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Split case necks - Hornady brass - 603 Country - 01-26-2023
Last night I did a little pig blasting (3 rounds), and when I got back to the barn workshop I went to put the spent brass into the MTM case. I noticed that a case had a split neck. I checked the rest of the empty brass in the box and 14 of the 15 had split necks. The brass had been reloaded 2 times. Fired once as factory and then reloaded twice. That seems an abnormal brass life. The upper is a new/used one, new to me, and is a great shooter. Do I have a chamber problem or is the brass the problem? I sure dont want to have to buy a new barrel.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - biodsl - 01-26-2023
What's the make on the barrel? What's the load recipe? Something's not right, that's for sure.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - LRRPF52 - 01-26-2023
Talk us through your reloading procedures in detail, especially the kind of dies you have, what case lube youre using, and what your chamber measurements are, looking at fired neck diameter.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - 603 Country - 01-26-2023
I think I found the problem. I took some reloads and ran them through my Grendel and the grandsons Grendel and got exactly the same neck splits. The problem is not the barrel. And then I took some factory Hornady 123 gr SST rounds and fired them in both rifles and had no neck splits. The problem is the brass.
Admittedly, there could be an issue with my reloading, but Ive been reloading for 40 years, so not a newby. Next batch of reloads Ill anneal the brass. I just didnt think it would need annealing that soon. And Ill load up some Lapua brass while Im at it, and review my reloading assumptions. This is my first go-round with loading for the Grendel, so just maybe the problem could be partly me and not just brittle work hardened brass. And I should mention that some of the brass had the neck splits and also cracks where the case neck joins the shoulder. Havent seen that before. Right now I think the brass is the problem.
Im just happy the problem isnt the barrel. Its really accurate. A Ballistics Advantage barrel.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - LRRPF52 - 01-26-2023
Did you use Imperial Wax by chance?
I only had one split neck back when I first started loading for Grendel.
Once I switched to One-Shot spray-on lube, I never had it again.
I primarily reload Lapua and Hornady brass and run it through AR-15s.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - grayfox - 01-26-2023
The neck splitting I had, couple years ago, in creed was due to not using any lube inside the necks. On 4th resize/new+ 2-3 firings, also. Like '52 says, use some spray 1-shot and that gets some lube into the inside of the neck.
The excessive work hardening of the neck area is what I would suspect. I was using rcbs lube on the outside but inside necks were bone dry. Once I made the switch and got some 1-shot on the inside neck, the splits stopped. Footnote, also a 40-yr (oops now 50!) reloading veteran, but learn something new every day!
Split case necks - Hornady brass - biodsl - 01-26-2023
grayfox Wrote:Like '52 says, use some spray 1-shot and that gets some lube into the inside of the neck.
The excessive work hardening of the neck area is what I would suspect. I was using rcbs lube on the outside but inside necks were bone dry. Once I made the switch and got some 1-shot on the inside neck, the splits stopped.
Interesting. I ever only used One Shot. I've never had a split neck.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - 603 Country - 01-27-2023
I use RCBS lube sparingly on the outside of the case and brush some on the inside. Mostly I use Lapua brass for 223, 260, and 308. Norma for the 220 and 270. The 223 gets shot a lot and will eventually show a few neck splits. The other calibers dont get used as much, and I cant remember the last neck split on them. But I have never had a time when all the third reload brass all had neck splits. Its sort of hard to think that the problem is me, when I havent had the problem before after brass use 3 times.
Ill anneal before I load up the remaining empty Hornady brass and hope that works. Then I move on to my Lapua brass when necessary.
I only use the Grendel for hunting, so once Ive found good loads I dont run through a lot of ammo. All my plinking, by the grandkids and me, is with the 223AR.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - lazyengineer - 01-27-2023
Grendel SAAMI spec is one sloppy neck dimension.
While everyone keeps talking about primer cavity, all my brass I lose, is due to split necks.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - LRRPF52 - 01-27-2023
Ive never had a primer pocket loosen with Hornady or Lapua brass yet.
I have experienced it with PPU and Federal brass in the gas guns.
Federal brass loaded for the bolt gun, with charges I wouldnt shoot in a gas gun, kept their primer pockets nice and tight, no problem.
I spray lube the cases generously in trays, ensuring I get the inside and outside of the cases coated with a nice, thin coat, then let the alcohol do its job with evaporation.
I stuck a case in the sizing die once, and didnt want to repeat that.
My only split neck has been with Imperial Wax.
Off the top of my head, I think people who have had more split necks were using Lee dies.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - Klem - 01-27-2023
Never had a split neck or loose primer pocket in Grendel, using only Lapua.
In the larger case 6.5x47 the first sign of wear are loose primer pockets, using only Lapua. Never had a split neck in this calibre either.
Split necks for me are more common in handgun, Using all sorts of brass and multiple reloads.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - 603 Country - 01-28-2023
I use Lapua in the 260 and the 223. I/we shoot the 223 a bunch, and sometimes I anneal and sometimes I dont. I use the 223 brass till it fails, and neck splits are the indicator. That said, the Lapua brass sure lasts longer than 3 loadings. Today I had the Grendel muzzle break replaced with an A2 flash hider. The change in barrel tip weight changed my bullet strike. So, I had to reset the Wraith. Ran through about 15 more rounds. All the necks were split.
