72 303 reloads I can't shoot.

[Nate]

My recently acquired #1mk3 came with a box of 80 reloads by the PO. Great deal. The 8th round fired resulted in a case head separation. The cartridges were bright and clean and came in a new plastic box with the load info written on top. Even though I have known about the frailty of 303 brass for 50 years, I neglected to check. Sure enough, there is almost a visible crack at the usual place. This is the 3rd separation I have had in my life shooting Enfields and have experienced no ill effect to me or the rifle in either. Don't know why.

[Parashooter]

. . . Don't know why.

"Headspace" chapter, Hatcher's Notebook -

". . . With good strong actions and moderate pressure loads, and especially if the shooting glasses are worn, this trouble is not particularly dangerous, but is annoying and inconvenient. Very little, if any, gas escapes to the rear, because the back end of the cartridge, which remains in the chamber, acts as a seal. In fact, it is just such short brass cups that the Germans have for years used as the breech seals in their heavy artillery . . .

". . . In my own experimental firing I encountered at least a couple of hundred such separations, and every one of my several thousand students had to experience and correct this situation several times and I never saw enough gas escape to hurt any one. . ."

Here's a demonstration -

First I took a case that had been reloaded with heavy loads enough times so it was stretched near breaking.
http://i42.tinypic.com/117z9ck.jpg

I loaded it with a 180-grain bullet and 40 grains of 4895 - a reasonably stiff charge about 2 grains under "maximum" - and fired it in a much-abused Savage No.4 with a clean sheet of typing paper wrapped around the receiver.
http://i40.tinypic.com/29fw5ft.jpg

When I opened the bolt, the separated head extracted. (The front piece of the case fell out when I happened to turn the rifle muzzle-up while removing the paper.)
http://i42.tinypic.com/11ayg6q.jpg

The sooty paper shows where some gas escaped. No rips or holes, just a little soot - and only where the bolt meets the barrel. Had I been shooting from the shoulder and wearing glasses, I probably wouldn't have noticed the leak at all.

[tmark]

That was interesting! Thanks for posting.

[Hecklerusp45]

That was interesting. I had a case head separation on a 22 long rifle (only one I have seen in my life) that resulted in a small "puff" of gas being blown back into my face. I cleaned my glasses and went on shooting.

[13Echo]

The SMLE is a battle rifle where absolute reliable function is paramount. Therefore the chamber is rather large to accommodate mud, sand, and other grasdoo that might otherwise cause a jam or misfire. If you take a case fired in such a chamber and full length size I will guarantee a case head separation on many by the second reload. If you reload for the SMLE (or the .30-40 Krag) neck size or only partially resize.

[mike24d20]

Also remember that if your chamber is oversized, mark your brass with a perm. marker an reinstall round same way each time. Mark on back of rim that is. An as stated befoe, only neck resize only.

[Art]

+1 to all the ansers above.

With Lee Enfields the more generous chamber dimensions tend to be found on wartime mfg. My 1952 manufactured No. 4 Mk 2 has quite tight chamber dimensions, those of my 1917 No I Mk III are much more "generous." Lee Enfields were made of the highest quality materials where it mattered, the design handles escaping gas beautifully so as was a said above, so a ruptured case is usually just an inconvenience. I'm relatively new to reloading but have a caboodle of once fired .303 commercial and boxer primed military brass so I only reload each case once.

[musketshooter]

When the Brits set the arsenal tolerances of the chambers, they did not calculate that we would be reloading the brass. Most are so over-sized that one resizing will destroy the brass.

[kcw]

RE: 303 range brass. I NEVER full length size once fire 303 brass, that's just asking for trouble. If a neck sized piece of brass won't chamber in the rifle that I've consigned it too, I'll partial length size in half turn increments until the brass shoulder is bumped back just enough to chamber. After that I only necked size and of course segregate brass to a certain rifle. It's not uncommon to for me to get ten reloads in this manner. Once in a great while however I'll find once fire 303 brass which has a such an extremely large "ring" on it that it's obvious that it was fired in a rifle with a grossly out of spec chamber. In such cases I just send it to scrap.

[joem]

I have one that is 1942 vintage and a Istapore <sp>. I retired the 1942 because I could only get two reloads out of the brass (neck sized only). The Indian one I get three or four by neck sizing.

[Nate]

Reading all this, and because I am cheap, how stupid would it be to take a chance on firing the remaining 72 suspect rounds???

[Parashooter]

Well, if the ratio of 1 failure in 8 shots holds up, you can expect about 9 more separations while firing the 72 rounds. If you take the precaution of using a spacer ahead of the rim to eliminate cartridge end-play, you may reduce the proportion.

http://i43.tinypic.com/e5s8es.jpg

If you can then refrain from aggressive full-length sizing that displaces the shoulder location established when the rounds were fired, you may find the cases have a bit of life left in them - at least with moderate loads.

See a more detailed explanation at http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/topic/3361/Headspace-101-for-30339s

[smle-man]

The only case failure that is truly destructive is a base failure that cracks through the case head. The rest are annoying at best. I've had cases split atthe neck, shoulder, completely separate half way up, above the base as illustrated in this thread and even crack vertically in the case body but as long as the base remains intact, your rifle will also. Usually a separated .303 case will come out with another round pushed into the remains in the chamber and pulled back out. If not a cleaning patch on a rod will pull it out or a .45 bristle brush on a rod.

[bruce]

I have experienced CH separations w/ new domestic and foreign manufactured ammunition. I have had some instances where upon inspection of fired brass a CH separation would have occurred if that piece of brass had been reloaded. I have not had a CH separation using my handloads. A CH separation is typically the result of firing a round in a chamber that is significantly larger than the norm. It can occur firing factory new ammunition of handloads. With respect, if the rifle and ammunition were mine, I just shoot the ammunition and then scrap the brass. A CH separation is inconvenient, but it is no dangerous in a rifle that is in good condition.

[dave]

A friend once had a head separation with a .22 in a Marlin 39A lever gun. The case 'cylinder' ended up near the muzzle, left a ring and one very tiny piece of brass blew back along the bolt of the Marlin and just missed his cornea. We had to rush him back to Chicago for eye surgery. So it can be bad to have head separations! I absolutely refuse to own or shoot a 39A!

[joem]

I shoot my .303 reloads until the case head comes off. I have a broken shell extractor so it's no big deal. I had a couple of case head seperations in the tumbler. I guess the brass was pretty thin anyway.

[Tkacook]

I have only had issues with S&B brass. I have bunch, but never reload it. I have more than ten reloads on my brass and I full length size each time. I only size in a single stage press and I go slow. I load moderate loads, not pushing anything and I reload for my nine Lee-Enfields. I tried to keep the brass separate for each rifle, but I gave up years ago. Privi seems to be some of the best brass.

TKacook