Split .38 Special case - Not a reload (pics)

[stiab]

Has anyone else had this problem? It's a .38 Special CCI factory load aluminum case that split upon firing. This was one of their shotshells, and the second picture shows other CCI ammo I have using the same type case. It was fired in a J frame 442, and the extraction was more difficult than usual, but no damage to the gun that I could see.

I am aware of one other CCI shotshell case malfunction. A friend had a .45acp case come apart and tie up his Colt Commander. I haven't notified CCI yet, but intend to. It makes me wonder about using the .38 +P and .357 in that type case? Any other examples?

 

[john traveler]

Those look like aluminum cases. If CCI brand, they are probably european-made berdan primed cases.

Not to say that aluminum cases are all bad, just that they are designed for low-cost, and one-time use only.

You will find an occasional brass case that splits too. They are all made on high-speed production machinery, and include heat treating steps between drawing, trimming, turning rims and extractor grooves, forming primer pockets, etc. It is all too easy to miss a step if the machinery is stopped to clear malfunctions.

 

[CTG_COLLECTOR]

Those look like aluminum cases. If CCI brand, they are probably european-made berdan primed cases.

Just curious , why would you think that CCI's aluminum cases are manufactured in Europe?

 

[badge 851]

Just curious , why would you think that CCI's aluminum cases are manufactured in Europe?

Because they are "Berdan Primed".

 

[Dragon88]

They're aluminum cases, meant to be used once and thrown in the trash. It should not have split, but it did and it's not really a big deal.

 

[scooter123]

How old was that ammo? Believe it or not some grades of Aluminum will "age harden". Take some 6061 and have it annealed and a few years later you have what is equivalent to 6061-T6. If that ammo was old enough to have age hardened the casing that means it's also become brittle.

 

[stiab]

They're aluminum cases, meant to be used once and thrown in the trash.

That's technically correct, but it's also irrelevant. The fact that it's not meant to be reused does not excuse it from working properly the first time.

I'd had it with the CCI shotshells, and their ear splitting noise, which is far worse than the sound from regular standard pressure .38 Special loads. The two CCI case failures I'm aware of is enought for me, I'm be using other shotshells from now on.

Scooter, a gun shop went out of business about 3 years ago and I bought all they had at a big discount, it looks new, is in the current packaging, and should not be more than a few years old.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

That's technically correct, but it's also irrelevant. The fact that it's not meant to be reused does not excuse it from working properly the first time.

I'd had it with the CCI shotshells, and their ear splitting noise, which is far worse than the sound from regular standard pressure .38 Special loads. The two CCI case failures I'm aware of is enought for me, I'm be using other shotshells from now on.

I agree the ammo should work properly the first time, especially for the price.

I also agree it's very loud. I load my own shotshells using CCI plastic caplets and they don't seem to be quite as loud, at least in .38 Special. I use #9 shot and W231 in BRASS cases...

 

[TSQUARED]

There was an old American Rilfeman article which made 45 ACP shotshells out of 308 Win. brass (correct extrtactor groove) with a special die set produced by RCBS. They were loaded with W-231plus a cut down Remington plastic 410 shot cup and were designed to work in semi auto pistols. I purchased the die set, made up some cases, lost interest in the project and now cannot find the original article.

 

[CTG_COLLECTOR]

Because they are "Berdan Primed".

Well, I do hope people understand that CCI is a U.S. company and their Blazer alum cases are made in The U.S. and not in Europe (this goes for both Berdan and Boxer primed cases).

 

[john traveler]

I read somewhere that CCI bought the cases from RWS when they first started marketing the aluminum-cased Blazer ammunition. The aluminum cases were heat treated and anodized with a proprietary RWS method.

AFAIK, berdan-primed cases have never been made in the US for the simple reason that the berdan priming system requires dimensionally different primers and case drawing dies.s

 

[Jellybean]

I've seen some pretty bad case failures with them and will not buy them myself.

I don't know if they were ever made in Europe or not, but I do know for a fact that they took standard boxer sized primers. I believe they made them "ala" berdan to keep people from reloading them, which I did anyway and they are better left in the trash.
And in case anyone cares, they are using boxer primers now anyway.

 

[Reloader Fred]

Boxer primers were invented in England and Berdan primers were invented in the U.S. The U.S. adopted the Boxer priming method and most of Europe and Asia adopted the Berdan priming method. An example of the early "world market", since this was all done before the turn of the 20th Century.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[photoman]

While I haven't shot aluminum case Blazer ammo in years, I do recall that being common. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I believe they made them "ala" berdan to keep people from reloading them, which I did anyway and they are better left in the trash.

