Author Topic: Case head seperation  (Read 501 times)

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Offline billnoe

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Case head seperation
« on: January 30, 2010, 07:00:17 AM »
A friend just got a new prohunter in 35 whelen. He bought hornady 200 grain light magnum ammo. When he shoots the ammo it puts a ring around the case, and a couple of them seperated.I tried a couple in my Encore  and it didn't do it.also he shot some of my reloads which are the same bullets with 52 grains of IMR4064 no ring or seperation. Any ideas on this. Thanks

Offline cwlongshot

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Re: Case head separation
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2010, 07:05:21 AM »
Obviously there is a problem with your friends chamber. Your loads are quite likely less pressure than the light magnum loads. I would make a chamber cast and measure it up.

CW
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Offline stimpylu32

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Re: Case head seperation
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2010, 08:09:40 AM »
It may be a chamber problem but not likely, at least not in the normal sense anyhow . From the fact that the hand loads did not have an issue leads me to think its a flat out over pressure problem with the light mag ammo , causing the frame of the TC to flex apart and allowing the head space issue .

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Offline huntswithdogs

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Re: Case head seperation
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2010, 05:54:19 AM »
Sounds like somebody needs to get on the phone with TC. Stimpy probably hit it on the head though.

HWD

Offline Stan M.

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Re: Case head seperation
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2010, 02:14:54 PM »
I doubt it is a chamber problem. I once sent a T/C, TCR barrel back and it was not the chamber. It was my reloads and the brand of brass I was using. Lapua brass and a neck sizing die solved my problem.
  Hornady makes ammo to shoot in different rifles from different manufacturers with chambers cut from different reamers. In order to do that, the ammo is at the minimal tolerance of the SAAMI specs.
 If your ammo is at the minimal end of the specs and the Pro Hunter chamber is in the middle of the road or even a bit toward the maximum spec, then you add a hot load, the brass will stretch more. Your Encore probably has a tighter chamber and the case did not stretch. I'm sure that two barrels were cut with different reamers even thought they both are T/C. Every rifle has its own personality.
 Your reloads even if full length resized will not be sized to the minimum SAAMI spec like a factory load. Therefore the brass did not strech as much in the Pro Hunter chamber. Incidently a small base die will size the brass to a tighter tolerence to feed better in a semi auto. A small base die still doesn't size the brass as tight as the factory does.
 I would suggest trying a different manufacuter's load or even a non magnum load before I would go accusing the manufacturer of the rifle. Reloads would be another option.
Something to consider,
Stan

Offline Catfish

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Re: Case head seperation
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2010, 06:13:10 AM »
Are the primers real flat also? Sounds like a presure problem, but do not rule out the chamber. I sent a .204 barrel back to T/C and they did replace it.

Offline billnoe

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Re: Case head seperation
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2010, 10:20:04 AM »
The primers were not flat. He ended up buying some remington ammo,200 grain psp. They still marked the neck a little, but nowhere near as bad as the Hornady light magnum. With the hornady's the shots were all over the place. The Remingtons and my reloads were much easier to group.He had 3 shot groups under 1".
Thanks for the info.