Reviving dead cases

[30hrrtt]

I've read about how to anneal cases and the bennefits.

I have a couple hundred original 30 herrett cases that are pretty dead. I can size them and they won't chamber, even unloaded. If they do they are tight. Not like that with newer brass.

Can they be annealed now and the brass revived somehow or are they toast? I will be doing that with new cases from now on.

[Echo]

Have they 'grown' in length? Sizing can stretch the cases so much that they impinge on the throat, making chambering VERY difficult. Check the overall length...

[405]

Well, If they were antique or extremely rare I might try to revive them for low pressure cast loads. My question tho, is it worth it??? If it were me I'd just pitch them. Given the nature of the guns/and that cartridge.... my guess they've been shot at least a few tmes with full pressure loads. First thing as has been posted would be to check case length. If they have been shot hot a few times they might? have stretched which will also weaken them. If they have been reloaded a bunch of times then they may have stretched, likely work hardened and expanded near the head. Most dies won't size all the way down to diameter specs near the head. That is where you likely have the tight fit. Pound, pound, pound at each firing and over time they work harden, don't spring back and take a permanent swell in the area just forward of the rim. The only dies that size there are the specialty "small base dies".

Bottom line about annealing - annealing won't solve any of that.... nor should it. Annealing is for the neck or forward part of the case.... not the base/web/head region.

[StarMetal]

For something that is made from easy to get and cheap 30-30 cases I'd pitch them. I don't understand why full length sizing won't bring them down to fit the chamber though.

Joe

[sagacious]

For something that is made from easy to get and cheap 30-30 cases I'd pitch them. I don't understand why full length sizing won't bring them down to fit the chamber though.

Joe
I agree.

Probably the best approach here is to get out the calipers or micrometer and measure the new cases as compared to the old cases. Once the nature of the dimensional discrepancy is verified, then you can reapproach the question about rehabilitating the cases.

Hope this helps, good luck. :drinks:

[Bret4207]

Annealing isn't going to hurt and it'll help with the "spring back" issue.

[Calamity Jake]

Annealing isn't going to hurt and it'll help with the "spring back" issue.

+1 here, I load the 30H also. Check OAL as indicated by others, if needed trim then anneal the necks and resize, if they still don't fit trash them.

[30hrrtt]

Think I'll end up tossing them. They probably have 6 - 8 firings on them. Length is good. I check that often on all my rounds. The base is a little over a thousands bigger than the rounds I'm using now. After running them through the sizer, (stiff to do), they don't change dimensions.

After rereading my post, I wasn't clear. They will chamber but I have to use force to close the contender and force to take them out, even not firing them, (not a pressure thing).

It is a custom barrel with a tight chamber to begin with.

[StarMetal]

Think I'll end up tossing them. They probably have 6 - 8 firings on them. Length is good. I check that often on all my rounds. The base is a little over a thousands bigger than the rounds I'm using now. After running them through the sizer, (stiff to do), they don't change dimensions.

After rereading my post, I wasn't clear. They will chamber but I have to use force to close the contender and force to take them out, even not firing them, (not a pressure thing).

It is a custom barrel with a tight chamber to begin with.

Not to imply anything on you knowledge of shooting and loading for the 30 H, but do you headspace off the shoulder or the rim? All the guys I know that shoot these head space off the shoulder in order not to get a head separation. It almost sounds to me they you're developing excessive headspace as the shooting of the firearm progresses.

Joe

[Char-Gar]

As long as the cases are not split, you can bring them back to life. High pressure loads causes the brass to flow forward. In time this will cause the case necks to grow thicker and longer. I don't know what is the cause of your problems, but it could be either or both of the above.

So trim, neck turn or both to get the necks down to spec.

Anneal the heck and shoulder to restore elasticity to the brass.

After this, the cases should be good to go for a while. I would reserve them for cast bullet use.

[30hrrtt]

I neck size only and there is no evidence of head separation. The cases look pretty good which is why I was wondering about the annealling.

I learned to reload on this round and with a custom barrel. Big mistake. The groups were eradic and pressure also. With the tight chamber, I would load the rounds seemingly like normal but found out there was no room for expansion. The fired case neck and the unfired were the same so if there was any abnormallity, the pressure/accuracy suffered. I ended up neck turning the brass to allow for .003 expansion and the groups shrank and the random pressure problem went away. Now shoots 1MOA.

That is the first bottleneck cartridge I have that many loadings on. A year after I got the 30 Herrett, my first handgun, I got a 44 SRH and then a 44 SBH Hunter, and then a 357 Bisley and then a 44 Acusport Bisley and then a GP100 and then a 94 Trapper in 44 and then a 44 RH w/5 1/2 barrel.

I got the Herrett out recently because it was feeling pretty neglected :(

[HORNET]

I'd recommend annealing and setting your full-length sizer to bump the shoulder back just a little. Many j-word benchrest shooters have to use a 'bump' die occasionally to set the shoulder back .002-.003 to get the bolt to close without standing on the handle.

[GrizzLeeBear]

+1 to what Hornet said. Neck sizing works for several firings (looks like 4 or 5 in your case) and then you need to FL size them enough to bump the shoulder back.