Help! Case head separation

Borden811

New member
What causes case head separation? I'm shooting a TC Encore pro hunter in .308. My loads are 45gr of Varget, Winchester LRP, and Winchester brass, shooting a 165gr nosler ballistic tip. I've shot about 30 rounds of this exact load with no pressure signs, etc. yesterday at the range, I shot 10 rounds, and had one case wad totally separate, and three others crack in the same place. It was about 15 degrees warmer than the last time I shot. Also, this brass is somewhere around 20 years old, and has been reloaded "maybe 3 or 4 times" according to the guy that gave it to me. Is it just worn out brass, or should I look elsewhere?
 
To much headspace will cause it. Being you have used brass,it could have been a problem prior to you getting it.

I would get some new brass .

What did the primer look like ?
 
Primers all look fine, not flattened, normal firing pin strike, none of them blown, pierced, etc.

If I could find any new .308 brass, I would get some!
 
Originally Posted By: Borden811What causes case head separation? I'm shooting a TC Encore pro hunter in .308. My loads are 45gr of Varget, Winchester LRP, and Winchester brass, shooting a 165gr nosler ballistic tip. I've shot about 30 rounds of this exact load with no pressure signs, etc. yesterday at the range, I shot 10 rounds, and had one case wad totally separate, and three others crack in the same place. It was about 15 degrees warmer than the last time I shot. Also, this brass is somewhere around 20 years old, and has been reloaded "maybe 3 or 4 times" according to the guy that gave it to me. Is it just worn out brass, or should I look elsewhere?

You cannot solve this problem with new brass - fire new brass and you will be right back here.

The head separations are caused by the rifle itself. It is a breakopen, and they do not keep headspace uniform - every time you shoot it, the lock (if you can call it that) springs and stretches the case - and it will happen each and every time you shoot it.

Just except that you will go through brass fairly often and enjoy it.
 
Will new brass give me more firings than the older brass though? Every one that separated/cracked impacted about 5 inches from the rest of the group. That's not good for hunting situations in my eyes...how many firing can I expect before separation occurs?
 
Originally Posted By: Borden811Will new brass give me more firings than the older brass though? Every one that separated/cracked impacted about 5 inches from the rest of the group. That's not good for hunting situations in my eyes...how many firing can I expect before separation occurs?

There is no way of predicting.
 
Are you full length resizing every time, or neck sizing? You might be setting the shoulder back too far, this will also shorten brass life.
 
Back when I had A TC Encore, I had this problem a lot. I learned an awful lot about the break actions in the process. That is why I am now break action free!
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Even with new brass, you will be right back where you are now. The action is "springy". Every time you fire the rifle the brass stretches. With one 220 Swift barrel I had from MGM I could get no more than 5 firings from new brass. I sized my brass with .001-.002 set back on the shoulder, but with every firing they would grow .005 that is a net of .007 with every firing. That is .035 of stretch on the web of the case [sometimes more].


There is not much you can do about it, but case separation is a bad thing. You should watch your brass closely and check them with each loading for stretch. Straighten a paper clip out then bend a short 90 degree bend on the end that will still slide inside the case mouth. Use that tool to "feel" the edges of the case wall at the web area. If you feel a dimple or ring along the case wall throw that brass out. Here is what they look like on the inside.





stretch002-Copy.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: Borden811Hmm, I might just have to send the old T/C on down the line, and pick up a bolt action.

Borden,
For whatever this is worth, Cat Shooter is right on about accepting what that particular rifle setup is doing. I spent over a year going through everything you can thinking of with a Ruger M77 22-250 that was eating brass at the same rate as you mentioned. Two other Rugers I own (.308 & 30.06) have never had anything near this issue. That rifle saw three different experienced Gunsmiths who checked headspace (and everything else you can think of) but that darn rifle just kept eating brass, no matter the brand. I'd finally had enough of the foolishness and since that rifle shot ok, but didn't shoot as well as the others in the safe, I had my Gunsmith do a caliber change as she became a 6.5 X 55. Guess what...she stopped eating Lapua brass for breakfast every third or fourth outing and the head separations business stopped. If the guys who build custom and competition rigs couldn't cure this [beeep], I certainly lack the talent or knowledge to explain why this rifles did what it did. Good luck.
 
Originally Posted By: ShynlocoOriginally Posted By: Borden811Hmm, I might just have to send the old T/C on down the line, and pick up a bolt action.

Borden,
For whatever this is worth, Cat Shooter is right on about accepting what that particular rifle setup is doing. I spent over a year going through everything you can thinking of with a Ruger M77 22-250 that was eating brass at the same rate as you mentioned. Two other Rugers I own (.308 & 30.06) have never had anything near this issue. That rifle saw three different experienced Gunsmiths who checked headspace (and everything else you can think of) but that darn rifle just kept eating brass, no matter the brand. I'd finally had enough of the foolishness and since that rifle shot ok, but didn't shoot as well as the others in the safe, I had my Gunsmith do a caliber change as she became a 6.5 X 55. Guess what...she stopped eating Lapua brass for breakfast every third or fourth outing and the head separations business stopped. If the guys who build custom and competition rigs couldn't cure this [beeep], I certainly lack the talent or knowledge to explain why this rifles did what it did. Good luck.






In a bolt action case head separation is curable with proper brass prep.

However in a break action, the "springiness" or the flexibility of the action leaves no recourse on brass stretch. In a bolt action it is possible to load rounds with negative head space. That stops brass stretch. In a break action, such as the T/C Encore, negative head space is impossible. The break action has no camming force to close on negative headspace, where as the bolt action has plenty of camming force.
 
Originally Posted By: ninehorsesAre you full length resizing every time, or neck sizing? You might be setting the shoulder back too far, this will also shorten brass life. What he said....
 
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