.44mag WWB ammo split cases. What to do.

[ajgunner]

I have posted these pics and information before---maybe 5 years back.
I have been reloading 44mag since the early 80's when I realized this was the only way I could afford to shoot any volume. I pretty much load middle of the road of what the books show and use mostly the older powders like Unique and 2400. I shoot mostly lead and in the past few years coated lead. When I load "hot" but still "book" loads I am using mostly H110 and jacketed bullets. All of my 44's are Redhawks in different barrel lengths. One day I had a few split cases, so as most would do I just trashed them and moved on. I have never been one to try and keep a count of how many rounds a revolver has been fired or how many times a piece of brass has been loaded. If/when the most common visual brass defects start showing up (tiny mouth splits), these go into the recycle bucket. I generally tumble in walnut and if I really want them shiny will then run them in corncob with a tablespoon of Dillons blue polish. The last little bottle lasted me over 10 years.

Next trip or 2 out shooting I had more of the brass split so I started saving it aside. For those that don't know this---if you eject the spent brass into your hand and jingle it, if there is even the smallest split or crack it gives off a distinctive different sound. Some were difficult to extract but nothing hard enough to use anything other than a palm hit. Well on yet another trip I had a few more so stated to investigate.
First though was the possibility of a chamber being out of spec but this had happened with several different revolvers. The actual loads varied a little but for the most part were all just middle of the road loads with 240gr lead semi-wadcutters. It took me probably 3-5 shooting sessions until I quit seeing the problem. Of course by then I had a bunch, and at around 20 cents each I was bummed at loosing a bunch of brass. Then I noticed the head stamps---yep, every single piece was WWW. I gave them a call but without having the original box the ammo came out of, and because it was my handloads, I was pretty much told I was either tumbling them in the wrong chemicals, or it could have possibly come from a bad batch of their brass. With no lot number or knowing anything about the original loadings, the conversation ended there. Of course they offered nothing other than good luck.

So say what you want about what might be causing your issue, but ever since I weeded out all of the WWW head stamped brass, I have never loaded another single piece of it. And guess what---I have also not had a single piece of brass split like this since. In all I came up with around 120 pieces all similar to what the pics show.

I am now an exclusive user of Star Line in 38sp, 357mag, 44mag, and never going back. Anything other than Star Line that I come across, II either sell or give away.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

I started with cylinder of Winchester White Box that I believe is 'new old stock'. I bought it from a retailer who had his ammo set up into 4 categories: New, Professionally Remanufactured, New Old Stock [from someone's estate when they died, for example] and Amateur reloaded.

This was in the section of New Old Stock.

Is that "Bubba the Retailer"? I think you got somebody's reloads. New Old Stock can be reloads.

 

[AlHunt]

I started with cylinder of Winchester White Box that I believe is 'new old stock'. I bought it from a retailer who had his ammo set up into 4 categories: New, Professionally Remanufactured, New Old Stock [from someone's estate when they died, for example] and Amateur reloaded.

{snip}

Fire it from my SRH?
Or pull the bullets, save the powder and reload in better brass?

No telling what you got from a vendor willing to sell ammo from an unknown reloader. Pull it apart, dump the powder and start again.

I wonder if you could return it along with the split cases? New cases don't split.

 

[Buford57]

My experience with split cases has been of two kinds. The first was .38 Special cases that had been reloaded so many times I'd lost count. The other was in a box of Remington .30-40 Krag factory loads (220 gr.) I bought at a gas station in the U.P. in the early 70s. Since the box was the green and red style used before WWII they had to be over 30 years old then. When I got around to shooting them 10 years later one or two split at the shoulder. Maybe it was a bad batch of brass, maybe there was a reaction from chemicals in the powder or primers, maybe somebody broke a thermometer near the box, but I fired off the whole box and trashed the empties.

I'm currently breaking down a bunch of Remington factory 9mm.for a friend. This stuff was produced immediately pre-bankruptcy. Seating depth varies so much neither of us is comfortable shooting it. I'm cheaper than him, so I'll salvage the primed cases and bullets. The powder will fertilize the herb garden. I'm not that cheap.

 

[OrlontheBrave]

My experience with split cases has been of two kinds. The first was .38 Special cases that had been reloaded so many times I'd lost count. The other was in a box of Remington .30-40 Krag factory loads (220 gr.) I bought at a gas station in the U.P. in the early 70s. Since the box was the green and red style used before WWII they had to be over 30 years old then. When I got around to shooting them 10 years later one or two split at the shoulder. Maybe it was a bad batch of brass, maybe there was a reaction from chemicals in the powder or primers, maybe somebody broke a thermometer near the box, but I fired off the whole box and trashed the empties.

I had the same thing happen with a green box of 180 grain Remington .30-40 Krag. Half the box cracked at the neck.

