• Help Support TNDeer:

Brass Issue!

TNtrapper

TNtrapper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Messages
1,152
Location
Henry co.
Hey all. I ordered a new 1894 Cowboy in 44 mag a few months ago and finially got it in a couple weeks ago. Im in the process of working up loads for it and have run into a problem. Ive got some brass thats bulging on one side only. Ive tried starting loads all the way up to hot loads and still have bulged brass. Ive tried different powders...W296.....2400...IMR4227...and still the same results. Factory loads dont do it.....so I reloaded some Magtech brass with the same loads that were bulging the WIN brass and it didnt do it. Did I get a bad lot of WIN brass? Its brand new.Ive never heard of this...but thats all I can come up with. Ive never seen brass bulge on one side only either. Anybody ever had this problem? Thanks a lot.
brass004.jpg

brass006.jpg
 
Have you tried any Win factory loads?

Reloading any Win factory loaded brass?

Tired the same loads in the other brass?

Changed Primers? ( Don't always need a Mag.Large Pistol Primer even with 296 and a change here can cause a pressure jump even with starting loads. )

Any difference inextraction between the loads??

Does the bulge resize out of the case?

Is it in the case after loading?

Have seen bulged cases before usally it is a too warm or to hot of load for the recipe being tried.not always though. Sometimes the seater and crimper die can be set up wrong annd casuse some bulgeing,usally though that shows up on the front end and not the rear,and is usally with near capacity loads.Still may want to try readjusting it.

Some slight bulgeing wouldn't give me concearn but those pics appear to be excessive to me.

It is possible you got a hold of some weak or bad brass. And if you have done all the above along with with what you posted I would lean that way.

UNLIKELY at present but it is possible the chamber could be a little oversized on the rifle.

Hope this helps.
 
I havent changed primers and the cases look perfect before firing. They resize back out just fine and dont really mic out any stretching as far as case length. With every load the brass looks identical after firing.Extraction is perfect also. Im beginning to lean toward an oversized chamber on this one too. This is a reply I got on the Marlin owners forums......



"I shot some reloads out of my 1894cb yesterday and the brass did the exact same thing while the factory loads didnt do it. I used 25.7 grains of 296 with a 250gr. hornady XTP. It has to due with the oversized chambers on the marlin rifles. I used a heavy crimp as well but it's not an excessive pressure sign. Just full length resize and set it aside for use with a lighter load. As you probably know brass swells, and it gets big and fills up the chamber, then shrinks back down to normal size. For some reason marlin has their chambers a tad too big, so the brass swells more than usual and then when it shrinks back down it doesn't shrink back down to normal size when using those magnum powders you and I were using."


Ive never heard of this...but what do I know!! LOL :grin:
 
I see no way for this to happen except for the chamber on the
gun to be out on one side.
I would not like it and I would not have it on any gun that I
own.

I would contact marlin and tell them that I wanted fixed period.
 
I didn't think of this till last night,

You might want to check the data your using.Sometimes the data will show reduced powder charges for "Rifles" from that of "Handguns" ran into that with data for 9mm carbines. Granted any handgun load "should" work fine in the rifle though.

Have you tried measureing the factory cases after fireing in the area of the bugle"?

Dial calipers will work in a pinch,hold them around the case near the mouth loosealy and carefully slide the case through them towrads the rim. Take notes and rotate the case 1/4 turn and repeat.. This is an old reloaders trick to check to see for pressure signs between handloads and factory.The factory load should be of the same case and as close to your handload as possible?? If your handload measure more than the factory across or near the web it is an indictor of pressure.

I would think that Factory loads would show the same bulge maybe more or less so depending on the load and brass esp with an oversized chamber.

Some bulgeing is normal excessive isn't the question is how much is normal for the combo in question.


I think I would try another primer if your using mags switch to standard of the same brand,or change brands(good luck finding them). Also would likely change cases. ALL Assumeing the bugle isn't in the factory cases and you cant see it with the ol eye.If it is well....you gotta do what you gotta do.
 
Thanks yall. Im to my wits end on this. Ive tried the standard primers also and still the same end result with the Winchester brass.The only factory loads I have are Magtechs.I tend to reload for everything...so I dont keep much factory on hand anymore. The factory loads dont bulge the brass. I went ahead and loaded some Magtech brass I had with the same loads that were bulging the Winchester brass and got no bulge with the Magtech brass. Hmmmm...I weighed the new Win brass and compared it to the new Magtech brass. The MT brass is quite a bit heavier than the Winnys. Im gonna play with this some more with some RP and Starline brass and see what happens. ;) But I do agree that this has got to be a bore problem. Usually when I get high pressure on anything...it shows in the primers. These primers are not flattened and show no blow by around them. I HAVE noticed that with reduced charges that I get a lot of sooty blowback around the case........its like it doesnt swell the brass enough to seal the bore. ;)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top