Need Help with Flash Hole Deformation??

[Gustav7]

Need some help here. I sent off some mixed brass to a company to process for me. It was mixed civilian and mil, but there was a lot of LC brass in it I will be sorting for my "precision" SPR. I got it back and noticed that all the brass had a weird dent/deformation in the flash hole area.

Talked to the company and they said it was from the swager backer, that support from the inside of the case to swage all brass. Company is running Dillon 1050's mostly. I'm assuming he just ran them all through the swager.

I run my LC brass for my SPR pretty hot, just below NATO max loads with TAC and 77's.

Is this normal with this sort of processing. Have no experience in that realm and want to make sure my brass is good to go for this. Company said they loaded rounds that came off that machine the same day with no issues.

 

[buffybuster]

The pictures of the inside of the case looks like a "hanging chad" blank from the primer punch manufacturing process. Is that what I'm seeing?

 

[Steel head]

The pictures of the inside of the case looks like a "hanging chad" blank from the primer punch manufacturing process. Is that what I'm seeing?

That’s what I see as well.
The brass manufacturer is to blame but really it’s not a big deal.
For AR type loads it means nothing.

 

[Gustav7]

That’s what I see as well.
The brass manufacturer is to blame but really it’s not a big deal.
For AR type loads it means nothing.

This was about 2500 mixed cases. Everything from WCC, LC, FC, Fiocchi, Win, etc. I feel like it couldn't have been that coincidental.

IF it means nothing in the end, then hey i'm glad my brass is at lease safe. The biggest issue now is the web pushed brass into my primer pockets so after trying to seat a few Rem. 7 1/2 primers, they're not below flush, a couple being above flush. Which means now I need to uniform all 2500 instead of the 500 or so hand picked LC cases I was going to use for my SPR.

Here's a few more photos after i cut apart the case. Two of the cases I uniformed the primer pockets so I could get a measurement on web thickness. Normal web measured between 0.065-0.070. The dented portion is measuring 0.045-0.050.

 

[spife7980]

Gross. I would out the company and not use them again. Then again I wouldn’t fux with crimped brass to begin with when you can get new lake city for cheap at midsouth.

 

[Gustav7]

Gross. I would out the company and not use them again. Then again I wouldn’t fux with crimped brass to begin with when you can get new lake city for cheap at midsouth.

I mean I get that, except I had 4000 once-fired cases laying around lol. I prepped about half myself.

Anyone have any idea if its a least somewhat safe to shoot? I feel like it wouldn't be a big deal for plinking loads, but my SPR loads are near NATO max..... and thats what I'm a little worried about

 

[x_789]

I don't have a 1050 but my swage 600 puts a light mark on inside of cases. This is a once fired lc I just swaged and cut open.

If you look at 1050 manual page 12 figure 30 makes me wonder if something was out of alignment on that machine.

https://dilloncdn.com/manuals/dillon-super1050-manual-english.pdf

this is after I cleaned it with a wire brush and it shows very light mark

 

[Cowcatcher]

Looks like a decapper issue. I'm not familiar with swaging on a 1050 but I don't get how the backup rod on the swaging station could make such a divot.

 

[Gustav7]

Looks like a decapper issue. I'm not familiar with swaging on a 1050 but I don't get how the backup rod on the swaging station could make such a divot.

Thats what I originally thought and mentioned, but he was thinking it was the swaging rod that goes inside the case. He showed me a picture of the swaging die, and it looks like what the dent looks like. My only guess was what others have mentioned about using the Dillon Swager 600 and you can adjust the rod on it, and if you adjust too much, and it can deform that area like mine. I was just pretty confused why it was off center and so harsh of a dent.

I'm mainly just worried about my max loads. Thats all I need is a primer pocket failure or blown primer, or worse...blow that whole web area out the back lol

I feel like they'd be fine for plinking loads...but either way not exactly an optimal situation.

 

[Gustav7]

That’s what I see as well.
The brass manufacturer is to blame but really it’s not a big deal.
For AR type loads it means nothing.

So are you saying you think they'd be fine to run like this? Even if it was a swager issue and not a manufacturer issue?

 

[x_789]

I was thinking the same thing as @Cowcatcher possibly, after looking at it for a bit. Here is a 1050 conversion showing the die with a backer in it. Either way something has to be out of alignment or adjustment to put that big a dent in it I would think.

super swage 600 backer next to piece of swaged lc

 

[Cowcatcher]

@Gustav7 did you send these same pictures to the company that did the "work"?

 

[Gustav7]

@Gustav7 did you send these same pictures to the company that did the "work"?

