Question about RWS brass

[4xforfun]

I have 100 pieces of RWS 375 H&H brass I got when I bought a used 300 WBY ( BAT, McMILLAN MBR, Etc...) about 10 years ago. It was owned by a multiple IBS 1000 yard national champion and at least one IBS shooter of the year winner. Most of the brass was already fire formed to 300 WBY and sized and cleaned to within an inch of its life, and I FF'd the rest 10 years ago...just never used the brass. The problem is that the primer pockets are ALL way loose.....and all the same.

Any reason for this, other than VERY hot FF loads? Is there any history of this with RWS brass. There are zero other viseble PSI related problems...like ejector marks.

Thanks,
Tod

 

[billshehane]

Tod

I have never used the .375 RWS brass but have used truck loads of RWS .404 brass in many different wildcats over the years. Pounded on em much harder than needed and never lost a primer. RWS back then was as good as it gets and if the reamer is ground to correct specs it would have to be hit very hard to loose a primer pocket.
I shot 300 Ackley. for years and used the 300Wby. brass to fire form and it worked very well. Got plenty to sell new, non turned , turned, fireformed only and turned for .336 necks or larger.
My suggestion would be to trash that brass unless you run the chance of etching your bolt face.

Just an ole mans thoughts.

Good luck

Bill

 

[4xforfun]

Tod

I have never used the .375 RWS brass but have used truck loads of RWS .404 brass in many different wildcats over the years. Pounded on em much harder than needed and never lost a primer. RWS back then was as good as it gets and if the reamer is ground to correct specs it would have to be hit very hard to loose a primer pocket.
I shot 300 Ackley. for years and used the 300Wby. brass to fire form and it worked very well. Got plenty to sell new, non turned , turned, fireformed only and turned for .336 necks or larger.
My suggestion would be to trash that brass unless you run the chance of etching your bolt face.

Just an ole mans thoughts.

Good luck

Bill

Hey Bill...good to hear from you!!

I dug through the brass and found 2 that hadn't been fire formed yet....just primed. Easy to spot once you laid them next to a ff'ed piece. Anyway, I knocked the new primer out and re-primed with another primer. They were PLENTY tight. Actually, they weren't new pieces either...they must have been shot as a 375 H&H at least once......they were very shiny on the outside, but they had carbon residue inside the brass.....obviously fired.

I also measured the web on both these brass against my stock of norma brass.

New Norma..... .450
1x fired norma.... .4525...fairly stiff "F" class loads
Non ff'd RWS..... .470
FF'd .... .474 - .475.

Looks like the RWS is thicker in the web area, but not sure if this revealed anything new.

I think will take your advice and trash all 100

Thanks, and good to hear from you,
Tod

 

[4xforfun]

....Also...I just weighed both brands.....WOW...what a difference!!

Norma came in at 223 grains (4 pieces with fired primers)
RWS came in at 278 grains (4 pieces with fired primers)

I'm sure that loads that are safe in the Norma brass could be overloads in the RWS.

Just rambling,
Tod