked with a Redding case neck gauge.

So far only three cases had variations as large as .006 to .008 and these variations were not caused by dents or dings in the brass. The majority of the case necks are between .011 and .013, but a few sneak in that are .009 to .014. Added to this is its all mixed brass with weight variations and variations in flash hole web thickness.

I'm just starting to load some 69 grain SMK and want to load some "accurate" ammunition that will be fired in two different AR15 rifles with "large" military chambers. Meaning how picky should I be with a military type rifle?

Is .002 still a good standard for neck wall thickness? One AR15 is a 20 inch A2 HBAR (iron sights) and the other is a 16 inch carbine with a 1 to 3 powder scope.

I just want to find out what these two rifles are capable of, I only have 50 new Winchester cases that are very uniform compared to the Remington cases. Should I just load the Remington cases with 55 grain fmj and use it for blasting ammo. Again I have never seen cases before with so much variations in neck thickness, BUT I have never used mixed range pickup brass before either.

When I first got this free brass it was like a giant Christmas present but now I think Remington subcontracted this brass to China.

It would be nice to have input from AR15 shooters, both rifles are factory rifles with standard chrome chambers and bores.

As a side note I wouldn't be asking this question if I could buy new .223 brass, but the only thing available even now is once fired military type brass. And I was saving the new Winchester brass for my bolt action .223.

 

[CatShooter]

"Meaning how picky should I be with a military type rifle?"

I have a Colt SP-1 CAR, and if it even looks like 223, I'll shoot it in that CAR. And it always shoots. I cleaned it once - about 20 years ago... I think!!

For what you are doing, I would not get crazy anal - have fun instead of measuring case necks.

If it shot in the police guns, it WILL shoot in yours.

 

[37Lincoln1]

Watch for split necks in that brass after reloads.