Strange find...

A

AllenJ

New member
While doing some brass prep the other night I found a case that had something in it. This surprised me since this lot has never touched the ground, all have been used for load workup at the range. I could not get the item out of case until I cut it open. I found this:

attachment.php


attachment.php


All three items were pressed together, I separated them. Anyone have any idea what these are?
 

Attachments

  • WSM Case.jpg
    WSM Case.jpg
    37.6 KB · Views: 316
  • WSM Case2.jpg
    WSM Case2.jpg
    37.1 KB · Views: 308
is the inside of the case ok? it looks like it may have come off the bottom near the primer. You been running some really hot loads?

Just a crazy guess. Can you compare it to another piece of brass with the same head stamp?
 
The inside of the case looked good. I tested about 110 loads (2 different bullets and four different powders) and I had sticky bolt lift on 4 that I tested, so nothing to extreme pressure wise. I too think it came off the bottom since the holes look like they are part of the flash hole but the pieces are square so I'm thinking tooling maybe? Of the 90 plus cases I was working with that night it was the only one that had a rattle when I shook it. As a side note shaking cases was never a part of my checks on them......it is now!

I'd hate to cut another case open, these things are gold right now since Winchester has not made any for reloaders in over 3 years. I'm going to send the pics to Winchester and see what they say.
 
I would think something malfunctioned at the factory during the case forming process and they were pressed in by the drawing dies before the primer hole was punched
 
The inside of the case looked good. I tested about 110 loads (2 different bullets and four different powders) and I had sticky bolt lift on 4 that I tested, so nothing to extreme pressure wise. I too think it came off the bottom since the holes look like they are part of the flash hole but the pieces are square so I'm thinking tooling maybe? Of the 90 plus cases I was working with that night it was the only one that had a rattle when I shook it. As a side note shaking cases was never a part of my checks on them......it is now!

I'd hate to cut another case open, these things are gold right now since Winchester has not made any for reloaders in over 3 years. I'm going to send the pics to Winchester and see what they say.
Click to expand...

Wow, you shot them? What caliber, and were the extra pieces inside or stuck on the outside of the case?
 
I suggest weighing each case, regardless if they are loaded or not, and culling out the clearly heavier ones.

Weigh those "spare" pieces, so you can have a fair idea of the difference.

The rest of the brass might be all uniform.... or you might have more like that..

I for one, do not want extra material in my reloads... especially at 60K.

Heck, if the primer alone ( squib load wise.. ) is enough to jam a bullet into the barrel... I would hate to see one of those pieces blocking the bore.
 
I also load 7mmWSM. I have Federal, Winchester Nickle and Winchester Brass and nothing like that has ever occurred in any case I have loaded or fired.
 
Wow, you shot them? What caliber, and were the extra pieces inside or stuck on the outside of the case?
Click to expand...

Yes, that piece has been fired one time. .284 caliber and the pieces were inside until I cut it open and took them out.

I suggest weighing each case, regardless if they are loaded or not, and culling out the clearly heavier ones.
Click to expand...

Not a bad idea, safety wise it's a good one. Winchester brass has a wide margin for weights but I'll cull the heavier ones and hope for the best.

I also load 7mmWSM. I have Federal, Winchester Nickle and Winchester Brass and nothing like that has ever occurred in any case I have loaded or fired.
Click to expand...

I've been reloading for almost 35 years and I've never even heard of something like this! That's what makes this so hard to believe.

I contacted Winchester this morning and have sent the pictures to them via email. I expect to hear back next week as the guy was at a NRA event today.
 
That's another good reason to uniform and deburr primer holes too, since you'd have noticed the difference in depth

It's really surprising this sort of thing doesn't happen morfe often considering the BILLIONS of rounds of ammo produced each year
 
Also last week I was picking up outside range brass. I cleaned it and deprimer, sized, all that. Put my 4 grains of Titegroup in, and it almost filled the case. Thinking I got a double charge, I dumped the powder to discover a clod of dirt and grass. How that didn't come out in washing and how I didn't notice it sooner Ill never know. But it's a reminder to always check your brass!
 
That's another good reason to uniform and deburr primer holes too, since you'd have noticed the difference in depth
Click to expand...

All of my Remington and Winchester brass gets primer pockets uniformed and flash holes deburred and this never showed up. It makes me think that if I went to deburr the flash hole now the reamer would be to short to reach it. Problem is since I used a dull hacksaw to open the case we'll never know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top