Pressure issues or brass/die combination.

[Huntersuave]

I have this once fired brass from my tikka 308, I have noticed on most of not all (only these Winchester nickle cases, not on brass cases), a distinct line around the head of the case, assuming near the webbing. In research past I have seen some Information that might Indicate high pressure causing similar signs of over pressure in the same area. Keep in mind this was once fired FACTORY ammo. I was about to reload them but want to make sure this is good to go, in the one picture you can see where the scratches end and brass is smooth again, precisely where the line around the case is, I'm faulting the scratches to dirty cases from my lube pad(I now lube individually by hand)

 

[gman47564]

I think that line is just where you fl die stops...

 

[Zero333]

I think that line is just where you fl die stops...

I too think that.

 

[golong]

Pretty normal. If it had a noticeable slope I would be concerned. With that, the die could stand to be honed out a bit - more of a large chamber issue than a die issue, but honing is how you solve it.

 

[Zero333]

I tthink it's where the die didn't size because that part of the case didn't expand enough for the die to come in contact with.

 

[Huntersuave]

Pretty normal. If it had a noticeable slope I would be concerned. With that, the die could stand to be honed out a bit - more of a large chamber issue than a die issue, but honing is how you solve it.

is this something i can do or do i need to send it away for that? if so how does one go about honing the die? or just leave it as is and keep moving forward?

 

[Uncle Ed]

You stated that the scratches do not happen with brass cases "BUT" the scratches appear on the nickel plated cases.

Clean and polish your sizing die, you have gotten grit or nickel particles inside your dies and it is scratching your cases.

https://www.redding-reloading.com/tech-line-a-tips-faqs/149-scratched-cases-causes-and-cures
Tech Line & Tips (FAQs)
Scratched Cases: Causes and Cures
A problem that customers occasionally encounter while reloading, is that of cases being scratched in the reloading dies. There can be many reasons for this condition to occur, but they are usually traceable to the level of cleanliness of both the dies and the cases. Generally speaking, almost all instances of case scratching can be traced to foreign material that becomes imbedded in/or adheres to the inside surfaces of the die itself.

As a part of their final processing, Redding dies are cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner to remove any foreign material which may remain from the manufacturing process. This is the same procedure used to super-clean aerospace parts, hydraulic valve bodies, and the like.

Case scratching problems can usually be traced to the reloading area and some of the equipment that may be in or near it. A few guidelines that will help are listed below:

1. Keep the abrasive dust and particles from spent primers cleaned up and away from all equipment.
2. If you have a small bench grinder, it should be kept away from the reloading bench, preferably in another room.
3. Loading on the range, especially in windy or dusty conditions, can introduce cleanliness problems that can be hard to manage.
4. Case tumblers are another potential source of problems. While the cases may come out shiny, they will actually have a thin film of abrasive residue on them. Cases should be thoroughly cleaned and/or washed before going into the dies.
5. Nickel plated cases are often associated with die scratching problems. Small particles of the hard nickel plating may be present from trimming and/or deburring operations and can find their way inside the dies.
6. It is important to understand that foreign material does not have to be hard to cause problems. Brass chips from trimming and deburring can find their way inside the resizing die, where they can literally be welded to the inside of the die under the extreme pressures generated by full-length resizing. When this happens, the "brass against brass" action will gall the cases, leaving an apparent scratch. The condition will rapidly worsen as brass continues to build up.

Cleaning Your Dies

We are often asked, "How should I clean my dies?" The answer is to use the same procedures, with the same equipment and solvents, that you use to clean the bore of your rifle or handgun. Use the same diligence and effort as well, since the brushing and copper solvents will work well on any brass deposits that may have accumulated inside the die.

 

[Webster]

I think that line is just where you fl die stops...

Scratches can only come from hard particles. I thought that reloading Ni plated cases was a no no?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

The case expands where its thin but does not expand where its solid. I am puzzled by your post- you say its once fired factory brass but you noticed this when lubing them. Did you size this piece of brass? If not your chamber needs polishing. If yes your die needs polishing. Either way id keep on moving forward- its cosmetic but shows poor craftsmanship on your die or barrel

 

[Huntersuave]

The case expands where its thin but does not expand where its solid. I am puzzled by your post- you say its once fired factory brass but you noticed this when lubing them. Did you size this piece of brass? If not your chamber needs polishing. If yes your die needs polishing. Either way id keep on moving forward- its cosmetic but shows poor craftsmanship on your die or barrel

It’s not that I noticed when lubricating them, I assumed the cases were dirty from the dirty lube pad. And that’s what caused the scratched cases, this was my assumption. These are sized and primed, ready for charge and bullet. I noticed the scratches after sizing.

 

[Texas10]

Those scratches seem anything but random like contamination would inflict. Very regular spacing, very consistent in depth. Seems like a manufacturing process hallmark, but can't figure why.

Maybe the braintrust here can explain the consistency in damage to the case.

 

[Huntersuave]

These were also the very 1st batch of cases I had sized. Die was brand new

 

[JFrank]

I had brass look similar to that once. (Scratched up near the case head)
The die got replaced so after

 

[fyrewall]

Your scratches appear to be uniform in depth & spacing. Hard to imagine random deposits of hard crud causing such regular damage. Looking into the base of the hardened sizing die with a 10X magnifier might show a regular pattern of sharp dings or raised spots just inside the edge. I would not want to mess around polishing a hardened sizing die so sending the die back to the manufacturer should fix the problem.

Hard to believe that a regular pattern of defects in a chamber that could result in uniform damage in fired brass (scratches noticed after sizing). Clean up every thing real good, inspect, then duplicate the process looking for the same stuff.

I use my 10X Hastings triplet (from my former life), daily when messing around with bullets & stuff. The images are perfectly flat, no distortion and 10X is enough to see all sorts of stuff.

Edit: I had an internal roughness problem with a Forster F/L sizer die & they polished it - no charge. Dies should not need polishing and manufacturers generally take care to provide good dies. In any event, we are not positive the die caused the problem.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Id be happy to polish that die for you and send it back the day i get it. Im sure its in spec to the mfr so theres not much need in sending it back to them. Send me a pm if youd like to send it