The Case of AE .357 Magnum Brass Cases Expanding Solved?

[dwever]

I posted a thread previously whining that my brass cased 158 Grain AE .357 Magnum (540 ft. lbs.) was swelling in both a 627, 586 L-Comp and most severely in a 327 (TRR8) such that ejecting took poking it out from the front of the cylinder.

A call to S&W and these guys want me to send my TRR8 in inexplicably in case the chambers were bored in the cylinder too big.

I'm thinking, not so fast sending that back. I bought a $30 box of 20 Federal Premium Barnes Expander .357 Magnum where the cases are nickel plated, and even though they are hotter at 610 foot pounds of energy, the cases didn't stick a bit in the cylinder fired from my TRR8.

Case solved right? It was too soft brass cases on the American Eagle as the nickel plated rounds have no issues?

 

[dwever]

As an aside, check out the picture below.

To run my test I shot eight of the Federal Premium .357 Barnes XPB in to three stacked text books. Those are the two completely unexpanded bullets upper left.

And just for fun, I grabbed my duty weapon and fired Federal Premium HST .40. in to a fresh part of the books. That is the nicely expanded bullet upper right.

The .38+P Federal Premium Hydra Shok (260 ft. lbs.) at the bottom expanded too much.

 

[M E Morrison]

I posted a thread previously whining that my brass cased 158 Grain AE .357 Magnum (540 ft. lbs.) was swelling in both a 627, 586 L-Comp and most severely in a 327 (TRR8) such that ejecting took poking it out from the front of the cylinder.

A call to S&W and these guys want me to send my TRR8 in inexplicably in case the chambers were bored in the cylinder too big.

I'm thinking, not so fast sending that back. I bought a $30 box of 20 Federal Premium Barnes Expander .357 Magnum where the cases are nickel plated, and even though they are hotter at 610 foot pounds of energy, the cases didn't stick a bit in the cylinder fired from my TRR8.

Case solved right? It was too soft brass cases on the American Eagle as the nickel plated rounds have no issues?

FPE is not a way to judge hardness of the brass.

 

[dwever]

Ok. The issue seems to be solved nonetheless.

 

[regalsc]

I have never had the type of problems you speak of but if some ammo that I bought for the first time did what you said in 3 guns I would think that it was the ammo but that's just me.

 

[Funflyer]

FPE is not a way to judge hardness of the brass.

In the USAF we judged the brass by how wide their @$$ got or to rephrase, how far it expanded in their chair.

 

[M E Morrison]

In the USAF we judged the brass by how wide their @$$ got or to rephrase, how far it expanded in their chair.

Now THAT would be an accurate guide!

 

[Steve912]

nickel plated, and even though they are hotter at 610 foot pounds of energy, the cases didn't stick a bit in the cylinder fired from my TRR8.

Case solved right? It was too soft brass cases on the American Eagle as the nickel plated rounds have no issues?

Rough chambers in cylinder?