Cracked cartridge case - Mosin Nagant

It really depends on where the crack is for it to be dangerous or not.If its just on the neck I wouldnt be worried at all.Ive had cracked necks on lots of surplus ammunition.If youre getting large ones on the case body or head area you have a problem with the ammo or the gun.If the cracks are just in the neck and are on steel cased or surplus ammo dont worry about it and just keep shooting.
 
A crack at the case neck is almost never the result of excess headspace. With steel cases, it can be the result of an oversize chamber, common in wartime rifles firing rimmed cartridges. (Brass cases will expand to conform to the chamber; the less ductile steel cases will crack.)

A crack or stretched area running around the case 1/4" or so ahead of the rim, or a case with a separated head, is ALWAYS the result of excess headspace.

Jim
 
I know: Necro-posting! :eek:

But, I am having the same issue on my 1953 [ish] Polish M44. I am getting a longitudinal mark/crack on the neck of my shells after firing. On steel is is a very light crack. On brass it is a scratch/divot.

Has anyone read anything about the Com-Block making military weapons so that they mark the shell when being fired, and the brass is thus identifiable [and un-reloadable]?

I thought I'd read that about AKs or something, but I can't track the thread down.

So, was there any solution to this issue? Or did the gun blow up?

I'd like to know before mine blows up! :D
 
Wow this is an old one haha! I barely remember that happening. In the end, I bought a set of headspace gauges myself - can't remember who I got them from but they are the disc types that you use without removing the extractor. The rifle passed with flying colours with go, no-go and field gauges. I have fired a good few more rounds through it since then with no more cracked cases and no blowing up.

I did have one more issue, when I pierced a primer on a Prvi round and got a face full of smelly gas, and the cocking piece came back and bit my thumb...but in the end, based on advice from others, I put it down to a bad round (the firing pin protrusion was within spec)

I don't really use that rifle much now and probably haven't fired it in almost 2 years.

One thing...I was wrong when I said I had a brass case crack...I thought that Bulgarian stuff was brass but it's steel. I have actually never had a brass case crack.

I'd suggest getting the rifle checked out...especially headspace. I got my own gauges because the local gunsmith couldn't find his 7.62x54R gauges. But I was glad to have him inspect the rifle and cases visually anyway...that and the headspace test gave me some piece of mind.

I have no idea about deliberate marks...try to get some pics of the marked/cracked cases and post them up.
 
I've had several cases cracked just like you described. All has been mil-sup, even my czech favorite. The last time was a couple of months ago while shooting my PSL.
 
If it is a deep gouge in the shoulder, or neck that is a likely sign of a burr in the chamber. Have a smith check it out. If it is needed then they will polish the burr out.
 
Old military brass may have a neck cracking problem because of lack of neck annealing.Steel cases may crack because they stretch less than brass.
 
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