Glocked Brass! Not! 38 Special?

[JWFilips]

Has Anyone run in to this:
I have on my reloading shelves a large amount of 38 Special Brass (Mostly Winchester) that was given to me a few yeas ago. In the past I haven't had much need to get in to it But since My family is shooting more I decided to open it up and sort it out....OK this stuff looks like it was glocked!!! I mean just after the head web there is a noticeable expansion and it isn't symmetrical on the cartridge. I have never seen brass like this in 38 Special through my S&Ws. Could there be a wheel gun out there with such bad load ports in the cylinder? I tried to get some photos but nothing shows well. But if the light plays off the brass you can see a noticeable jump just after the head web ....other wise the brass looks ok. When I resize ...everything looks normal. Think it is safe to shoot with light target loads?

[btroj]

Never have seen that in 38 special but I have in 45 Colt. Over sized chamber will do that to amply cartridge.

Size em down, if they fit your guns then all is good

[HeavyMetal]

How bad are they "glocked"? I saw some 38 brass 25 years ago that had been fired in a Victory model, 38 S&W, rechambered to 38 special.

Pistol was a case eater! This may be what happen to your brass.

[JWFilips]

I'm very familiar with the .38 S&W (I have one Model 32 J Frame) & yes it can be as expanded as that case when fired! So you may be right.
I'm going to take 20 back to size ( actually I resize in a ,38 S&W Lee die since that is what my 38 spec S&W mod 15 likes!) I'm shooting light @about 3.2 BE with a 158 grain bullet not really afraid just trying to get an idea of what the heck happened to this brass last time fired!

[BD]

Maybe someone pushed the envelope a little in a smith M52 and then felt they should retire that brass.
BD

[km101]

I have seen brass that looked similar to what you describe, that was fired in cheap import revolvers. Some cases even had off-center primer hits! But the brass sized down to spec and chambered properly after reloading. And the ammo shot accurately in a good gun.

I would load a few and see how they work. If they work OK, then load 'em up. If not recycle them.

[JWFilips]

Some cases even had off-center primer hits!


Right ON...... They all have very off center primer hits. Just hope they only fired them 1X! I'm going to give a few a try. After proper resizing the brass looks really good & case length seems good

[bcp477]

If not showing signs of cracking, you could anneal them. Lot of trouble for pistol brass....and one normally does not anneal below the case mouth, but with a low pressure cartridge like 38 Spc., it wouldn't be a problem.

Just an idea.....

[Bonz]

I see that a lot in the used .357 brass that I find.

[xacex]

Might have been shot out of a Coonan 1911, or a DE. If it has a smiley face at the base or uneven expansion it could be an unsupported chamber in one of those semi autos.

[bgw45]

I have loaded a bunch of .38 brass that has this issue. True, I load low power target rounds and I have had no issues. I'm not sure that I would be willing to load the same brass at max load pressure. I keep close watch for splits and case length issues but have not really had many to resolve. If you are loading 3.2 of BE as I am, then I can tell you I haven't had any issues. YMMV

[JWFilips]

I was able to get some photos that showed what I am talking about:

This first one is about average of what Many of the cases look like. I probably have about 300 like this
80748

Now There was also a separate bag full (About 50) of ones that looked like this!
Now These are ugly... Look at the ring line just above the rim. Some nasty stuff had to happen to these. I Never saw this stuff before.
These are going into the brass recycle bin
80751

[btroj]

Wow, that second one is scary. I wonder what the heck that was fired in.

[smkummer]

I have read that Colt and S&W revolvers that were returned from British service and were originally chamber for the slightly fatter .38S&W were then rechambered in 38 special. You may have brass that was fired in such a gun. I agree with others that most of the brass should be able to be resized and fired in a normal .38 special chamber.

[bob208]

that is what they are. .38 spl. fired in a victory model that was rechambered from .38 s&w. I have seen it before. just resize them and shoot them. I have loaded many .38's like that and never had a problem.

[ebner glocken]

I have read that Colt and S&W revolvers that were returned from British service and were originally chamber for the slightly fatter .38S&W were then rechambered in 38 special. You may have brass that was fired in such a gun. I agree with others that most of the brass should be able to be resized and fired in a normal .38 special chamber.

Bingo, someone fired these in a 38 s&w chamber.

[9.3X62AL]

I agree with the view that your Glocked 38 Special brass got fired in a re-chambered 38 S&W of some kind. With the scarcity and elevated price of cartridge brass in the ObamaNation, there is likely a lot of questionable brass now being offered for sale that most shooters would have refused in less strained times. It is an opportunity for sellers of less discerning conscience to off-load some of that less-than-pristine inventory that accumulates, and a shot at making more coin than could be had by recycling it properly and more safely. I share the OP's view that brass like that in his top photo should resize all right and be safe with standard-pressure loadings......likely for many years. 38 Special cases of good make are pretty stalwart and resilient. I would have serious questions about processing cases like those in the lower photo, though. I don't like "rolling the bones" that much, not with 15K-18K PSI getting freed at arm's length from my face.

[9.3X62AL]

Never have seen that in 38 special but I have in 45 Colt. Over sized chamber will do that to amply cartridge.

Size em down, if they fit your guns then all is good

Regarding the 45 Colt and blevied brass......UNDERSIZED dies can cause this to occur also. My RCBS tungsten-carbide resizing die reduced sidewall diameters to .469"......SAAMI spec is .480"! I bought a RCBS steel sizer die for the 45 Colt, and it produces a much more reasonable .476"-.477" finished diameter after sizing.

[BD]

I would not describe those cases as "Glocked" brass. They have clearly been fired in an oversized chamber. "Glocked" brass, as I am familiar with the phrase, refers to an asymmetrical bulge caused by being fired in a chamber with a portion of the case unsupported due to the feed ramp in a semi auto. The case looks normal except for the very distinct half moon shaped bulge just forward of the case head on one side only.