 

[mtgianni]

We shot some Federal 8mm Mauser that dad had sitting around for 25+ years a few decades ago. the first three rounds split longitudinally, not near the neck. We checked the rifle out, 98 Mauser surplus, sporterised and it was fine. This was factory loads as dad didn't reload and never asked me to. New brass, old stock positively can split.

 

[375hh1973]

Use the powder on ur garden

Toss the rest

Start over

 

[jb28]

Winchester brass quality control is not the best.
I've had new in the bag split when resized to get the dings out.A buddy had the same thing, it was during the covid crisis though

 

[Photog]

In the late 1970's I purchased my first Colt SAA. It was in 45 Colt caliber. At the time I had a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt and a friend had a T/C Contendger, also in 45 Colt. I bought a box of Remington 255 gr. lead ammuntion and we went to the shooting range. I experienced split cases with that ammo in all three pistols. Never shot another box of Remington ammo since then. I would place my bet on it being bad brass. Maybe a fluke, but I would either get rid of any of that ammo I had left, or pull the bullets, use the primed case and the bullet, and make up some light "plinking" loads.

 

[GypsmJim]

New cases don't split.

Several years ago I bought a brand new box of .45 Colt unprimed brass. Visually they looked OK, but when I loaded them they all split as I was seating the bullet.

I sent a couple of cases back and the answer was a problem with heat treating. They offered a replacement box but I took a refund instead.

Now I ONLY buy Starline brass.

 

[AJ]

Several years ago I bought a brand new box of .45 Colt unprimed brass. Visually they looked OK, but when I loaded them they all split as I was seating the bullet.

I sent a couple of cases back and the answer was a problem with heat treating. They offered a replacement box but I took a refund instead.

Now I ONLY buy Starline brass.

I like Starline Brass, think it is probably the best out there. However, I use the brass that I have had for years and some new once fired brass from the range.

 

[AJ]

its why people arent as happy with .17 hmr... so much stress in the necks that they split in storage.

Talk about splitting .17's. A friend was fussing up a storm one day at the range. Seems as if every case of .17 HMR that he fired was splitting. We got to looking at his set up and told him to go home and get the right rifle. He was shooting them in a .22 Mag.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I am suspicious of any retailer who has that many categories of ammo!
But the world has morphed me into a suspicious person.
I would discard all of that brass.
And buy some ammo from one of the regular retailers.

 

[OutAtTheEdge]

Not exactly on-topic but not exactly off either....
You bought ammo from a retailer who sells amateur reloaded ammunition? Aside from the question of excise tax liability, I can't imagine why anyone would do that.

 

[biku324]

I had one box of Buffalo Bore 45 Auto Rim, 255 grain LRFN, standard pressure wherein 3 of the 20 split lengthwise on firing. I called Buffalo Bore; they were helpful, but thought perhaps I had a chamber out of spec (new 625-8). Other than than that one box, from a lot manufactured in 2015, I never had another problem with Buffalo Bore 45 AR in any loading or any of my new Starline AR brass. I use BB 225 grain wadcutters as carry ammo and have for a few years with complete satisfaction.

I just don't know.

 

[rockquarry]

Pull the bullets, dump the powder and reload with a known powder in a charge to your liking. Throw the old powder on the flowers and water it in. I will not shoot other folks' reloads. Also always carry a 'range rod" with you.........

Why would you always carry a range rod? I've yet to find a need for one after sixty years of handloading. Perhaps I've missed something, but I'm always willing to learn.

 

[rockquarry]

I prefer Winchester brass for everything, rifle and pistol. I still have some new in the packaging, but it was purchased some time back, including some new .25-06 primed brass I bought at a gunshop auction close to forty years ago. I've been using a lot of Starline brass for handgun cartridges. It's certainly good brass and seems to last as long as Winchester, but I don't keep up with the actual number of times brass has been fired. I seldom use anything but my own cast bullets conventionally sized and lubed with all handgun cartridges.

When brass splits, no matter how small the split, I discard it. I've only had numerous splits in a batch of brass on a couple of occasions. One was with Winchester .220 Swift brass that had probably been loaded multiple times and had been neck-turned by me, perhaps a little too much, so I won't blame the brass. The case necks showed splits on loaded ammo that I had stored.

Same for .219 Zipper brass, but Zipper brass made from other brass goes through several steps, none of which are easy on the brass. Had to anneal to get any case life at all. Haven't annealed anything since my .219 Zipper days.

 

[AJ]

Why would you always carry a range rod? I've yet to find a need for one after sixty years of handloading. Perhaps I've missed something, but I'm always willing to learn.

Have had to use them on other folks handguns a lot over the year. Always better to be prepared for a problem than to be sucking eggs and unable to fix the problem. I guess I could just lighten the load and use the ones in the range officer shed.