Load Master
Member
Had this happen after just three loads. Lake City brass, .308 Winchester.
How may reloads do you typically get from your .308 Win cases?
How may reloads do you typically get from your .308 Win cases?
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Yes to the time. I'm pretty confident on the system setup. The rifle has over a 100 rounds through it with zero operation issues. This is the only case to split. I am thinking the issue is the brass. I purchased this as "Once Fired". I now believe that this brass, or some of it came from an auto fire gun. Original sizing of some of the brass was difficult. I won't make that mistake again.AR 308 DPMS. Auto loading parts guns may have other issues then just cartridge/chambers headspace?
One may be the action opening to soon? This would allow the brass to stretch.
Buffer springs and amount of gas may be something to check?
Light loads may let the brass head to datum measurement get shorter on firing. The next full pressure loading may stretch the brass on firing.
Brass can be damaged on the very first firing, if headspace is excessive. May take 2 or 3 loading till there is a separation.
Could be just 1 bad brass. Time will,tell.
The damage may have been done on that first firing, and just showed up after you fired it a couple more times. I would still measure where my shoulder is on brass fired a couple of times with full power loads, vs after FL sizing, just to be sure you are not sizing a little too much. So you are shooting these in an auto?I purchased this as "Once Fired"
I bought some LC LR brass that was said to be fired in bolt guns, but I had some cases that were so resistant to sizing I scrapped them. They could be sized, but I had to adjust the sizer down more to do it, which made it unusable with the softer brass without re-adjusting it.Original sizing of some of the brass was difficult. I won't make that mistake again.
As I mentioned earlier, this was purchased brass and I am certain that some or all were originally shot from auto fire guns, ex military brass. It was difficult to resize and maybe I shouldn't have. I won't do this again if I run into it. The brass from other sources and that I have fired from my gun all size with very little effort. I have all the suspect cases market and I'll inspect them for signs of separation before reloading. I may scrap them after a couple of reloads or sooner and get something totally different.If I don't get 20 loads on 308win, I'd think something was terribly amiss. There are always those few fluke cases in any batch which will split or separate early, but if I had a high percentage of cases within a batch of 308win separating at 3 loads, I'd stamp it immediately as "not right," and be looking at the brass, my resizer, and my rifle.
You are 100% correct sir. I will not do this again. I learned a lesson on buy brass I didn't know before this. I've manage to pick up some brass from my local range that was good stuff compared to what I purchased.Buying once fired lake city brass pretty much assures it was fired from a machine gun. That alone will stretch the brass a lot more.
If you have a case gage and you still have some you haven't sized yet check them to see if they stick way out of the gage (more than ~1/4". If so, they may have been really blown out and stretched to the point that you won't get many firings out of them