22 K Hornet

[hemiallen]

very strange split location. Is this from the bagged ww brass?

I am curious if you that have had splits have checked the insides of the non split cases? I would suspect a thinning of the brass where these split, verified easier by either sectioning a non split piece vs trying to feel it with a wire hook type of inspection tool like I have used to feel circular rings when setting the shoulder back too far on bottleneck cartridges, like a typical case head separation ring.

I would think with brass fitting the chamber well ( not an oversized chamber) and uniform thickness brass, I am unsure why THAT area of the split cases yielded in a breech of gas. A supported piece of brass shouldn't burn through like that unless the brass is brittle or thin, IMHO.

And I would be afraid of eroding the chamber wall from these splits.

Good luck

[VAHunter]

Yep this is from bagged Win brass. Bought a bunch from Cabelas when it first came back in stock.

I haven’t checked the insides like you described but I will attempt to.

[chuckshooter]

mine is also from 100 ct. new win bag and the case is unsupported in the sense that we are fire forming from a factory hornet case to match the chamber. once it is formed I doubt there will be any more loss.

[TinMan]

I would agree with hemiallen that it is a strange location for a split. That longitudinal crack looks like a hoop stress fracture, probably from too thin, too hard or too brittle brass. Might also be from some sort of chemical embrittlement from cleaning or polishing.

[rick w.]

I have had a similar issue in fireforming loads.

I made up a 357 Bain & Davis revolver on a Smith Wesson 27. I bought some new Starline 44 mag brass. The B&D was formed in one pass thru the sizing die and not annealed afterwards.

Being a new round to me, I was a bit tentative on the powder load, so went 1 grain under the numbers that I could find.

I had a lot of splits on the body of the fired cases, similar to the pictures on the hornet above. I thought at first, did not anneal, but the cracks did not occur on the necks and did not touch the shoulder.

So I moved on to blaming to myself only, the lot of brass, but Starline always has been ok with my needs.

Then, I remembered what my old benchrest guy told me about fireforming. So I went a grain above the min that I knew about. I was using H4227 in my loadings.

Fired 50 rounds and no splits.

Have loaded the 50 several times now and no split brass failures.

So what do I know?..............evidently not much and that life in general is still a mystery.

[dungheap]

I'm having the same exact problem fireforming .17AH brass using the same fireform load I've used for years with brand new Winchester brass. I have another full bag of 100 on the bench, and wonder if I should even try it. It's the same lot as the other bag I formed into .17AH. Real disappointment, and expensive to boot.

[Screaminweasil]

All my brass is from Cabelas.....bagged brass in factory 100 count Winchester bags from the last 1.5 years.

And I have less problem using a milder load as I've tried both hot and mild......and like I said before....lubed cases have nearly stopped the splits on the initial fireform.

[Alan in GA]

It must be the brass going by additional input here. I was told by a Cabelas gun guy that newer Winchester AMMO is made in China. I have no idea if true. However the almost identical splits in an unusual location on these cases indicates some change in the manufacturing process. I would contact Winchester but I don't know if telling them that you were 'forming' these hornet cases would give the 'all stop' reply from them. Anyone getting splits from recent factory 22 Hornet ammo? The bluish gray ammo ammo boxes is the ammo the Cabelas guy said was 'all from China'.
Using 'too light' of a fireforming load CAN cause case splits but my first 250 Ackley fire forming attempts resulted in an occasional split up near or at the shoulder. I don't think 'too light' loads is the only culprit here.

[Wheeler_Co]

It’s the Winchester brass ! Thought I got lucky and found 5 bags .22 H at Sportsman’s Warehouse last year. Luckily I only loaded one bag to .17H ( yes I annealed) 9.4 gr Lil Gun...first 13 down the tube - ALL split right there ! Not sure what to do about but W is on my scheiss list from here out.

[Wheeler_Co]

One more thing...I’ve formed a lot of .17hh out of .22h in the last two years, and the best brass have found is that Serbian pvi partisan, but it’s hard - you have to anneal it before you start. No question in my mind that Winchester brass, and nearly everything with their name on it, is in the dumpster these days. It’s not the same company it used to be. Someone I trust told me that the Govt made the brass manufacturers take lead ( or something) out of their process 10 or 15 years ago, and it made a difference. Anyone else heard that ?