# Pressure sign?



## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

I have been reloading for about 5 months now, and have never seen brass get scratched up like mine did today at the range. I also saw a few cases that looked like a ring was beginning to get scratched into them. I have read about pressure signs in this area, but I am not sure if this is from pressure or another cause. Please advise. Thanks!!

I will try to get a better image tomorrow. The wife took our digital to florida for the week. This is from my phone so it might not be the best.


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

How many reloads on that brass? Are your primers slightly "bulged"? Any trouble cycling the action after you shoot these loads? My bolt will lock up before i see any signs of pressure. What cal is that and what weight bullets and powder charge are you using? Get a better pic of the primer for me and answer my questions and I will see if I can help. :beer:


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## darkgael (Feb 10, 2006)

That ring could be a sign of incipient case head separation (not good) or simply burnishing of the case head that occurs during sizing (fairly normal - not all dies do it).
Try this: make a feeler gauge for your cases. Take a paper clip and straighten it. Sharpen one end to a needle point (or at least "sharp"). Make a 90 deg bend in the end, making an L shape but with the short sharpened end only long enough to fit into the neck of the case that you are checking.
With this feeler, you can run it down into the case to the base and then draw the needle point up along the side. If there is an imminent separation, you will be able to feel the ring where the case is thinning.
If you don't mind wasting a case, a simpler method is just cutting a case in half lengthwise. If the case is thinning, you'll see the ring.
If there's a ring, then you have to find out why. Probably a die adjustment.
I suspect that it may be just burnishing; any case head stretch that I have seen has appeared slightly higher on the case than your pic shows. Since, though, it is hard to tell from pics, you should check the cases. 
Pete


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

> How many reloads on that brass? Are your primers slightly "bulged"? Any trouble cycling the action after you shoot these loads? My bolt will lock up before i see any signs of pressure. What cal is that and what weight bullets and powder charge are you using?


Not sure about #of reloads. It was brass from a box of HSM 30-06 bulk I ordered from Cabelas. I fired it, neck sized and loaded with 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and H414 at 58gr. That is 2gr under max according to my Nosler book, so I figured it would be ok. Out of 20 rounds only 5 showed this problem. Also the sides of the cases were very scratched up after fireing. No problem cycling the action. I did have a hard time closing the bolt on 3, but I checked the OAL and they are 3.245. Primers looked like all my other spent primers. Maybe just old brass??? I am heading to the range again today so I will be able to see if any more come up with this ring. Thanks for the help guys!!


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

I didn't think it was over pressure. Keep us posted if you find the cause/cure to your problem.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

This will show you the technique for using a wire to feel for head separation.

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/vie ... piano+wire


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

Must be just the brass. I shot the 60gr today, and had no signs like that. Kind of odd though that it would show up on 5 cases in a row, but not any others. I am tossing all my federal brass, I have enough new win brass that I know has only my first load through it. Thanks for the replys!!!


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## Wyomingpredator (Oct 16, 2007)

my guess is just the brass. Hsm and other remanufactured ammo aren't just once fired brass all the time.


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## Wyomingpredator (Oct 16, 2007)

my guess is just the brass. Hsm and other remanufactured ammo aren't just once fired brass all the time.


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## MagnumManiac (Feb 19, 2008)

Plainsman said:


> This will show you the technique for using a wire to feel for head separation.
> 
> http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/vie ... piano+wire


Plainsman,
Doesn't that pic look normal to you,if he's only neck sized,the expansion ring will appear to be 'bulged' more than if it was full length sized,because it wasn't pushed back by the die.
The 'ring' isn't yellow or wide,so it can't be case thinning,I think it's just normal expansion,with a few cases that might be 'softer' in that lot.
What do you think?
*MagnumManiac*
:sniper:


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

MM, not quite sure what you mean on that post. Are you suggesting that I full length sized the brass instead of neck sizing? They were most definately neck sized. They had no rings before I fired them for the second time. Any way, I threw them out, not going to mess with them since I don't have the experience to know for sure.


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## MagnumManiac (Feb 19, 2008)

headshot said:


> How many reloads on that brass? Are your primers slightly "bulged"? Any trouble cycling the action after you shoot these loads? My bolt will lock up before i see any signs of pressure. What cal is that and what weight bullets and powder charge are you using? Get a better pic of the primer for me and answer my questions and I will see if I can help. :beer:


A 'bulged' primer is a sign of low pressure,not high pressure.
If you have ever shot cartridges like the 30-30,30-40 krag,you would have seen the primers 'backed out' of the case.This is because there is insufficient pressure to stretch the case back to touch the bolt face when the case walls have gripped the chamber.
Wouldn't want you to think you were getting HIGH pressure when in fact you were getting LOW pressure.
*MagnumManiac*
:sniper:


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## MagnumManiac (Feb 19, 2008)

laite319 said:


> MM, not quite sure what you mean on that post. Are you suggesting that I full length sized the brass instead of neck sizing? They were most definately neck sized. They had no rings before I fired them for the second time. Any way, I threw them out, not going to mess with them since I don't have the experience to know for sure.


What I meant is that if you only neck size your brass,you're not changing the case in any way,only the neck.
If that brass was 'softer' than the rest,it would 'deform' more than normal,and because it was neck sized,it would be more prominent.
Expansion in this area,just above the web,is normal in every gun,even tight chambered 'benchrest' guns,allbeit smaller.
I'm not suggesting you 'full length' size,but you need to be aware that neck sizing has it's drawbacks.
Your loads might have been considerably higher in pressure than the loads originally fired in that brass,which would deform them more than what they were already,the reason why those 'rings' appeared.
Most factory loads for the 30-06 are very mild,that's why they don't have large expansion rings on them.Most loads out of manuals run up tp 10,000psi higher than factory stuff!
All that said,the 'expansion rings' you're referring to are nothing to worry about.
The 'rings' you would have heard about are higher up on the case,up to 3/8" above the web,bright yellow and are quite wide;1/16" roughly.These are a sure sign of an incipient case head seperation.This is NOT what is in your pics of that case.
*MagnumManiac*
:sniper:


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

MM, thanks for the post and explanation. That really helped!! I appreciate every one taking the time to help!!


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