Odd looking 9mm cases

[Harriw]

Hi folks,

Was wondering if anybody could shed some light on what's going on with these cases:





These are all range pick-ups (all 9mm), and were NOT fired by me or any of my guns. I've stumbled across some of these in the past and always toss them to be safe. But I just pulled quite a lot of these out of my wet tumbler (they were dirty enough from being on the ground that I didn't notice when picking them up), and I'm curious what's going on. For what it's worth, most are FC or WIN cases (but that could be because those are the main heatstamps I look for when scrounging).

It's not as clear as I'd hoped in the pictures, but it's quite easy to tell with your fingers that the case is narrower above that line - it's not just cosmetic. Obviously the dividing line is where the bullet seats to, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at. It's kind of the opposite of what you'd expect to happen if you forced a slightly-over-sized bullet into the case. Is this what happens when somebody adds way too much taper crimp? Or is the lower 2/3 of the case bulged out? Does somebody just have a really worn out chamber? I'm vaguely aware there gun designs with "poorly supported" chambers out there, but I always thought that produced un-even bulges down low near the head - not a uniform expansion along 2/3 of the case like this. The fact that I'm seeing these on multiple headstamps does make me think these are somebody's reloads.

Just wondering if anybody can clue me in as to what I keep finding. I'm happy to keep tossing these, but if a trip through the sizing die will restore them then I'll hang on to them going forwards.

Thanks a lot!

 

[fxvr5]

They were likely fired in a stepped chamber. Google it.

 

[Harriw]

They were likely fired in a stepped chamber. Google it.

Well what do you know... I learn something every time I log in here. That's definitely what I'm seeing. Here's a perfect example and explanation: https://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-handgun-talk/152750-new-p30-question-about-chamber-ejected-brass.html

So... my googling seems to indicate these are OK to reload, but I'm finding a lot more people asking that question than answering it. Any reason I shouldn't go ahead and use these? Since none of my guns have stepped chambers the brass shouldn't ever be stressed again in that way.

Thanks!

-Bill H

 

[tightgroup tiger]

It may just be the pictures, but I'm looking at the huge recess between the rim and the main body. Is that just reflection? The rest of it, I would resize and use.
I get a lot of brass that was shot from stepped chambers, I have about 200 in the tumbler right now that was shot from a stepped chamber.
I resize them and load them, as long as the case head isn't blown out so it has a big guppy belly on the side right above the rim from being shot in an unsupported chamber.

I don't find many split cases at all, and I load on the hotter side of 9mm data, so I quit worrying about cases fired in stepped chambers long ago.

That brass with the big guppy belly were over pressured as far as I'm concerned and I pitch them when I see them.

You are loading for your own risk, so if you aren't comfortable with those cases fired from a stepped chamber, than keep throwing them away.

Edit to add: Guppy bellied brass comes from unsupported chambers like a lot of the original Glock barrels were.

 

[Hondo 60]

I'd keep 'em together to keep a close eye on 'em.
But, ya, I'd reload & shoot 'em

 

[edwardware]

They were fired in a stepped chamber. Perfectly normal; carry on.

 

[Chuck R.]

As the other's said, stepped chamber.

My HKs and Walther's have them, the sizing die will take care of it. If anything it makes it easier to sort brass when my friends come out to shoot.