Soot on cartridge head

I have a 44 special Blackhawk. Hornady magnum cases cut to special length. Bullseye powder at 4.6 with magnum primers, 5.0 with standard primers. RCBS 44-240-swc from wws.

So I was using magnum primers and got smudges of soot on my case heads. Not all of them. Didn’t see any damage to the breech face of the gun. I switched to standard primers and still getting it but on fewer cases. Odd. I’m considering throwing out the whole batch of 450 pieces. Shame, but I don’t want to damage my gun.

I bought the brass here and it was reported as having been fired only 2-3 times. I loaded it another 2-3 as magnum. Don’t recall this with magnum loads. Trimmed it and here I am with smudges on some.

I can’t upload pics but if someone could help me, I could text a picture or email.

Post script. Both are CCI primers. Some of the pockets feel looser than others but none real loose. I never heard I’d peaking primers in low pressures rounds before.

Sounds like blow by from an enlarged primer pocket.
However; it will take a bit more than those leaking primer gases to damage that Blackhawk.

If you get the right 'feel' for seating a new primer, ya might save them for low power, practice, cast loads.
I'm a big Winchester & CCI primer fan. They fit snug in the same cases as I've had Federal primers just seem to drop in.

Otherwise, I'd toss 'em. Those larger than normal primer pockets won't shrink or heal up over time.

Thanks Ed. All my loads are cast. I ordered a fresh batch of brass. Got to thinking it over, I’m going to can them either way. I ain’t comfortable with them.

I know rifle brass will leak and pit the bolt face, but I wonder if low pressure pistol rounds do the same thing?

magnum cases cut to special length will get into thicker case walls. Brass will not expand, to seal.

I bet there is nothing wrong with your brass, just loads aren't hot enough to seal rhe chambers and you are getting blowby along the case walls. Cutting them to special length remover the thinner brass that seals the chamber. Also, the more they are shot and sized, the harder the brass gets and
..doesn't seal as well.

And if you are going to can them, send them to me. I could use them. I'll pay postage and a little extra for scrap value.

I considered blow back. And it is a bit harder brass than I like. However, when it happens, the sites area is very black easily removed powdery soot, not the harder baked in stuff like around the mouths. And it is right on the primer. It’s possible it is blowback.

Primer leak. WLP crack. CCI leak around.

My instincts tell me it’s primer leakage. I have just over 100 more rounds loaded in this brass to fire. Then I’ll consider what to do with the cases. I gave $80 for the batch. I hate losing that much but peace of mind is worth it.

Probably primer leakage as you expect, but wouldn’t hurt to anneal necks on a handful to see that happens.

Does seem odd that you’re seeing it a lot at special pressures and didn’t at magnum.

Oh. I forgot, I took two of the cases with smudges of soot, that were loaded with magnum primers, and reloaded them when I was loading standard primers. Went and fired them, and they looked normal. So I continued with a couple boxes to test.

If the primers go in with normal resistance there is no way that load would generate enough pressure to make the leakage around the primers. Load some Skeeter Skelton loads and see if it happens.
This is where experimentation comes in. Experimentation is the name of the game. Unless the primers are too small or the pockets to large it isnt the cases or the primers.

Work up to 5.9 gr Bullseye. Is what i would do.

I shot some more yesterday and upon very close inspection, I can see where the soot comes back the case all the way to the head. I think I’ll try annealing a few and see if I can get them to seal. Hope I can save them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 243winxb

Work up to 5.9 gr Bullseye. Is what i would do.

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got any idea what that pressure would run?

If annealing doesn’t do it you could try a custom neck reamer to lose some of the thickness.
https://www.forsterproducts.com/prod.../neck-reamers/

It happens when your flash holes are considerably off center. Whether the brass is worn out or not. Check those cases and see if that’s the case. I have a few of those segregated to make dummy rounds.