Light loads causing split cases?

[Kevin]

I as at the range today. In fact still am, taking a break. I we shooting 30 Carbine and all was well with tha my

but I also had some 38's loaded pretty light. 158 grain bullets and only 3.2 grains of HP-38. Fairly accurate but very light. Not sure why I loaded them like that but anyway, I noticed quite a few split case. I shot 100 rounds and all were very consistent. I use the RCBS charge master with the electronic scale. One load at a time so they were all 3.2... Well 50 rounds were. The other box was 3.5 still HP38. I did not notice any split cases from the 3.5. BUT 3.5 is still light.

Can light loads cause split cases? I know a few weeks ago there was a discussion about light loads causing an explosion in which case the gun blew up also. I am walking away today with just dirty guns and all 10 fingers...

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Light loads are less likely to split cases. Splits at the case mouth are caused by crimping many times. Splits along the side of a case are cause by inferior or contaminated brass (brittle) or sizing and over working the brass in too large chambers. :D

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

What jumbo said +1 , Overworking the brass is the main cause of split cases.
Mic a few before and after sizing to determine if that is an issue with your gun and sizing die.

 

[WIL TERRY]

ALL split fired cases were made that way by the load expanding the case PAST it's limits of expansion in chambers that allow this to be so. The load matters NOT although heavy loads allow it to happen quicker[ think about that a bit...]
I have 250 1971 W-W 45COLT brass that's been loaded over one hundred times[ 100 !!!] with a fairly heavy 45COLT load developed by our Patron Saint himself, Elmer the Keith. THAT would be 18.5grs 2400 under 262gr 454424 slugs at 1075 from a 4 5/8" OM Ruger. and get this; the chambers are phattassed to beat the band. Brass splits when it is too danged hard/brittle and is shot in those chambers that allow it to exceed it's tinsle strength. Caliber matter NOT !
And so it goes...

 

[Kevin]

Thanks, I certainly hope it is the brass being just over worked and brittle. The gun is an SP101 chambered in 38. None of the splitting was very bad, more like hairline fractures.

I will measure the gun and some of the cases....can't do it now though, gotta go cook dinner for sweetie.

I did also fire a 327 in my 30 carbine. I shouldn't have but curiosity just got the better of me. The case did expand and split and stick in the chamber... won't be doing it again either.. The bullet was .312 and from all the recent talk about 32-20 in a 30 Carbine and somewhere it was mentioned .312 is not too big for the 30 Carbine...

 

[jsh]

Were the 38 cases nickel by any chance?
I have several hundred umc marked cases and have no idea how many times they have been loaded.

 

[Kevin]

Nope, not nickel. In fact thinking about it they were brass but have only been reloaded a maximum of 2 times. I still have them. I'll look to see if there is a particular head stamp or not. If there is anything in common with them.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I doubt your SP-101 has big chambers or that you die is too tight. Most likely I would suspect the brass. :D

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

.38 and .357 brass usually lasts a long long time. I can't remember the last one I lost to splitting and that is with CAS brass that is used in three different guns and reloaded several times a year. My brass is a mixture of several brands but is heavy on the StarLine brand.
As Jimbo suggests, bad brass is most likely the problem,not the gun or reloading method.

 

[Lost Sheep]

When I first started reloading (1975), I had a box of 50 38 Special cases that split after only three reloads (four firings - they were purchased as factory ammo) at least 1/3 of the cases split lengthways in the body or the case ()not the mouth). They had been reloaded with RCBS carbide dies and fired in a Dan Wesson .357 Magnum (which has very tight chambers). The cases were nickle plated brass.

I am sure what did them in was overpressure. I loaded them up hot (for 38s, but mild for .357 Magnum). The prior loadings were mid-range 38. I retired the entire batch. If 1/3 of them were compromised, to the extent of failure, I was not going to risk reloading the rest.

I will not say the 3.2 grains of HP-38 caused a detonation or flashover or whatever, but as Sherlock Holmes, said, "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth."

Have we eliminated ALL the impossibles?

I am pretty sure my split cases were caused by too much propellant. I am guessing your splits were caused by a form of detonation or perhaps a form of flashover. I read a first-hand account of a fellow who blew apart a Thompson Contender while fireforming brass (light load, fast powder). The only thing he could figure as the cause was that he let the powder collect near the bullet instead of near the primer. Sorry, the flash drive where I stored the link went south and I lost several years worth of references. But here is another web site or two.

http://www.africanxmag.com/secondary_explosion_effect.htm

http://forums.handloads.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=27824


Lost Sheep

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

I agree in general with the sentiment the brass is bad one way or another. Considering the bazillions of very light target .38s that have been shot shot trouble free over the last near century in untold numbers of guns of all brands in various states of tight, loose, new, worn, etc., I doubt the problem comes from a light load.

However, my favorite dead horse subject also comes up: the OP's shooting this ammo in a Ruger, and y'all know my feelings about "QC" and "Ruger" being used in the same sentence ("Wazzat?") So one of the things I'd look at is whether perhaps all the bad brass is coming from just one (or more) particular chamber. Easy enough to tell, as there's probably a little "S" mark on the back of the cylinder to help count 'em down and track 'em. A Sharpie is one's friend there, unless there's the time to examine all the brass at the range.

As the man said, eliminate ALL the impossibles...

Rick C

 

[Kevin]

The next time I'm at the range will take some more of this ammo, from the same loading session, and try it out in the same gun. I went to the range today but brought another gun. Plus it was pretty cold so I didn't stay too long... in the meantime I'm going to really clean the SP101 very well....

 

[GooseGestapo]

K-booms with light charges are the result of double or triple charges. Add to the mix the likelihood of a bullet lodged in the bore. I've seen it happen many times.
BTDT!

 

[Cdog]

K-booms with light charges are the result of double or triple charges. Add to the mix the likelihood of a bullet lodged in the bore. I've seen it happen many times.
BTDT!

Pretty bold statement above. Large case low density loads and detonation aren't a cause. It's a double or triple charge?

Got any data to back it?

 

[dwayne]

I have only had trouble with split cases when using light loads in one batch of Hornady 45 Colt brass -- never had a Starline split. I attributed to issue to the brass not the load. FWIW. Your experience may vary.

 

[6gun]

What brand was the brass? also stop being so stingy put some powder in the case and never load more than about 10 rounds of any load till you test it first to make sure it's good, now your stuck with a bunch of crappy rounds.