Skinnedknuckles
Member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2011
- Messages
- 249
I discovered a type of brass failure I've never read about before. I was decapping and priming some .35 Remington brass I'm using for "gallery loads" (I purchased the brass used and had reloaded it once) when the press handle seated the primer, paused then moved further (with a lurch) than I had ever felt it before.
I stopped and looked at the brass and saw the primer was drastically overseated, as can be seen in the first picture. I pressed out the primer and looked at the primer pocket. There was no flash hole, just a through hole into the case (second picture). This later happened with a second case.
I ground the first case so I could look at the cross section, which confirmed that there was not a flash hole (third picture). I sectioned another case of the same head stamp which did have a flash hole. When I polished it, I could see a crack or seam that mirror the remaining metal in the case without the flash hole (you may be able to see it in the fourth picture).
I would have expected to find a ring of brass in the case that would be the missing material with flash hole, but I did not find it in either case so I don't know where the material went. There were no unusual indications on the exterior of the cases, either.
I stopped and looked at the brass and saw the primer was drastically overseated, as can be seen in the first picture. I pressed out the primer and looked at the primer pocket. There was no flash hole, just a through hole into the case (second picture). This later happened with a second case.
I ground the first case so I could look at the cross section, which confirmed that there was not a flash hole (third picture). I sectioned another case of the same head stamp which did have a flash hole. When I polished it, I could see a crack or seam that mirror the remaining metal in the case without the flash hole (you may be able to see it in the fourth picture).
I would have expected to find a ring of brass in the case that would be the missing material with flash hole, but I did not find it in either case so I don't know where the material went. There were no unusual indications on the exterior of the cases, either.