1st Attempt With Magnum Rifle Cartridges

[Gadsden]

Okay, I know in the scope of things it ain't the biggest rifle out there, but it's the biggest I have (right now) and these are my first handloads for it. So I'm excited and damn, I can't wait to take it out to the range!

 

[swampratt]

Lower picture look at the round on the far right.
Down at the case head is that a hair or dust or a case head crack line.

Please inspect that one before you shoot it.

 

[dlbleak]

That one does look a little suspicious

 

[Gadsden]

Lower picture look at the round on the far right.
Down at the case head is that a hair or dust or a case head crack line.

Please inspect that one before you shoot it.

Good catch, thank you! I don't know how I missed that. I do not think it's a crack but it does look like an imperfection in the brass. Kinda like a small crevice for lack of a better word. Interesting because that's brand new Nosler brass. Nevertheless, I'll pull the bullet and reload using a different piece of brass. Thanks again!

 

[swampratt]

You can take a paperclip straighten it out and bend a tiny L into the end of it.

Insert the L into the case and drag it up the side and if it hooks the brass near that area there is a crack.

They must still draw the case through a die and it could be lack of lube or too hard or too thin from the factory.. Many things can happen
even on new cases being made.

 

[Gadsden]

You can take a paperclip straighten it out and bend a tiny L into the end of it.

Insert the L into the case and drag it up the side and if it hooks the brass near that area there is a crack.

They must still draw the case through a die and it could be lack of lube or too hard or too thin from the factory.. Many things can happen
even on new cases being made.

So when I do that and IF the paperclip does NOT catch or hook on that spot is the brass good or do you recommend not using it?

 

[swampratt]

Google this
New Nosler brass case head cracks.
New Nosler brass split necks.

You may have a batch that missed some annealing or something else.
Contact Nosler and I bet they make good on it if there is a crack.

Google those sentences and read up on issues some have had.
Split necks after 1 firing etc.

If there is a crack on the outside you can hook or inside the case you can hook it is not a good idea to use it.

It may come apart in the chamber and when you extract the round after firing you may only extract the lower part of the case.

 

[magna19]

So when I do that and IF the paperclip does NOT catch or hook on that spot is the brass good or do you recommend not using it?

The paper clip trick is for early detection of case head separation before a discolored ring/or visual split shows up on outside. The case in the pic looks to be unusable and all other cases need inspection before and after resizing.

 

[Jcann]

With the aggravation that can accompany case head separations, it’s just best to discard the brass after you pull the bullet, dump the powder and remove the primer. Having 50,000-63,000 psi close to your face is nothing to sneeze at. If you notice any other brass that is questionable, toss it as well. It’s just not worth it. Brass is a cheep expendable item when compared to the other parts it can have an adverse effect on.

 

[Gadsden]

With the aggravation that can accompany case head separations, it’s just best to discard the brass after you pull the bullet, dump the powder and remove the primer. Having 50,000-63,000 psi close to your face is nothing to sneeze at. If you notice any other brass that is questionable, toss it as well. It’s just not worth it. Brass is a cheep expendable item when compared to the other parts it can have an adverse effect on

That was the only piece of brass that had any defects and I completely agree, it's just not worth taking a chance with it. As soon as the collet arrives I'll be pulling bullet out dumping on the brass but saving all the other components.

As always, I really appreciate all the advice and help I get here.