My data shows this was a 4th firing of this cartridge. It is a failure but I don't know if I would have caught it if I had not shined this brass up with the steel wool. It does stick out after cleaning the brass.

I wonder if this failure occured as a normal failure or it had to do with the change to a new rifle. Other factors are the fact that I don't think I was getting the shoulder set back with my die until recently.

At any rate this should be an interesting subject to get into. Here are some questions I have as I get into using brass that may start to have failures.

Is this a typical failure in the 06 brass when they start?

Does annealing reduce this type of failure?

What other failures have others seen in the 06?

Should we start different threads for other cartidges because failures are different in different catridges?

IMO, it is from a deadlap that has been there ever since the case was made.

Pretty common failure with any bottle-necked cartridge Chief. All it takes is a scratch (from the maker or you) to make a weak spot.

With the proper tools you could still reform that case to something shorter with the same case head. 257 Roberts or 6mm. Remington?

Cheezywan

Neck failures,just like yours,are my most common ones.
Frank

No matter how careful ya are, and how you work to minimize the things that
accelerate case wear, sometimes they just do that.

If it happens alot- more than 1 or two in a hundred that have been reloaded a few times,
I'd scrap out the entire batch, and start measuring & such
to see if the chamber is to large or whatever.

Chief, ya get those once in a while.

I buy most of my brass by the 100/500, and it happens once in a while.

Take a close look at the inside of the necks on your resized cases. Does the expander leave a score on the inside of the case? If not, it's a fluke. Keep on loadin'.

Usually have those failures showing up after a dozen or so reloads. Not uncommon and something I don't sweat.

Could be Chief, that the case had a weak spot when formed.

No worries here. I just thought it would be a good thing to document failures of specific cartridges in threads here. There is such a wide variety of folks and I know a lot that load 06 that it would be neat to see what the specifics of failures were. Kind of a running data tank so we could see what develops. I have yet to have a failure on a 44 mag case. When I do I will start a thread for it or if someone has had a recent failure that they have te specifics for they could start on.

This one will be for the 06.

I have several .308 Marlin Expres cases formed from other cases that failed in this manner. I should have annealed the cases.
You can often feel this type of split neck when it passes over the expander ball.
I dont clean cases very often but I hand wipe each case - watching "No Reservations" tonight and preping .307 Winchesters.
This is a very common failure in the .25-20 WCF case.

Annealing will help with situations like this. All you need is a shallow pan, a screwdriver to tip over cases and a propane torch. Set the cases in a half inch of water and heat the necks just red and tip them over. Dry and load as usual. This brings the necks back to dead soft like new brass. I anneal every 4th or 5th firing depending on the case and how hot I'm loading.

As for your failure it's one of the most common.

Annealing will help with situations like this.

Ya know, this always made me nervous.

When cases are formed I understand that the brass is tempered as part of the process, and that the thing to avoid is softening the brass at the base.

As part of the annealing step is to allow workhardened brass to decompress, and become less britle, is there a way to anneal the entire case, and retemper? Most of my brass loses life from primer pockets loosening up, yes I operate many loads at the upper end of the pressure range. Would sizing an annealed case, then retempering the base solve that? Would precise controls be needed?

No - you don't want to anneal the entire case - that will lead to ruptured cases.

Only the neck and shoulder areas of the brass are annealed. Take a look at military brass for the visual indication of annealing. Most commercial brass is annealed at the factory and then polished to remove the discoloration to be more attractive to the purchaser.

Hornady sells an annealing kit, but it can be done easily without a lot of material. You'll need a heat source (propane torch), a pair of pliers and a bucket of water. Hold the case in the torch flame and rotate, keeping the heat on the neck area. When the case neck turns a dull grey with a hint of red, drop the case into the bucket and let cool. Some folks use a flat cooking pan filled with water up to the shoulder of the cases. The case is heated as above and then tipped over and the next case treated likewise.

Not rocket science, but will get you by.

Hello,
Should one anneal a case before resizing or after?
Thanks,
-Dan

Will cases with necks expanded be more likely to split earlier? Such as .35 Whelen cases formed from .30-06 cases?

I haven't had a '06 case split like that for awhile! But the last one I had was just like that! Almost missed it had the case primed and powdered and was going to seat a bullet when I saw it! Now I did have a 38Sp case split from the mouth to the web when seating a bullet last week!!:(

Chief, that's a normal neck split due to work hardened brass, not much can be done to avoid it except careful annealing.

