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Thread: 32 Winchester ammo Blunder WoW

  1. #1
    Boolit Master OlDeuce's Avatar
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    32 Winchester ammo Blunder WoW

    I was bored the other night and was checking out my old boxes of ammo came across this 32 WS Staynless with a cracked neck
    from the get go..... Brand New Old unfired



    Ol Deuce
    Do the Best with What you have !

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master

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    the crack may have not have been there when new. It may be a age crack from brass age hardening stressing over time. Another cause might be stored around solvent fumes that also affected it.

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    could be the acids in the box itself too, as well as just age hardening.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master trails4u's Avatar
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    I'm thinking age hardening as well. I came across a bunch of 8mm Mauser I was really excited about, and most of it ended up pretty much looking like that. Brass looks good....bullet looks good. I think it just got brittle.
    "Do not follow where the path might lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" Ralph Waldo Emerson

  5. #5
    Boolit Master OlDeuce's Avatar
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    This is good to know ! never saw this before ! Getting Old and Things Change .........Ol Deuce LoL
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  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    I had some old 6.5 ammo, I believe it was Norma, (very good brand), that when I opened it I found almost all had neck cracks bad enough I could pull the bullets with my fingers.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    Season/age/stress cracking in worked brass......cracked cases are common....I had the original brass oil and gas syringes in a 1913 Indian and over a period of years i had the bike,both cracked multiple times where they had been rolled to form the barrel....Its due to certain metals present in the brass in minute quantities.

  8. #8
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    They called it “season cracking” in the old days. The tension of the neck on the bullet eventually resulted in the vertical crack you see. A lot of WWI surplus ammo sold by the DCM between the Wars had these cracks, before or after firing.

    With continued improvements in brass metallurgy and treatment, the problem was pretty much a thing of the past by 1940 or thereabouts.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bent Ramrod View Post
    They called it “season cracking” in the old days. The tension of the neck on the bullet eventually resulted in the vertical crack you see. A lot of WWI surplus ammo sold by the DCM between the Wars had these cracks, before or after firing.

    With continued improvements in brass metallurgy and treatment, the problem was pretty much a thing of the past by 1940 or thereabouts.
    This is exactly how it was explained to me just a few days ago by the owner of Precision metals and machine.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master

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    Had some head separations on 1951 50 BMG. age caused brittle brass.

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Age hardening possible, or embrittlement from exposure to ammonia fumes in a train wreck during shipment, which has happened, or contaminants in the recycled vs. virgin brass feedstock used to form the first-draw cups the cartridge cases were drawn from, improper or inadequate final stress relief, there are multiple single points of failure possible, which is why good QA is important!
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  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    17 HM2 rim fire had huge problems with neck cracking, even in new ammo! The longer it sits, the worse it gets!

  13. #13
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    At least you can salvage the componants.

  14. #14
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    Texas by God's Avatar
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    Several rounds of old ammo in my collection have done this.
    Age.

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  15. #15
    Boolit Master OlDeuce's Avatar
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    When I get a chance I'm going to check the rest of my "OLD" ammo !...............Ol Deuce
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  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    I don't think the problem is completely gone. Recently heard a story at a trap club about a member who bought a new case of brass based shotshells and many of them were cracked.
    Last edited by upnorthwis; 12-08-2017 at 07:40 PM. Reason: spelling
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  17. #17
    Boolit Master OlDeuce's Avatar
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    Inspection of loaded shells maybe should be done from time to time! I've got 400 rounds loaded from years back in a GI army can ! I shoot my current loads,
    and have no idea why I don't cycle the stored rounds into my shooting box !!!! Each of my calibers I try to have 4 to 500 rounds !!! Pick a gun and go shooting.
    the fun part of my old guns !!!!

    Ol Deuce
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  18. #18
    Boolit Bub
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    Shoot the remainder off before they will crack too. Age hardening IMHO.

  19. #19
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    high standard 40's Avatar
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    I have seen many instances of this and it has always been Winchester brass. My experience only.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master OlDeuce's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by high standard 40 View Post
    I have seen many instances of this and it has always been Winchester brass. My experience only.
    90% of all my brass is the Winchester ! some of my loaded shells date back in the mid-late 1800s and this was the only instance I've came across!
    Not sure why ,but I sure like the Winchester stuff!!!! A bit spendy but you never lose !

    Ol Deuce
    Do the Best with What you have !

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