Remington factory load that very slightly gas cut my bolt face, sticking with reloads going forward!
Signs of high pressure?
- Thread starter rookyshot
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A Guy Out West
Well-Known Member
someone tried to sell me this rifle before. this is a sign of high pressure with home loads.
Strange that the smile is not in a circular form. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that mark is caused by hot gas from leaking primer pockets. I have noticed on my .264 that upon the brass’s 3rd firing, I get a little black ring around the firing pin hole.
swaro79
Well-Known Member
Yes it’s gas cutting from either worn primer pockets or hot loads as it cut at least a couple of mm quite deep into bolt face.
Gun went straight back when I’d seen it plus if I remember right the barrel was burnt out it was light a smooth bore.
was on a tikka m595 varmint..
Gun went straight back when I’d seen it plus if I remember right the barrel was burnt out it was light a smooth bore.
was on a tikka m595 varmint..Had very similar with a sako .223 Varmint I bought on hereYes it’s gas cutting from either worn primer pockets or hot loads as it cut at least a couple of mm quite deep into bolt face.
Gun went straight back when I’d seen it plus if I remember right the barrel was burnt out it was light a smooth bore.
Something seems a little off . 
Those cases don't look as though they're from the same box /batch . Did you buy these as once fired ? The reason I ask is some are giving the impression of lose primer pockets or not haveing been seated consistently , none of the primers are exhibiting high pressure.
It's highly satisfying developing a good load , nice one . Now book yourself into an addiction clinic with the rest of us .
Those cases don't look as though they're from the same box /batch . Did you buy these as once fired ? The reason I ask is some are giving the impression of lose primer pockets or not haveing been seated consistently , none of the primers are exhibiting high pressure.
And 12 o'clock on the one below.
It's highly satisfying developing a good load , nice one . Now book yourself into an addiction clinic with the rest of us .
MAH
Well-Known Member
Hi. Here's a good article on pressure signs..
Reading Pressure Signs – Florida Reloading
MAH
Well-Known Member
That's just what i though. The one bottom right looks like it's been used as a snap cap.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Hi. My name is Foxyboy and I am a reloader. Reloaders are friends………Something seems a little off .
Those cases don't look as though they're from the same box /batch . Did you buy these as once fired ? The reason I ask is some are giving the impression of lose primer pockets or not haveing been seated consistently , none of the primers are exhibiting high pressure.
And 12 o'clock on the one below.
It's highly satisfying developing a good load , nice one . Now book yourself into an addiction clinic with the rest of us .
Rattling the chicken bones to read the runes, there does seem to be something going on here. Inconsistent certainly.
From top left, reading left to right.
1. OK but not much more to go regards pressure. Primer flat but OK. Extruded all the way to the outer ring (of two) of the primer pocket.
2. Ejector or extractor has scraped around and a chunk missing from the rim (hard extraction ?). Is this a right handed bolt ? Primer flat but OK, as 1.
3. OK, seemingly a little bit less pressure.
4. Small sign of primer blow-by soot, but maybe imagining that. Primer seemingly a little protruding after the event but not so flat.
5. Seemingly OK but I see some small circular scraping marks all the way around the headstamp.
6. Headstamp beginning to flatten. Primer flat as per 1 and 2. Small crape marks again.
7.As per 6.
8. A bit like 4 but no primer leakage. Firing pin strike a bit wonky. Almost looks like it took a second go to fire it off.
All firing pin strikes look OK and centred, I've seen far worse.
On the assumption that this is your original brass, not some "once fired allegedly", are you batching it and rotating it so that each case is fired the same number of times ? Because it doesn't look like that. 6 and 7 look considerably more used.
There is inconsistency in the primer signs. What make are they, and do you mix them up ? Because some are softer than others. None of them look too worrying to me re: pressure, actually 3,4,5 and particularly 8 seem rather light (more rounded).
What are you using to seat them (press or hand tool), and do you do any primer pocket prep, at least scrape them out. It can be deceptive, you can flatten primers just by seating them with too much or too little force, particularly if the pockets are inconsistent/dirty/not quite exactly the right size for your particular primers.
From my armchair.
From top left, reading left to right.
1. OK but not much more to go regards pressure. Primer flat but OK. Extruded all the way to the outer ring (of two) of the primer pocket.
2. Ejector or extractor has scraped around and a chunk missing from the rim (hard extraction ?). Is this a right handed bolt ? Primer flat but OK, as 1.
3. OK, seemingly a little bit less pressure.
4. Small sign of primer blow-by soot, but maybe imagining that. Primer seemingly a little protruding after the event but not so flat.
5. Seemingly OK but I see some small circular scraping marks all the way around the headstamp.
6. Headstamp beginning to flatten. Primer flat as per 1 and 2. Small crape marks again.
7.As per 6.
8. A bit like 4 but no primer leakage. Firing pin strike a bit wonky. Almost looks like it took a second go to fire it off.
All firing pin strikes look OK and centred, I've seen far worse.
On the assumption that this is your original brass, not some "once fired allegedly", are you batching it and rotating it so that each case is fired the same number of times ? Because it doesn't look like that. 6 and 7 look considerably more used.
There is inconsistency in the primer signs. What make are they, and do you mix them up ? Because some are softer than others. None of them look too worrying to me re: pressure, actually 3,4,5 and particularly 8 seem rather light (more rounded).
What are you using to seat them (press or hand tool), and do you do any primer pocket prep, at least scrape them out. It can be deceptive, you can flatten primers just by seating them with too much or too little force, particularly if the pockets are inconsistent/dirty/not quite exactly the right size for your particular primers.
From my armchair.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Nice break down . That looked like far more effort than I could muster at this time in the evening .
Time for my RA meeting.
(Reloaders Anonymous)
The cases were purchased new but this was their third firing and they had been used in one of my other rifles.Something seems a little off .
Those cases don't look as though they're from the same box /batch . Did you buy these as once fired ? The reason I ask is some are giving the impression of lose primer pockets or not haveing been seated consistently , none of the primers are exhibiting high pressure.
And 12 o'clock on the one below.
It's highly satisfying developing a good load , nice one . Now book yourself into an addiction clinic with the rest of us .
No these were fired from a Tikka T3x CTR 223 8” twist 24” barrel.
All the same batch of brass but third firing, all the same S&B primers seated with a Lee Hand primer.
Thanks for the feedback I was concerned that I was starting to see the early signs of high pressure with the slightly flatened primers.
The inconsistency is a bit of a mystery though and when I primed the cases I checked each one of the primers and they looked evenly seated but the pressure needed to seat them didn’t feel that consistent but none of them felt really loose.
Maybe I need to try a fresh batch of brass and a better quality priming tool.
Food for thought..
I've no experience of S&B primers, though I'd hazard a guess that you're describing loose primer pockets . I'd expect to see more than 3 or 4 firings from any 223 brass , hot loads and excessive headspace will both shorten case life .
Absolutely nothing wrong with the Lee Hand Primer .
Absolutely nothing wrong with the Lee Hand Primer .
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