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New (to me) Reloading Issue
Ambrose
Member Posts: 3,164 ✭✭✭✭
After 64 years of hand loading I thought nothing could be new. Obviously wrong!
In March, I'd put up a box of 6.5 Creedmore with 1 fired Fed. cases, CCI200 primer, AA4350 powder, & 129 gr. Hornady bullets. After shooting them a couple weeks ago, I sized them yesterday. 2 of the 20 cases, the decapping pin pushed out the anvil and the face of the primer leaving the "ring" in the pocket.
Comments
Maybe a burr in some of the p/p's? Sounds like it's time to get the p/p reamer out.
Those can be an absolute booger to remove, too.
I've been reloading several years and that is a new one to me also.
Taking a close look at the end of the brass hull at the primer pocket, does the primer pocket look to be slightly crimped like the old military primer pocket crimped brass pocket.
Does the end of the two hulls in question have the flattened look of a hot load? (and also as compared to the other 18 when taking a close inspection)
How many gr's of powder you using?
Was once fired brass so this is the second time being fired? (factory load fired at first then your reload) indicating the factory loaded primers ejected out of the case ok?????????
As Rocky Rehab says, might have to just sacrifice them two hulls or at least one of them to see if you can slightly ream the outer edge then take a sharp object and cave in one side of the cup's ring???????????? CCI 200's usually have a hard shell which leads me to suspect the pocket outer edge being crimped in creating a brass crimp ring on top of the primers after the case is fired?????????????
Let us know what you find????????????
I'm not a federal brass fan IF I HAVE A CHOICE when reloading. (or when buying new brass for reloading) I always weigh cases (hulls) before reloading and cull the heavy and light weight cases) I also ALWAYS check fired case lengths BEFORE sizing and if I see a case is stretching to max tolerance or out of tolerance as compared to the others after firing and I cull that hull. (it has soft brass or inferior weak brass JUST AHEAD OF THE WEB usually and is most likely going the separate from the web soon as compared to the others. I also keep count (record of how many times brass has to be trimmed to bring it back from max to min. My brass gets rejected AFTER IT HAS REQUIRED 3 trimmings even if neck sizing only for normal reloading powder gr's per the reloading manual or specs and I only use that brass for reduced loads. (low velocity, low recoil practice loads most generally using 5744 powder for use for practicing using a gun by youngters, etc) Also some large caliber low recoil reloads from rifles can be used for deer hunting if in the 30/30 velocity area using this more than 3 reloaded hulls if neck sized and use 5744 powder. (neck sizing and reduced loads gets lots more safe use from the brass that is not safe for HI-velocity reloads. (at 100 yards or so range for deer hunting at 30/30 velocities even the big magnum calibers)Doing such allows a youngster or recoil senstive person to grow into a large caliber rifle, for example start out with a reduced low recoil reload in a 30;06 with 180 gr bullet at 30/30 velocities and as they grow larger and older they can then step up to standard loads in the same gun if desired.
Also just for drill weigh the two cases on your powder scale and compare their weight to some of the other 18 to see if they show any major weight difference. If so the web or brass on the case itself would be suspect. (allow some tolerance for the samll piece of primer inside the hull when weighing)
ive had that happen. after thinking a couple of days on how to fix this i finally realized the best course of action was to just throw those cases away.
Seen many times with certain lots of Mil brass. One lot of 308 was so common, I trashed the whole lot. Never seen with uncrimped commercial stuff.
Salvaged the cases. As has been said, toss 'em would have been the economical thing. But in these times you can't just get more. I carefully & slowly ran a 13/64" (.203) drill until it just touched the flash hole. Then reamed the rest out with my pp uniformer.
I did check case weight and found no difference. The only difference is that I used a much lighter touch on the rest of the cases when I noticed the "ring" in the pocket.
BTW: As long as we are on the subject, I've found two loads that work pretty well in the Creedmore: This particular rifle (Ruger American w/box magazine--not rotary) 140 gr. Hornady spire; 42 gr. Reloader 17. Eight 5-shot groups average .97" @ 2707 fps.
I've shot forty 5-shot groups from five other rifles with a load of 140 gr. Sierra BT; 42.5 gr. H4350. The average 1.20" @ 2714.
When you consider that the original load that made the .30/06 "fame & fortune" was a 150 gr. bullet @ 2700, the Creedmore is not that far behind.
Decades ago, some gun scribe wrote a piece about "magic" velocities. He opined that in the .30-cal the two "perfectest" bullet speeds were 2400 and 2800 fps. Cartridges that churned up 2400 fps had bullets designed to expand but penetrate at that speed, and the same went for rounds that could achieve 2800. Try boosting either one to higher speeds only resulted in over-expansion or even bullet failure with the added problem of less penetration.
That was with bullet designs of the day, it must be granted. Cup and core with big exposed lead noses - often rounded.
But it is hard to argue with many decades of success and trainloads of dead deer. In either the .308 or .30-06, a 150 or 165-gr softpoint at 2800 fps is still a freezer filler. Up the bullet weight to 180 or even those ancient 220s somebody once called Blue Whistlers because of the acreage of lead on their noses and launch 'em at 2400 and you get the same result: DRT. Elmer Keith would nod approval.