Sooted brass!

[Wiking]

My brass has soot streaks on them. I shoot a 180grgc LBT, gun is a .357 M83. I know the brass gets sooted because there isn't enough snap in the loads to seal the brass towards the chamber walls. I fear the flames wear the chambers everytime the shoot goes off.

I'm already fairly above the listed max for H110 with a 180gr bullet. I tried bumping up the load to 1400fps, this eliminated the soot and the casings eject without difficulty and the primers are only slightly flat. So when I'm not experiencing pressure signs is the load okay then?

[Bob Baker]

Some soot on the case isn't a problem and I have never heard of or seen it causing any problems with the chambers.

It is hard to say on your load but it doesn't sound like it is a problem.  Just watch primer pockets.  If they are leaking at all throw away the cases otherwise the leakage will start eroding the firewall around the firing pin.

Also, keep those loads separate, they could cause disaster in another gun.

[Wiking]

I just inspected the fired brass and there's no soot around the primer pockets. I always check for soot around that area, you told me in a telephone conversations about a year ago that that is important 
Besides from the slightly flattened primers there is no difference between these pieces of brass and those fired with light loads.

And yes... I keep these loads seperate. Luckily the COL is long enough so it makes chambering in regular framed guns nearly impossible.

Thank you Bob.