30 carbine case splitting question

[Gee_Wizz01]

I have some of the same FC and WCC brass. I had a few split so I annealed all of it, and I haven't had a split case since. Some of this brass now has 8 reloads. Annealing isn't that hard and it will make your precious brass last a lot longer. In the past surplus 30 Carb ammo was plentiful, however times have sure changed. I have also seen some Chinese 30 Carb ammo that is marked LC53 and is real junk

G.

[3006guns]

As mentioned, the problem may be wartime quality control since all brass cases came from a multiple step, deep draw process. According to Hatcher's Notebook, the ammunition factories speeded up their production and immediately had issues like you describe. It seems that the cases would get a tiny nick during the initial blanking step and that nick would be formed into a defect during the remaining steps. Reducing the speed cured the problem.

Point is, not only is the ammo 70 years old it's probably brittle and was made in less than ideal conditions.................and stuff happens!

[millsa2]

i'll have to check my old brass for 44 headstamps.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

The problem is case neck tension, old manufacture and storage, and work hardened case necks. Splits are one of the things checked by the military indetermining to keep or sell off old case lots of loaded ammo, along with checking accuracy degradation.

Annealing cases in your own processing softens the brass neck for more uniform neck tension that YOU establish when neck sizing. Your stuff will likely split if stored after rework, given time.

Better to read Varmint Al for an understanding of annealing and limit long storage ammo to using new cases.

FWIW I only make .25-20 now in small lots, due to thin necked brass, and changing neck tension which affects accuracy negatively.

I shoot some ammo with minor case neck splits in bolt or lever guns. Not a problem. A split neck on a semi-auto gun seems chancy to me.

BvT