Cracked brass

[fatelk]

I loaded up some .223 ammo last year, and have been shooting them a couple times, in a couple different rifles. Now, when I look at the empties I'm noticing that most of them have small neck cracks. It's like the brass is brittle or something, but it's just normal brass from my bucket of range pickups, never had a problem before.

It's cheap FMJ bullets and surplus AA2200 powder, a full power load. As I recall, I think I SS tumbled the brass. I'm wondering what I did wrong here.

They shoot fine. I don't care about the brass since 5.56 brass is plentiful and free off the ground at the range. Besides, I just chop the necks off the cracked ones and make .300BO out of them.

[rancher1913]

you will get that unless you anneal the necks.

[BK7saum]

You didn't do anything wrong. That happens as brass becomes work hardened. Seen in many times in brass fired multiple times.

[Valornor]

In addition to multiple load/fire cycles work gardening the brass, sometimes really old brass will crack like that at the neck. The danger with range pick ups is you don’t know the history.

The guy before you might have left them as he knew they were on the 10th reload and were probably no good. Or he could have loaded them really hot, or he found them in his grandpa’s attic and they’d been stored for 75 years.



Check out my website www.theballisticassistant.com

[fatelk]

I've very familiar with annealing, and have had cracked brass before. The difference here is that this brass is the same type I've loaded for many years, and I've never before had them all cracking like this. I've been trying to think of what I may have done different with this batch. The only difference off the top of my head is the powder, and the fact that I inadvertently used a hotter charge than originally intended. Not dangerous hot, but towards the upper end of 5.56 specs.

I remember at one point I picked out all the obviously more than once fired brass from a bucket of 5.56 brass, because I wouldn't need to bother with swaging the primer pockets for plinking/blasting ammo. Perhaps that combined with a near-max load... I've loaded a lot of range brass, and a lot of well used brass, and never had a 90+% cracked neck result like this. It just seems odd to me.

EDIT: on further pondering, the more-than-1x brass combined with a top load idea really makes sense. I guess I pushed the limits a little and learned something. It's still good blasting ammo for the old Mini-14.

[gnostic]

In addition to multiple load/fire cycles work gardening the brass, sometimes really old brass will crack like that at the neck. The danger with range pick ups is you don’t know the history.

The guy before you might have left them as he knew they were on the 10th reload and were probably no good. Or he could have loaded them really hot, or he found them in his grandpa’s attic and they’d been stored for 75 years.



Check out my website www.theballisticassistant.com

If they don't have a factory primer, I let them lay where they are. Many of my homemade 221 Fireball cases made from 5.56 sometimes crack the first time I fire them, i'm trying annealing. I've seen brass crack like that when Braso or the like was used in the tumbler...

[facetious]

" I've seen brass crack like that when Braso or the like was used in the tumbler..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season_cracking

I heard of this years a go and started washing cases in vinegar or citric acid.

[StuBach]

" I've seen brass crack like that when Braso or the like was used in the tumbler..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season_cracking

I heard of this years a go and started washing cases in vinegar or citric acid.

And this is why it pays to read random topics. About a year ago I discovered a large batch of 7.62x39 with a large number of fractured case necks which was causing cycling problems in my AK. Now I know how/why it likely happened.

Thank you

[Bazoo]

Thanks facetious, that's a good thing to file away in the ol memory banks.

[Hickory]

It looks like, from the picture, that it has been exposed to ammonia.

[trapper9260]

I have had some factory rounds that had cracked after I fire them. Other then that for what was stated for how it happeneds.

[Bookworm]

you will get that unless you anneal the necks.

I agree with this. It may not be cost effective with 223 brass being ubiquitous, but there was a time not too long ago where ANY brass was dear.

I had the cracking problem on some 7.62x54r brass, too hard to find, or too expensive, to just let go. I started annealing, and now have brass that I've reloaded 15 times or more.

[hermans]

" I've seen brass crack like that when Braso or the like was used in the tumbler..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season_cracking

I heard of this years a go and started washing cases in vinegar or citric acid.

I just want to say here that I dry tumble my pistol brass, 45acp and 9mm for years and years using Brasso as a polish, and I never have any problems with cracked cases.
To get to the OP's problems with the neck cracks in the 556/223 brass......that is very interesting since I have experienced the same type of neck cracks in my 223 brass which I use in my AR15.
My AR15 brass were all new brass which never saw any Brasso, since they are being wet tumbled with SS pins, so they never have been exposed to any form of ammonia, but what I have noticed is that it is mainly one make of brass that does this, so maybe I should also try annealing?

[lightman]

I had this problem about 10 years ago with new unfired Winchester brass in 223. I would get neck splits on a high percentage of new cases when fired for the first time. It pushed me to finally buy an annealing machine.

[hermans]

I had this problem about 10 years ago with new unfired Winchester brass in 223. I would get neck splits on a high percentage of new cases when fired for the first time. It pushed me to finally buy any annealing machine.

Very interesting....one would assume that new brass would always be properly annealed, but it seems as if it is not always the case, therefor annealing before you start even with new brass can be advantageous?

[Kraschenbirn]

Only time I've ever encountered cracking like that in factory ammo was in some 1944-vintage 8x57 AP...split necks, flattened primers, lots of muzzle blast, etc. Fired a stripper or two of the stuff and pulled the rest down for the projectiles.

Bill

[Moleman-]

Another thing to watch out for if they were fired in an ar15, is if the locking lugs are sharp they can score the brass badly enough that it'll split in a firing or two. I generally try to remember to dehorn the inside front corner of the two lugs that make up the extractor slot before making the barrel or at least before it goes on an upper. Doesn't take much and does not effect head space. You're just taking off enough so those lug corners that the case is going to be pushed against on the way out aren't sharp enough to cut.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Another thing to watch out for if they were fired in an ar15, is if the locking lugs are sharp they can score the brass badly enough that it'll split in a firing or two. I generally try to remember to dehorn the inside front corner of the two lugs that make up the extractor slot before making the barrel or at least before it goes on an upper. Doesn't take much and does not effect head space. You're just taking off enough so those lug corners that the case is going to be pushed against on the way out aren't sharp enough to cut.

THIS ^^^
I picked up a grocery bag of brass after a LE Qual shoot.
All the 223/556 brass had "scores" on the neck.
After a couple loadings, I got the exact same cracks in the neck as shown in the OP's photo.

[fatelk]

Interesting. I never noticed any scored brass, but didn’t look real close either.

For curiosity I think I’ll do a little experiment. I’ll pull down a handful of them, anneal the necks, and load them back up with the same components. Then I’ll shoot them and see how they look.

[Fireball 57]

Gentlemen: Since 5.56mm cases are the go-bang caliber of choice at most ranges, recycle the split cases and move on. Why risk using them in another rifle, if they are compromised? Have a good day. Fireball 57