Actually, because the price is up on all metals the scrap yard is paying quite a bit for aluminum cases.

 

[Alk8944]

I read somewhere that CCI bought the cases from RWS when they first started marketing the aluminum-cased Blazer ammunition. The aluminum cases were heat treated and anodized with a proprietary RWS method.

AFAIK, berdan-primed cases have never been made in the US for the simple reason that the berdan priming system requires dimensionally different primers and case drawing dies.s

There have been plenty Berdan cases manufactured in the US, quite a few brass shot shells were Berdan primed. Back in the 1870s Berdan primed cartridges were fairly common in the U.S.

Berdan primers can be made in any size the manufacturer desires to. The primers originally used in the CCI Aluminum case Blazer ammunition were nothing more or less than Small Pistol size without an anvil installed in them. Not surprisingly they are CCI primers. They were Berdan primed to make reloading them difficult enough that people wouldn't try, since they knew that simply marking the boxes "DO NOT RELOAD" wouldn't work!

The Aluminum Blazer cases are manufactured by impact extrusion, exactly like a beer/soda can. Quick, accurate, basically one operation except for trimming the case to length and anodizing them. There is no "Proprietory process" for anodizing, it is simply an accelerated oxidation process to provide a deeper finish than simply allowing the metal to naturally oxidize while staying bright.

Current CCI Aluminum Blazer cases are Boxer primed.

Be careful with repeating "I heard it somewhere...." unless you can povide documentation, chances are that whoever said/published it didn't know what he was talking about.

 

[GyMac]

"The primers originally used in the CCI Aluminum case Blazer ammunition were nothing more or less than Small Pistol size without an anvil installed in them."

Do Berdan primed cases not require the regular primer with an anvil arrangement? Is that the difference, other than the flash hole arrangement?
Thanks

 

[john traveler]

Berdan cases have the primer anvil formed in the bottom of the primer pocket. That is why a central flash hole can not be used, why two smaller flashholes are used. Sometimes a single off-center hole is used.

Boxer primers have the anvil as a separate piece with the primer. A central flashhole is used for ease of decapping.

 

[Alk8944]

Berdan cases have the primer anvil formed in the bottom of the primer pocket. That is why a central flash hole can not be used, why two smaller flashholes are used. Sometimes a single off-center hole is used.

Boxer primers have the anvil as a separate piece with the primer. A central flashhole is used for ease of decapping.

What is your point? All you are doing is emphasizing your ignorance on the subject.

Contrary to your assertion, there are Berdan cases which have a single central flash hole. They have a somewhat conical projection in the base of the primer pocket exactly like what you are thinking of. The difference is instead of 2 small off-center flash holes they have a groove across the projection to allow the primer flash access to the single flash hole in the center of the projection.

Berdan primer pockets with the solid anvil and off-center holes is the European way of doing it as there was little, if any, reloading activity in the 19th century. Have you ever read any British sportsman who discussed handloading in conjunction with his hunting ammunition? Berdan pockets with the single centered flash hole was the American way of doing the same thing.

Reduced to minimums the difference between Berdan and Boxer priming systems is purely whether the anvil the priming pellet is crushed against is integral to the cartridge case or is part of the primer assembly. It has nothing to do with the shape, number, or position of the flash hole(s) in the case.

 

[CTG_COLLECTOR]

Here is some history behind CCI's Blazer ammo.

"We entered this project targeting the 75 percent of the shooting market that does not reload, so several aspects of an aluminum case that affected reloadability played well with a cartridge for the non-reloader. To discourage reloading of Blazer cases, and to gain a small savings on primer cost, we elected to go with efficient Berdan priming. In the Berdan system, the anvil moves from the primer to the case. Adding a Berdan anvil to a case is free; in a Boxer primer it is a separate part with its own cost.

Original Blazer cases used an odd primer diameter (0.195 inch) to further discourage reloading. This was eventually changed when we started loading higher pressure cartridges like the 9mm Luger and 357 Magnum. They needed the extra material in the case head that a 0.175 inch primer pocket affords. From that point on, we used a standard .175 inch Berdan pocket in all cartridges that took a small pistol primer."

More history can be found at the following link to AFTE's forum:

CCI NR