I have, on hand, about 50 once fired Hornady cases, and plan to anneal tomorrow. I sure hope that will help the case life. I had plans to use that brass for a while before I opened up the Lapua box.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - NDSwede - 01-28-2023
LRRPF52 mentioned that he has primarily seen split necks when using Lee dies. I use Lee dies to resize brass and was recently looking to upgrade to a full length bushing resizing die. While looking into that, I discovered that Lee dies size the neck down more than other dies and then the expander ball expands it back up to 2 thousands below bullet diameter. This cold works the brass more than other dies and can contribute to split necks. Something to think about, especially if the Grendel chamber neck is cut a little oversized. Your problem could be a combination of things like this which overworks the neck and causes splits. Personally, I'm planning to go to the Redding full length bushing resizing die. (~$95+15=$110) This will allow me to bump the shoulder back 2-3 K's and resize the neck 2K under bullet diameter. I think Hornady makes this kind of die also, but not for the Grendel. The Redding die is expensive, especially for a tight wad like me. I'm trying to learn the expression "buy once, cry once."
Split case necks - Hornady brass - LR1955 - 01-28-2023
603 Country Wrote:I think I found the problem. I took some reloads and ran them through my Grendel and the grandsons Grendel and got exactly the same neck splits. The problem is not the barrel. And then I took some factory Hornady 123 gr SST rounds and fired them in both rifles and had no neck splits. The problem is the brass.
Admittedly, there could be an issue with my reloading, but Ive been reloading for 40 years, so not a newby. Next batch of reloads Ill anneal the brass. I just didnt think it would need annealing that soon. And Ill load up some Lapua brass while Im at it, and review my reloading assumptions. This is my first go-round with loading for the Grendel, so just maybe the problem could be partly me and not just brittle work hardened brass. And I should mention that some of the brass had the neck splits and also cracks where the case neck joins the shoulder. Havent seen that before. Right now I think the brass is the problem.
Im just happy the problem isnt the barrel. Its really accurate. A Ballistics Advantage barrel.
603C:
What sizing die are you using?
LR-55
Split case necks - Hornady brass - 603 Country - 01-28-2023
The dies I use are not Lee dies. That doesnt answer your question, but Ill have to go out to my barn workshop to find out. Pretty sure they are RCBS, but they might be Hornady. All my pistol dies are Lee, but none of my rifle dies. My job this morning will be to anneal the 50 or so once fired Hornady cases. I sure hope that will fix the problem, or at least give me a bit more case life than 3 loads.
And I might set up to reload some more Grendel rounds, using that brass. Probably stay with the 95 gr V-Max, since Im after pigs and coyotes till next deer season, and then Ill switch back to my 260. Im good to 300 yards on deer with the 260, but not ready to trust the Grendel yet at that distance.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - lazyengineer - 01-28-2023
603 Country Wrote:The dies I use are not Lee dies. That doesnt answer your question, but Ill have to go out to my barn workshop to find out. Pretty sure they are RCBS, but they might be Hornady. All my pistol dies are Lee, but none of my rifle dies. My job this morning will be to anneal the 50 or so once fired Hornady cases. I sure hope that will fix the problem, or at least give me a bit more case life than 3 loads.
And I might set up to reload some more Grendel rounds, using that brass. Probably stay with the 95 gr V-Max, since Im after pigs and coyotes till next deer season, and then Ill switch back to my 260. Im good to 300 yards on deer with the 260, but not ready to trust the Grendel yet at that distance.
Just,... uh, don't anneal the loaded ones :o
Split case necks - Hornady brass - 603 Country - 01-29-2023
I dug into the reloading boxes and found I have Redding dies. And I just annealed the ones that didnt have that bullet thingie sticking out. :-)
I also found that I have way more 120 gr Nosler BTs than I thought. So I wonder if I should go with the 123 gr SSTs or the Nosler 120 gr BTs. Gonna have to decide tomorrow or the next day. Ill ask opinions in a new thread.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - lazyengineer - 01-29-2023
603 Country Wrote:I dug into the reloading boxes and found I have Redding dies. And I just annealed the ones that didnt have that bullet thingie sticking out. :-)
I also found that I have way more 120 gr Nosler BTs than I thought. So I wonder if I should go with the 123 gr SSTs or the Nosler 120 gr BTs. Gonna have to decide tomorrow or the next day. Ill ask opinions in a new thread.
personally I like the 123 SST's as a good general purpose bullet. It's not the most super accurate; but it's pretty good. And it flies far, well. And it does stuff when it hits stuff.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - 603 Country - 01-29-2023
You make sense on bullet choice. And the 123 SSTs are replaceable, whereas the Nosler 120 gr BTs are very hard to get. And, with the SST tailored for the Grendel bullet speed, it cant be a bad choice. Plus, since I can get more, Ill be less reluctant to shoot paper with the 123s.
Split case necks - Hornady brass - kmon - 01-29-2023
I know you like your 120s in the 260 so I would keep them for it and use the 123s for the Grendel.