.38 Special Case - 2nd time reload markings/damage?

[CavalierLeif]

Hi all,

Recently entered the world of reloading with a Lee Hand Press to "learn the ropes" - so far, I'm exclusively loading .38 special, with plans to soon move to .357 magnum. My first load was 3.4 gr of Bullseye with a Hornady 158 gr LSWCHP in Remington brass. The OAL is slightly under 1.5".

Shot through my first 50 today - Running them through my 4" S&W 686+ was a pleasure. All performed beautifully and delivered excellent groups.

However, after cleaning, resizing and priming all the brass, I noticed this marking on many of the cases. Rubbing my fingernail over it, I don't feel any inconsistency, and it doesn't show from the inside of the case. All of the cases have only been reloaded once. Anyone know what this is, and if it poses an issue with reloading the brass again?

Thanks much,
Leif

 

[hdwhit]

Welcome.

Since you say your fingernail doesn't hang up on it, my first thought would be that is is simply some discoloration where propellant gasses got around to the side of the case before the brass had a chance to fully expand into the chamber walls. That's easy enough to check. See if some:

• Dish detergent and water will clean it off, or
• Try rubbing lightly with some steel wool to see if it will clean off, or
• You can also use some Brasso* or similar metal polish to see if it will clean off.

If any of those methods cleans off the stripe then you know it was just powder residue.

Discolorations on the surface of the brass are generally nothing to worry about. An exception is the bright ring running around the case near the head on bottleneck cartridges which can be a sign of head separation, but you don't have to worry about it with straight-wall cases like 38 Special. You should have read about head separation in your reloading manual.

* Many will say you can't use Brasso on cartridge brass becase the ammonia in it is bad for the case. It is correct that long-term (i.e. months) of exposure to ammonia can cause something called "season cracking" (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season_cracking) in cold-formed brass that has not been properly annealed. The amount of ammonia in Brasso is tiny and the exposure time (minutes, not months) too short to pose any serious risk of degradation. Still, the idea that Brasso will cause cases to crack persists.

 

[rugerdude29]

I will add that I've had some occasional discoloration on cases from the oils left in the chambers. As long as it's just a discoloration, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Now, if you can feel it, or if it's like hdwhit says above, i.e. the bright ring, you're best bet is to just scrap the case.

 

[mdi]

Welcome to the wonderful, oft confusing and frustrating world of reloading

Is the mark on all cases fired? Is the mark identical from case to case? If you can't feel any scratch/indentation I would say the marks are just cosmetic and won;t affect the integrity of the case. See if the marks can be polished out with some fine steel wool (or scouring pads). If they come off easily then you've got no problems...

 

[peterk1234]

I'm new to reloading but here is what I tell myself with stuff like that ...."When in doubt, throw it out"

 

[.308 Norma]

I'm new to reloading but here is what I tell myself with stuff like that ...."When in doubt, throw it out"

Never a bad practice. And as an old, curmudgeon handloader with 40+ years experience, let me be the first to tell new reloaders that if they have doubts about cases that have a little discoloration like that one in the picture, to shoot me a PM. I'll take the discolored cases off your hands and dispose of them properly - no charge.

 

[Walkalong]

after cleaning, resizing and priming all the brass, I noticed this marking on many of the cases.

Nothing to worry about. If you're worried about how it looks, next time clean them up better and load them up.

 

[VAReloader]

Was the mark there prior to resizing?
It could also be a mark from your resizing die, I would clean the inside of the die thoroughly. It doesn't look that bad though, especially since you can't feel any abnormality.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Load em and shoot em, Lizabeth.

 

[CavalierLeif]

I noted in some of the cases, the line was barely visible, and in others, it appeared a bit deeper and could be physically felt at points. I've thrown out all of the latter and I'll be keeping an eye on the former. I was using a part-vinegar/hot water solution (approx. 1/5) to clean the cases, and I've read that vinegar could dissolve the brass. Though I wouldn't leave them in the solution for more than 2 hours at a time.

VAReloader, that was also one of my suspicions. However I tested my die with some "fresh" cases and that's no dice - none of them showed the scour.

Thanks to all who have contributed thus far - Reloading is a new world, and I appreciate all of the insight that is offered, taken appropriately. Manuals can only get me so far.

 

[Walkalong]

it appeared a bit deeper and could be physically felt at points.

As a crevice/scratch, or something built up on the case? It looks like crud/streak in crud from firing. It's a strange shape for a consistent scratch.

 

[Blue68f100]

You said you using a vinegar and hot water. Citric acid will passify the surface of the brass to prevent further corrosion. It could just have been the way it was laying in the bucket. Nothing to worry about. It's only when you start seeing the purple color that you start attacking the zinc in the brass.

 

[mdi]

Don't overthink this. Look closely at the "mark" and try to determine if there is any metal "removed". See if the mark goes below the surface. Try just wiping your brass with a mineral spirits dampened rag without using chemicals for cleaning (I did this for 12 years before I got a tumbler).

the 38 Special is a relatively low pressure round and those cases in your pics won't "put yer eye out"/blow up your gun. It seems to me you are tossing good brass...

 

[hdwhit]

Acetic acid can harm brass at high concentrations and prolonged exposure, but household vinegar is 3%, so you have a margin to work with. At 1:5 dilution, you should be safe at 2 hours, but I wouldn't go much beyond that. If the brass starts to turn tan in color, you're at the limit.

A lot of people use citric acid in the form of the dishwasher additive LemiShine. The same thing applies as with vinegar, the higher the concentration, the shorter the exposure time. Long exposure to citric acid turns brass black.

 

[hdwhit]

If you aren't already sure that this is only happening in certain chambers, try numbering them with a grease pencil, firing rounds from them, marking the cases as they come out and firing some more. If the same chamber puts the same mark on the brass then you know to look at the cylinder.