Oversized chamber?

[z28z34man]

I bought some once fired 454 casull brass and a significant amount of it is showing some weard signs when I resize it.

The cases in question are a bit harder to resize and around the case head there is an area that I can catch with my finger nail. I am assuming that the brass is unusable at that point but what could be causing it. It is around 1/8 of the brass that I bought and it is not all the same head stamp.

[ReloaderFred]

It looks like your die is either shaving some brass at the base of that case, or the case was just expanded to the point that the sizing die needed to move it back quite a bit. This can be caused by a sharp edge at the mouth of the sizing die, or a case expanded beyond normal, or both. If there are no signs of case separation at the base just at the point the case wall joins the web, and the sized rounds will fit in your chambers, then the brass is safe to load.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Tatume]

Personally, I would not use those cases. They have probably been loaded to extreme pressure. My suggestion is to discard them and get some new Starline cases.

[upnorthwis]

Even if you're using carbide dies, you might need some lube. I've seen this before on .30 carbine brass.

[NSB]

Whoever used those cases before you has done some "Bubba" gunsmithing on their gun. I would NOT USE those cases in my gun. If you can feel that bulge with your fingernail they are severely bulged and not safe to use. Straight walled pistol cases hardly stretch when fired to begin with, and should never have a bulge at the base. This is something you'd see in a rifle chamber with a headspace problem, not in a handgun case. This is exactly why I don't buy "range pickup" brass with mixed headstamps.

[35remington]

When cases look like that they were usually fired in a gun that had excessive headspace. They are not to be used again.

The cases are not bulged. They are about to separate along the crack.

[lar45]

I have the same thing on some of my old brass that I just got out of storage to start loading. I ran them through an RCBS carbide sizing die and ended up with the step in the case. I just ordered a steel sizing die to size the bases of the cases. The carbide ring doesn't reach all the way to the bottom of the brass, so that's why you're left with the bright ring and edge that you can feel with a finger nail.

[ddixie884]

I wonder if they were fired in a lever rifle with loose chamber dims?