Bulged cases

[Varmiter]

I really get upset when I hear folks talking about ironing out a bulged case. What causes the case to bulge?

In most instances it is the unsupported portion of the chamber that allows this to happen. Two possibilities, as I see it. One, the bulged case may have been in perfect condition but the load could have been too hot causing the bulge. In this instance, the case has been weakened but the bulge itself. It is further weakened by the ironing out. This case should be scrapped. Two, if the case was weak in the first place, you can consider yourself lucky your gun didn’t do a self disassembly.

In my opinion, reloading an ironed out bulged case is just asking for trouble.

Any thoughts?

Chris

[safetychain]

First, there are many barrels that leave a significant amount of case unsupported and any and all cases, reloaded and factory, bulge. One of my .380s, an old WWII Husqvarna, bulges every case. I have reloaded these bulged cases several times with the bulge never failing. Now I do get many cases from my the Husq and Keltec and Taurus that split some cases, in the neck. Ironing out the bulges would be work hardening the brass and as long as it doesn't get brittle, it would appear that would strengthen the bases. I don't see a split at the base being too dangerous or disastrous to the gun or the shooter at least in most auto pistol calibers. Even rifles with there much stronger charges have corresponding much stronger bolts.

[Freiheit]

I take the same approach as Varminter. If its bulged it goes in the bad-brass bucket. I treat it like a pressure sign.

I suppose if I was always seeing bulged cases or shooting something in an odd caliber I'd rescue them.

[ants]

It's up to you.
Resizing the bulge shortens case life,
but doesn't extinguish it automatically.
Always visually inspect your brass, use your own judgment.
If you don't like the condition (including bulge) recycle it.
But if you judge that it's still good, then it's good to go.
Until it splits or burns through or fails to hold a primer,
it's generally good brass if it passes inspection.
The bulge alone doesn't automatically make it bad brass
if it can be resized successfully.
Bring your own judgment and experience to bear.

Kinda like us humans.
When we get injured, we're not ready to be killed off yet.
Give us a chance to heal up, and we're back in the game.
Eventually we'll come to the end of our own lives,
and sometimes the injuries accelerate it.
But until the last day arrives, we still have some life left in us.

Forming and resizing brass, including bulges, is an individual choice.

[Varmiter]

A paradox:

You are free to choose.
You are not free from the consequence of your choice.

[ants]

Absoutely, Varminter. Absolutely.
That's why life involves individual judgment.

[bruno2]

I dont see much difference in reloading a bulged case or reloading a good case 7-8 times. You can only stretch and re swage something back into form so many times before the integrity has weakened beyond substantial. Whenever you are trimming cases that means you have thinned the walls to the point it is too long.

I have a buddy that shoots every case until they come apart. Thats how he knows they are done. The worst thing that can happen is the webbing can seperate and let the gas vent out the backside. If you are wearing glasses then it cant hurt you. A case coming apart doesnt somehow magically increase the pressure inside the gun. If the round you were shooting doesnt blow your gun up normally then it wont blow your gun up b/c a case split.

I encourage everybody to use whatever safety measures they are comfortable with. If you dont like it ,dont do it. Even if the practice is really safe in reality. The lack of confidence will either cause you to miss or play other head games with you. The thoughts in ypur head will hurt accuracy as much as anything else.

[Carl N. Brown]

Does make a a good case for keeping brass seperate by brand and gun they were fired in, with notes on label of box, not just powder, charge weight, bullet, etc. but any observations on cases during inspections after cleaning and sizing.

[ants]

I like the two posts above. Thank you, gents.

Just one point to further on Brandon's good advice: If a case splits or burns up during discharge, the hot gas slightly erodes the chamber walls. If it happens once, no big deal. But erosion is accumulative. One would be advised to avoid too many split or burnt cases.

Exactly as Brandon said, follow the procedure with which you are most comfortable. Like Carl said, keep track of things appropriately so you can make the right judgments.


My 300 Weatherby is extremely hard on cases when loaded to its magnum potential. I buy once-fired cases, then get only 2 or 3 loads before they expire. I actually write the number of uses on the outside of the case with a Sharpie so I can retire each at the right time. On the other hand, I simply use visual inspection of most non-magnum handgun brass because it gets softer use. Most handgun brass gets lost or taken by others before they get burned up.

[Omnivore]

There are many instances of polymer pistols being damaged by a blown case, and the shooter's hand(s) being badly bruised.

All cases bulge all the time, to some extent. It's part of how they work-- they expand to seal the chamber, so it's only a matter of degree that we're discussing.

I have observed that some new cases bulge more than once fired cases, all else being equal. As stated above-- work hardening. My Win. '94 30-30 bulges cases right above the web, and it's often slightly asymetrical. After two or three firings though, that bulge is even all the way around. I check that area carefully after several firings.

At 50,000 psi or higher operating pressure in some of the high powered rifle rounds, a blown case could be dangerous. That's one reason why bullpups sort of give me the creeps.

[bruno2]

Well maybe the plastic pistols have had some issues. I dont see the rifles having them and even the semi autos for that matter. The bolt guns keep everything locked up tight. The semi autos (unless it is a gun that fires from an open bolt) have to be in full battery before the weapon will fire. In the full battery position it is locked up tight as well. The bolts usually work off of inertia blowback or a gas operating system. So either way they will buffer the force coming backwards and share the inertia of the gasses going out of the bbl.

My buddy chris and I were shooting 22-250 one day. We are always pretty safe shooters as far as glasses and muffs go. We went downrange to mark the bullet holes. When we returned we started shooting again. He didnt put his glasses on b/c it slipped his mind. One of the rounds he shot(a reload and a hot one at that) split the webbing right by the head stamp and vented some of the gas out of the side of his bolt. It got him in the eye. It looked like it burnt him a little as well as gave him a little powder tatoo on the white part. If he had his glasses on nothing would have happened in the line of injuries. That was a once fired case too. I think it was just a bad one from the factory or maybe got damaged during the resizing process.

In the past I have been sort of willy nilly about safety glasses. I am a stickler about them now. I tell people all the time when I see them shooting w/o them to get some on.

[ants]

Thank you, Brandon. Good words from personal experience.

[yooper_sjd]

some surplus rifles have fluted chambers; CETME, FAL, HK...
I have several hundred ctgs that I have shot thru my CETME that I have full body resized in my dies... these bulge at the flutes. If a a case if bulging near the base...... then you have a headspacing issue.

But a typical ctg buldging will not hurt the weapon.. If you are using commercial brass, that will happen. I reload my own with Military brass, thicker side walls...


yoop

[bruno2]

Keep in mind military brass is supposed be reduced by 10% on the powder charge because of the thicker wall equaling less interior space. Therefore possibly creating a compressed load if using specs for regular brass.

[HOWARD J]

I have a Savage Edge in 243 Win.
I have tried different cases & they have a small bulge after firing.
I tried a PPU -Parvi Partizan case-- it comes out without a bulge & gives me many worry free loadings--it pays to check around