Love my .17HMR but WTF…

[Leupsak]

I remember the split case before firing issue many years ago but never experienced it thankfully, I read that the cause was a combination of thin brass coupled with the factory necking down WMR cases without heat, due to the primer being in place and the long term storage of loaded rounds putting excessive tension on the necks.
I put thousands of rounds through my Annie every year and have never identified or had an issue with a split case before firing and only one or two after firing.
I use Hornady 17g rounds and have just checked the 400 I have in the cupboard and not one is split but I do buy from a supplier who turns over their stock quickly. They did mention that they are not expecting delivery for many months due to shortages so maybe there is an issue with shops who don't turn over much 17HMR stock selling the old back of the shelf ammunition?

 

[Liveonce]

You don't need to carry a rod, I don't and there is not one in the car.
It is as simple a task, all be it annoying, to remove any loaded round with a split neck. No more worries.
Now I love Foxyboy but I do not believe the issue is ingress of damp.
It is so difficult trying to explain how in microseconds of the primer exploding the importance of the bullet not moving via the mechanical crimp from the case mouth. It is vital!! Without it we get all sort of potential issues. The fuel is not an explosive, it is a propellent.
Put in simple terms it takes more heat to ignite fully the charge where as if it were black powder a mere spark would work.

yes and no, decided it was best to have a rod in the car just incase, may be a walk back to the car but still better than a drive home and end of shooting that night.

I agree what with what you are saying, very unlikely to be damp given how we all store ammunition locked away, powder needs to be confined, pressure held back for a fraction of a second to develop full pressure in which it all burns. If you burn a little in open air it burns relatively slowly, unlike black powder.

 

[Foxyboy43]

yes and no, decided it was best to have a rod in the car just incase, may be a walk back to the car but still better than a drive home and end of shooting that night.

I agree what with what you are saying, very unlikely to be damp given how we all store ammunition locked away, powder needs to be confined, pressure held back for a fraction of a second to develop full pressure in which it all burns. If you burn a little in open air it burns relatively slowly, unlike black powder.

Indeed so - gun owners do of course store all store ammo locked away but I have heard of ammo sitting outside in Liverpool docks for 2 weeks!

 

[Smellydog]

As a follow-on but not rimfire related - this is an interesting article - note particularly the para re not fully closing the bolt - perhaps relevant to an ongoing thread?

Understanding a Gun Misfire - Guns and Ammo

Gun misfires do happen, but a misfire due to a defective primer is incredibly rare. The most common cause of misfire is referred to as "insufficient indent," which means the primer was not struck with sufficient force. But, there are other reasons for gun misfires.

www.gunsandammo.com

I had a whole series of misfires with my 30-30.
I wasn't sizing the brass enough. The cartridge rim was not against the breech. The firing pins percussion was lost on trying to push the case further into the tapered chamber. Sufficient enough to cause misfires.
And yes, I thought it was the primers

 

[Smellydog]

Indeed so - gun owners do of course store all store ammo locked away but I have heard of ammo sitting outside in Liverpool docks for 2 weeks!

Liverpool....2 weeks.....it would of walked!

 

[DS Mad]

Like some of you i have had issues with Remmington and Winchester but not with Hornady ... Just poor quality.. Check every single one now.

 

[User00057]

Just checked my 100 odd Hornady and not got 1

 

[Foxyboy43]

Just checked my 100 odd Hornady and not got 1

No worries I can send you a few FOC!

 

[foxhunter]

Like some of you i have had issues with Remmington and Winchester but not with Hornady ... Just poor quality.. Check every single one now.

Were those rounds in the1st pic before or after shooting.
Never had any as bad as that.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Were those rounds in the1st pic before or after shooting.
Never had any as bad as that.

Call me old-fashioned but the first pic is empty brass soooooo my money is on maybe after shooting - perhaps?…

 

[DS Mad]

Were those rounds in the1st pic before or after shooting.
Never had any as bad as that.

The first pic Remington all ( 50 ) split after firing The Winchester cracked before and after firing... Some where that dented when i turned the box upside down they would not fall out.

 

[DS Mad]

Call me old-fashioned but the first pic is empty brass soooooo my money is on maybe after shooting - perhaps?…

Yes.. after firing and i had some where the bullet tip when twisted in the fingers fell out ( Thay were also cracked )

 

[DS Mad]

Just checked my 100 odd Hornady and not got 1

I have three boxes collected to day from a Gun shop in Derbyshire ... Check them all and not a single crack or dent... I guess its luck of the draw because at some point if you shoot a .17 hmr your going to get a bad batch.

 

[Puds]

Looks like it’s lucky season as I picked up 100 Hornady 17gr vmax yesterday and not one has a split neck either.

 

[STEWARTSMITH]

Just checked 150 Hornady 17HMR cartridges. 22 split cases. Not one out of 50, CCI cartridges.
I had the bullet stuck half way down the barrel a few years ago. It really put me off the gun. I put it away and never got it out for about 4 years! Anyway, now it’s coming back out to play, minus the split cased cartridges of course.

 

[Boosh]

Personally its down the road for a fraction less of what I have seen on here.
Built as a rabbit eliminator, the noisy dosser of a round needs to get a grip.
100 yrd Magpie gun, if you can be arsed getting it out of the cabinet.
Dossers that do take it out of the cabinet after 10 months find a rusted barrel.
They won't know that though until the next owner gets it.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Just checked 150 Hornady 17HMR cartridges. 22 split cases. Not one out of 50, CCI cartridges.
I had the bullet stuck half way down the barrel a few years ago. It really put me off the gun. I put it away and never got it out for about 4 years! Anyway, now it’s coming back out to play, minus the split cased cartridges of course.

I always found Hornady were the big offenders for unfired split cases but that said my more recent purchases have all been ok though I do still get some splits after firing. The tiny .17 is a phenomenal round and I am a big fan of it. So long as you stick to basic rifle safety you should have no problems but anything out of the ordinary should immediately be investigated before cycling, never mind firing another round.