What makes brass?

[backstrap]

What makes the neck of brass split? They where not split after i shot them they where split after i resized them is there some thing wrong with my 22-250 FL die's

[LONGTOM]

Is this the first time they have been resized?
If so, I would say either you have a bad die or maybe adjusted incorrectly.
The expander ball could be to large also.

If they have been resized a few times I would tend to think that the brass has become work hardened from repeated stretching and resizing.
The brass would need to be annealed to soften it a little to allow it to regain it's elasticity.

Others may have better suggestions as to the cause.



LONGTOM

[necchi]

Copper and Zinc.
Oh, split necks,, yup work hardened. They get hard and won't stretch or "springback" any more.
Time to scrap'm or practice annealing. Thats kinda why a feller pays attention to how many times brass has been fired an sized, if ya know that count, then others of the same lot will do the same soon.

[LONGTOM]

I had forgotten that they can be unfired and still split the neck or sidewall if they are really old.
I have some vintage Peters 25 Remington factory ammo that was doing this on about every third or fourth round.
This was sometime in the 1980s.
The ammo was made in the late 1930s.
Who know how it was stored before I got it.
There was nothing wrong with the gun, just brass of a older, lessor quility.
That being said, I have some ammo that was made in the late 1800s and they still fire with no signs of brass problems.
No, I don't shoot that ammo anymore.
I just had to shoot that old Winchester in 40-65 just a couple of times! 
Wish I could get just one round of 44 double rim fire ammo to go off in my old Henry rifle, now that would be a blast!!! 



LONGTOM

[bilmac]

That double strike 44 rimfire, was it ever used by the military? My dad picked up several in a place where there was supposed to have been a skirmish with indians

[yooper77]

What makes the neck of brass split? They where not split after i shot them they where split after i resized them is there some thing wrong with my 22-250 FL die's

There is nothing wrong with your dies.  How many times has this brass been reloaded?  It most likely work hardened. The brass needs to be annealed before it resized again to prevent neck splits.

yooper77

[backstrap]

Some once fired and if i am not incorrect not fired at all on others,there not all spliting the neck just a few once in awhile

[LONGTOM]

That double strike 44 rimfire, was it ever used by the military? My dad picked up several in a place where there was supposed to have been a skirmish with indians

If it is true Henry casings it will have either an H or a U stamped on it.
H for Henry or U for Union Metalic Cartridge Company, (Remington).
Yes it was used by the military during the War Between The States.
Not so much as a standard issue gun but was bought by individuals or by company commanders for their use.
It was one of the first self contained cartridges made.
The main reason the Government didn't really adopt it was they already had thousands of MZ loaders and they didn't want to have to stock another rifle along with the ammo in the arsenal supply.
It is a very underpowered round (200gr bullet with only 26gr of bp) but in a Henry repeating rifle (lever rifle) that held 16 rounds it did have a lot of fire power.
I am sure it was also used against the Indians, if not by the military, by the private citizens.
As a side note:
In the movie DANCES WITH WOLVES, Costner is seen using one while on horseback at a full run dropping buffalo with one shot.
Ain't going to happen!!!
Just not enough power to do that.
For years I ran an ad in one of the bigger gun trade publications stating that "I WILL PAY $100.00 FOR JUST ONE ROUND OF 44 HENRY AMMO THAT WAS GUARANTEED TO FIRE IN AN ORIGNAL HENRY".
Never got the first offer.
I have many original Henry cartridges, and have tried them all, none will fire.
It would be easy to replace the powder but it is the rimfire priming that is the problem.
No one will prime the cases.
It could be done, the same as any other rimfire case, just not enough demand, and the cost to tool up to make the round would be a bunch I am sure.
Just not worth it.
Still, I would love to be able to shoot that old girl just one time!!!
A real piece of history.



LONGTOM

[backstrap]

These are winchester brass