I did. I'm currently talking to him right now. He sent me a photo of a piece of his 1050 that broke today, from the same machine. Looked like a cam arm of some sort (not familiar with 1050's). Sounds like his Swager Backing Rod was bent and didn't catch it. Unfortunately my brass was between the bending and the breaking.

x_789 : that looks a little more correct. His swaging die was pretty beat up, so I'm assuming It was close to end of life anyways. I suppose shit breaks more often when you're doing 200k cases a month lol.

He has refunded me the full price for processing and said he will reimburse me my 2500 cases

 

[x_789]

Well it sounds like he is making it right in the end. Who knows people may be shooting cases like that all the time. Personally I would be very hesitant. If your worried about shooting max loads I would just start with new LC brass or Lapua Match 223.

 

[Cowcatcher]

I did. I'm currently talking to him right now. He sent me a photo of a piece of his 1050 that broke today, from the same machine. Looked like a cam arm of some sort (not familiar with 1050's). Sounds like his Swager Backing Rod was bent and didn't catch it. Unfortunately my brass was between the bending and the breaking.

x_789 : that looks a little more correct. His swaging die was pretty beat up, so I'm assuming It was close to end of life anyways. I suppose shit breaks more often when you're doing 200k cases a month lol.

He has refunded me the full price for processing and said he will reimburse me my 2500 cases

Well atleast the guy is doing the right thing. I was pretty sure that something was definitely wrong although I couldn't say exactly what.

 

[Steel head]

So are you saying you think they'd be fine to run like this? Even if it was a swager issue and not a manufacturer issue?

I’d still run it.

if is from the 1050 the dude kinda owes you though.

 

[Romeo458]

I was gonna say that's why you should not eat at Taco Bell come up but I see we're talking about shell casings and not… yeah never mind.

 

[Gustav7]

I was gonna say that's why you should not eat at Taco Bell come up but I see we're talking about shell casings and not… yeah never mind.

Key word there was blown "flash" hole lol

I’d still run it.

if is from the 1050 the dude kinda owes you though.

Ya I was talking to him and I said I'd prolly run my plinking loads with it, but at the same time, I gave you 2500 pieces of brass and now I have 2500 deformed peices of brass. Theres no way I'm running them in my SPR, not with 24.6gr of TAC behind 77 TMK's lol....with a suppressor.

I think once the machine broke and he saw the bent backing rod, he did the right thing. I hate to do that to a small business but a the same time I help manage a small business and you have to make mistakes right.

He already refunded me the money. Hopefully I can get reimbursed my brass within a week or so. Although Mid South having brand new LC brass, all same headstamp, non-crimped for $85/500 sounds very tempting for my SPR. I already keep all that brass separate anyways.

Thanks for all the help guys

 

[x_789]

I will admit I always seem to error on the side of caution. To me range brass is a disposable item as far as I am concerned. Will you ever have issues pinking with it? Very possibly you wont. Personally that stuff would end in the scrap bin. Your getting your money back I wouldn't chance it. There are known companies out there that sell processed LC for 250 ready to load for less than $30 shipped you can get mixed processed for less than $20 per 250 shipped. Thats a small price to pay for not using suspect brass.

 

[Gustav7]

Ya I completely get what you're saying. Just hard to look at 2500 shiny cases and dump them in the scrap bin lol. But theres more at risk than I'm probably willing to gamble with lol.

IF you don't mind me asking, whos selling Processed LC for $30 shipped for 250?

 

[Dolomite_Supafly]

To remove crimps from LC brass I just use a chamfer bit from Home Depot. I push out the primer then use the chamfer bit in a drill to cut out the crimp. I have done this for 10's of thousands of rounds and never had an issue. I have shot some HOT loads and they were fine.

 

[Gustav7]

To remove crimps from LC brass I just use a chamfer bit from Home Depot. I push out the primer then use the chamfer bit in a drill to cut out the crimp. I have done this for 10's of thousands of rounds and never had an issue. I have shot some HOT loads and they were fine.

That is basically what I do normally for my brass and it works great. Bought a rounded carbide fine cutter(never snags) drill bit from a swap meet about 4 years ago and it works flawlessly.

So the long story short was I had roughly 4000 cases. 2500 can fit in a large flat rate box and I could get them processed (decapped, cleaned, resized, trimmed to my specific length, swaged, etc). I only have a wilson hand trimmer, so it was either buy a Trim-it 2 with caliber kit and process the additional 2500 cases, on top of the 1500 I decided to do myself; or to send them off and I can focus on load development and distance verification/practice on my SPR. Obviously I didn't realize it was going to be this big of a deal, or I would have just got the trimmer instead lol.