March 27, 2023 We are republishing this article because Forum members found it very valuable. This Safety Tip will help you inspect fired brass to determine whether there is a possibility of case separation. Cartridge case-head separation can be dangerous and could cause serious injury. This excellent article was published on the Riflemans Journal blog by German Salazar*. Salazar (aka GS Arizona), examined the causes of this serious problem, and provided tips on how to inspect your brass to reduce the chance of a case-head separator. The cases can stretch when they are fired multiple times and resized during reloading. The case walls will thin out at the bottom of most cases. This is the “danger zone” and it is important to be aware of signs of weakness. The photo below shows a section of a case so you can see the area where the case wall thins near the web. The thinned area can be seen by a small arrow in the soot. The case had not split yet, but it would most likely after a few more firings. Paper Clip Hack for Detecting Problems
This article gave you a simple tip to detect potential problems. To detect potential problems with your case wall, you can use a bent paperclip. To check for any thin spots, slide the bent paper clip inside your case. GS Arizona explains that this simple tool (the bent paper clip) can be used to check the inside of your cases before you reload them. As you run the clip along the case’s interior, you will see the thin spot. If the clip is hitting a thin spot in the interior of the case and you see a shiny line on its outside, it’s time for the case to be retired. This will give you an idea of how the thin spot feels and how it changes as you reload more cases. Don’t skip this step if you are loading the night before a match or feel pressured to do so. “* German Salazar, 62, died unexpectedly on June 21, 2022. German was an inspiration to this site and helped guide the creation AccurateShooter forum. German, a brilliant man, an expert attorney and a top-tier marksman will be greatly missed in the shooting sport world.
Similar Posts:Tags: Cartridge Brass, Case Failure, Case Wall, Case-Head, Case-Head Separation, German Salazar, Paper Clip, Reloading, safety
