Reloading ammo

DeltaRed

Well-known Member
Anyway to mark or indicate how many times a brass has been reloaded?I have some 25-20 that have been reloaded 'several' times.The last round I fired split and the 'bullet end' is stuck in the chamber.I cannot remove it either.So I guess a trip to a gunsmith is in order.Could a notch be filed into the rim each tome it is reloaded?
 
I've had a number of brass split like that but never yet had a bullet get stuck in the chamber but this is also in a 44mag pistol. I have brass for it that has been reloaded who know how many times but some I am sure has been reloaded more then 10 times. I never have figure out a way to mark brass that will stay on it so I then know
 
If you can remove the receiver and gain access to the chamber, take a small 1/8th" "sacrificial" screw driver, and grind the blade at an angle to make a muffler splitter type of tool to use in the chamber to "roll in" a strip of the brass.
I would use a tool marker just above the rim on the case to mark them. Notching the rim could cause an extraction failure.
If you are full length resizeing the cases each reload, the neck to body brass may be work hardening. Consider leaving them as fire formed with resizeing only the neck for bullet seating. Jim
 
I would recommend that you use a label on the ammo box. Put a new date on the box for each time you reloaded them. If you had a 100 pieces of brass and kept track of them, you would know how many times you have reloaded them. Then you could anneal them after they were fired "X" amount of times.
 
Have your gunsmith check the chamber on your gun, it may be worn out. I have a 303 british that is that way. I can shootfactory ammo in it OK but reloads will sometimes break off and leave the caseing stuck in the chamber.

Bob
 
I had the same problem with my 303 British Enfield it had to much head space. I had the end of the bolt built up with chrome if I recall it was about .020, that took care of the problem. Before having that done the bolt handle would actually move up a little when fired which was a little unnerving. I was able to reload quite a few times after that and I only resized the neck.
 
>The last round I fired split and the 'bullet end' is stuck in the chamber.

That sounds like a case head separation, not a split. Straight-wall cases get longitudinal splits, while bottleneck cases such as 25-20 suffer case head separations. Case head separations are caused by resizing, which stretches the bottleneck case. Eventually the brass gets so thin near the case head that the case body separates from its head.

Broken case extractors are available for popular calibers, but a quick search I ran didn't show any for .25 cal. Your best bet, as someone suggested, is to use a stiff bore brush.

There's a fairly easy test you can do to check for incipient case head separations before you reload your cases. Take a paper clip and straighten it out part-way. Then make a sharp 90 degree bend at the straight end, short enough so it will fit inside the case neck. To check a case, stick the paper clip into case and drag the bent end against the inside case wall near the case head. A new case will feel smooth. After a few loadings, the case wall will start to feel a little rough but should be OK for a couple more loadings. If you feel a pronounced groove, the case head is about to separate and the case must be discarded.

There are things you can do to extend case life. If you have a bolt gun, you can get away with neck sizing only, which won't stretch the case. Or back off your full-length sizing die and just partially size the case. And for popular cartridges, RCBS "X-dies" allow you to full-length resize without case stretch.
 
if you like the rifle do not grind the screwdriver and go digging around, rifle chambers are very unforgiving, take it to a smith
 
Get a brass rod and drive bullet out. Have a gunsmith check gun to see if worn out and if so is it repairable. I have seen some guns that were rechambered for another cal.
 
Mark , you are dead on. When I shot hi power competition there is nothing that will ruin your day like having a seperation during a match! A little tip I can throw in is to take a couple of older cases and use a grinder to make an oval shaped window in the side of the brass. You will find a "ring" forming. Take the clip and practice feeling for it. I took a little piece of dowel and drilled and mounted the clip in it. Take the end of the paper clip and hammer it flat a bit just below the bend.. Makes a good tool. Set your dies so you can JUST chamber the round +a tad. Working the brass too much. That is what a case gauge is for. Very precise little tool. The other thing is when the primer pockets go bad.
 
(quoted from post at 23:19:33 01/14/17) Why not use marker pen?

Considerable heat is generated when the cartridge is fired. Most of the ink from the marker pen will be burnt off. The rest of the mark will be removed when the brass is tumbled.

Have you ever experienced a freshly ejected casing going down inside your shirt?
 
Nonsense.


Sharpie won't live going through a tumbler, but will 100% be there after firing. It is SOP for USPSA shooters who are want to save "their" brass.

I use it to differential loads that are otherwise visibly the same.
 
(quoted from post at 11:32:19 01/15/17)
(quoted from post at 23:19:33 01/14/17) Why not use marker pen?

Considerable heat is generated when the cartridge is fired. Most of the ink from the marker pen will be burnt off. The rest of the mark will be removed when the brass is tumbled.

Have you ever experienced a freshly ejected casing going down inside your shirt?


I've got lots of brass marked with a sharpie that have the mark as clear as the day it was made after several loadings. Yeah, tumbling will remove it, but I don't tumble after every loading.
 
(quoted from post at 06:57:44 01/16/17)
(quoted from post at 11:32:19 01/15/17)
(quoted from post at 23:19:33 01/14/17) Why not use marker pen?

Considerable heat is generated when the cartridge is fired. Most of the ink from the marker pen will be burnt off. The rest of the mark will be removed when the brass is tumbled.

Have you ever experienced a freshly ejected casing going down inside your shirt?


I've got lots of brass marked with a sharpie that have the mark as clear as the day it was made after several loadings. Yeah, tumbling will remove it, but I don't tumble after every loading.

I've learned that I need to tumble the brass every time. Dirty cases tend to mess up the dies.
 
(quoted from post at 11:28:34 01/16/17)
(quoted from post at 06:57:44 01/16/17)
(quoted from post at 11:32:19 01/15/17)
(quoted from post at 23:19:33 01/14/17) Why not use marker pen?

Considerable heat is generated when the cartridge is fired. Most of the ink from the marker pen will be burnt off. The rest of the mark will be removed when the brass is tumbled.

Have you ever experienced a freshly ejected casing going down inside your shirt?


I've got lots of brass marked with a sharpie that have the mark as clear as the day it was made after several loadings. Yeah, tumbling will remove it, but I don't tumble after every loading.

I've learned that I need to tumble the brass every time. Dirty cases tend to mess up the dies.

I suppose if you shoot an auto and the brass lands in the dirt it might. Anything looks dusty to me just gets a quick wipe down with a rag. I've got brass that I've been reloading since the late 70's.
 

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