A size die change MAY help. If you have a large diameter chamber neck and a small diameter die neck then the brass will fail much sooner than is common. Sounds like yours may fit that description. Lee's collet neck sizer minimizes working the necks better than any other common die.

Hey Chief, that's pretty normal. Probably not so normal with a moderate round like the 30-06 after only 4 loadings, but I sure wouldn't be too concerned over it. In fact, if I missed such a case in my loading and fired it, even then it wouldn't cause me much concern. But it would get tossed after firing and the gap opened a bit to be noticeable.

I see most of my split cases coming from my 17 Rem, and 25-06. The 25-06 brass I've been using since high school....and that's been a long time now!

I get occasional splits on my 204 brass, but I really believe this brass is easily work hardened, vastly more so than my other rifle cartridges.

I anneal by holding the case at a 45 degree angle, and direct my MAPP gas torch up and rotate the whole case for just a few seconds in the heat. I used the Tempilstik heat marker for a few cases, but was quickly able to adjust my hold time with the same time the Tempil melted, except I quit using the heat marker. I then quickly dip the case in deionized water.

1234567890

Thanks guys. I may anneal all of my older brass before I trim them this time. I was having a die problem that was me and not the die. I think I have it solved but I question wheather I was getting the shoulder sized because of it. Both these things could have contributed to the early failure. I have 100 new pieces so I am looking for some different result from these.

Remember. document your 30.06 failures here and send photos if possible. It should be valuable data.

My computer is a bit behind the times too.
Here is a scan of the pictures and the text converted to word. This is from page 66 of the May 1978 issue of the American Rifleman. The question is answered by William C. Davis.
Sorry this took so long to look up but while my mind knew I had seen it, it took a bit of time to remember when. I have been traveling a bit and this slowed me down to.

Case Splits
Question: While reloading some military 7.62 cases, I came across one which had a large crack. What is the cause of this type of case failure?

Answer: The type of case casualty found in the fired 7.62 mm NATO case that you sent for examination is called a "j-split" in the classification of firing defects for military ammunition. It can be caused by a lamination or a non-metallic inclusion in the brass cup from which the case was drawn, or by inadequate heat-treatment of the case at some stage of its manufacture. It can also be caused by a defective punch or die which produces a "draw-scratch" either inside or outside of the case during manufacture. A deep scratch produced by some accident after the cartridge is loaded can also cause the case to split upon firing.
Occasionally a magazine for the M l4 rifle or clip for the Ml rifle is found to have a sharp edge inside the lip, rather than a slightly rounded edge as it should have. This can cause a deep scratch down the side of the case during stripping from the magazine into the chamber. This can cause a j-split, especially if it occurs on the right-hand side, because the body of the chambered case in the M1 or M l4 is usually pressed against the left-hand side of the chamber by the lorce of the extractor spring, and the case expands more on the right, than on the left when it is fired.
Although a positive determination of the cause cannot be made without a metallurgical examination, I believe that the failure of the case that you sent was due to inadequate inter-draw annealing during manufacture. It is not due to any fault of your rifle.
J-splits do not allow any appreciable gas leakage, and so are not classified as hazardous or "critical" defects in military ammunition. Splits that extend farther toward the case head are called "k-splits" or "L-splits," and they may allow enough gas leakage to cause injury if the shooter is not wearing glasses. A split that extends through the head of the case and into the primer pocket is called an "m-split," and is always dangerous. One m-split in a lot of ammunition will cause removal of the whole lot from service. Fortunately, they are now very rare.
Cases that show occasional j-splits are not necessarily susceptible to the dangerous m-splits, and so the occurrence of a j-split is not usually sufficient cause to remove the lot from service. You should always be sure to wear shooting glasses, especially when firing ammunition in which any body split has occurred. You should not reload those cases. W.C.D., JR.
TheAmerican Rifleman May 1978

Caption, picture a: Classification of defective cartridge cases depending on location of split as shown in Military Standard 636, Visual Inspection Standards for Small Arms Ammunition Through Cal. .50, dated June 5, 1958. Splits in the "K", "L" or "M" regions are considered "critical" or hazardous detects.

Caption, picture b: An "m" split (left) is always dangerous. A "l" split ruins the case, but seldom presents any danger to the shooter.