Case head failure in my 30-06, is this the rifle or the ammo?

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

I was shooting the other with my 30-06 but with a .32 ACP adapter and when I went into my range bag, I happened to notice a crack in one of the casings. It was a once fired factory Federal. All other cases all have a very noticeable ridge that is easily felt which are of varying brands from Remington, to federal, to 50 year old surplus ammo. A once fired reload from a friend was originally fired in his rifle has no ridge. What is going on here?

Crack
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77680901@N05/6839804772/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77680901@N05/6985925997/in/photostream

Reference casings
Varying brands are seen here, it's not just Remington cases in there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77680901@N05/6985926163/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77680901@N05/6839805324/in/photostream

Sorry about the rust, I'm not a big 06 fan and rarely shoot it. The rifle is a Savage 30-06

 

[rcmodel]

If you are cracking factory loads on the first firing, your rifle has excess headspace.

See a gunsmith.

rc

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

That is the only cracked casing I've had but what about the bulges? Same thing?

 

[jnoble87]

Oh yeah...If its doing that, it's not gripping the chamber right because it's sliding backwards. You got a head-spacing issue there I'd reckon.

 

[briansmithwins]

That crack in that area is classic excess headspace.

BSW

 

[rcmodel]

If its doing that, it's not gripping the chamber right because it's sliding backward.

Quite the contrary.

If it wasn't gripping the chamber, and if it was sliding back?
It wouldn't have stretched and cracked.
It would have just blown the shoulder foreword to make zero headspace.

But it didn't.
It stuck to the chamber, stretched, and cracked.

rc

 

[jnoble87]

Thank you for correcting me RC. I figured wrong. My mistake.

 

[RPRNY]

These are your reloads? To a factory or mild load, or are they hottish? Primers good, no flattening on first firing? Are they chambering easily? Just wondering about 1) COL prior to second firing and 2) whether you have some hottish loads with the bullet pushed against the lands? Something is giving you pressure spikes to be getting that case reaction out of a single firing. I suppose the other end of the equation is deeper bullet seating than the norm, perhaps in conjunction with a vicious crimp of some kind?

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

Those are factory of various loadings and brands. The casings were all mixed.

 

[rcmodel]

Again, if your are getting case head seperations on the first firing of factory loads?

You have really excess headspace.
You need to get it fixed pronto.

rc

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Let me add this -- a blown case head can release gas into every crack and crevase of the action, resulting in a split stock, wrecked magazine well, and possibly personal injury.

 

[FlyinBryan]

another vote for excessive headspace. without a doubt.

and if its with new or once fired,,,,, it is quite excessive. possible unsafe.

pick up a set of gages, or at least a 30-06 field reject gage and remove the extractor and ejector and see if the bolt closes free and easy.

i would bet it does.

 

[bigedp51]

The Savage/Stevens actions have a very good gas venting system located on both sides of the action in case of a case head separation.



The British Enfield rifle below was loaded with a .303 cartridge ready to separate and the action was wrapped with a sheet of paper to cover the vent holes.



The case head separated and the paper was not blown apart or shredded from venting gas.



Case head separations are not the same as a catastrophic case failures due to extreme high pressure overload.



The stuck case remover was issued to British armourers to remove stuck cases that happened all the time in the field.

Headspace on the Savage series of rifles is very easy to adjust by screwing the barrel in or out and then just tightening the barrel nut.

 

[mastiffhound]

30-06 with 32 acp adapter? Isn't a 32 acp bullet a bigger circumference than 30-06? I would like to know more about this! I have heard about adapters to fire 20 gauge out of a 12 gauge but have heard nothing about this.

 

[303tom]

30-06 with 32 acp adapter? Isn't a 32 acp bullet a bigger circumference than 30-06? I would like to know more about this! I have heard about adapters to fire 20 gauge out of a 12 gauge but have heard nothing about this.

I shoot .32 ACP in my .308 all the time...........O yeah you have a head space problem FIVETWOSEVEN.

 

[NCsmitty]

As bigedp51 mentioned, A Savage rifle with a barrel nut is easily changed/adjusted, using a headspace gauge and setting the barrel at the proper distance to gain the correct, safe headspace. That should solve the case cracking situation.


NCsmitty