JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
That's a good point about fire forming improved brass; I hadn't thought about that, and I even have a 30-06 Ackley Improved rifle.

As to cracks, even if it was it's not really a safety issue. Having fired lots of surplus ammo over the years, even stuff from the 30's and 40's, I've had plenty of split brass. Like I mentioned before, it's damage to the base that you have to worry about, but split necks and shoulders are not typically serious because the body will still seal the chamber.

Not that you should ever intentionally fire a cracked case, that's a bad practice. It's always best avoided, but on rare occasion I've even had new, factory fresh brass split on the first firing.

I honestly don't know if a split case does any damage/erosion to a chamber. If so I'd assume it's minute. Most of the rifles I've burned surplus ammo through have been old Mausers and Mosins and the like, and I've never noticed any harm, but I do try to avoid it.


I'm agreeing with you there. :)
 
Honestly guys, the risk is zero.

To each their own. I can totally understand not taking a chance, especially when the disposable part is cheap and the risk could be great. In this case though, there is zero increased risk. It doesn't matter to me if others err on the side of safety and toss perfectly good ammo, but if you want a voice of experience, there is no safety issue here.

Not only would I fire that round, but I would let my young daughter fire it.
 
Honestly guys, the risk is zero.

To each their own. I can totally understand not taking a chance, especially when the disposable part is cheap and the risk could be great. In this case though, there is zero increased risk. It doesn't matter to me if others err on the side of safety and toss perfectly good ammo, but if you want a voice of experience, there is no safety issue here.

Not only would I fire that round, but I would let my young daughter fire it.

As long as it's a dent, and not a crease that has penetrated and weakened the brass...there won't be any problem .

Bingo

This only way I can see it even remotely being an issue would maybe, possibly if it had been sitting in sweltering heat and already loaded hot. Maybe.
 
Why anyone would take even a .001% risk
There isn't even a .001% risk. You have more risk of food poisoning eating lunch today.

Life is full of risks, but what we have here is perceived risk. The risk is only in the minds of those who don't know, due to a lack of technical understanding and experience, whether it's hazardous or not. This is very reasonable. It's very wise to avoid perceived risk when it's something you don't fully understand.

Those of us with the experience and technical understanding of this particular issue are saying there is no risk here. You can either take our word for it or continue to perceive a risk that doesn't exist. Either way is fine.
 
How very high-n-mighty of you.

I can see where I came across wrong and for that I apologize.

I'm not trying to be high and mighty, just stating a fact. This is something I know about. The only risk here is in the mind of the person who doesn't understand it. There are plenty of things that I don't understand, that I would avoid due to perceived risk, that someone who understands would know to be perfectly safe.

It's completely reasonable to not shoot something like that because of a perceived risk, but the cold, hard reality is that the risk is only in your mind and is not a real risk.
 
I've reloaded for decades. I still say pull it. Without having it in hand to inspect and knowing its history, I'm not going to tell a guy to chamber and shoot it.

Saying zero risk is false. You don't know. Yes I've shot dented cases before, but that was my personal experience, with a case I felt comfortable with. The pressure could be increased as you've decreased the capacity by denting the shoulder. Was it a compressed load to begin with?

Getting stuck in the chamber is another possibility. Worth 30 cents? Not to me. Yes there's a good chance it'll be fine. There's also a possibility it may cause frustration with sticking in the chamber.

Small dents, no biggie, but to me that was a bit bigger and not worth my time personally.
 
That is quite the pucker. To the general masses I would say discard it mostly because it could end up getting stuck when you chamber it.

I shot a few dented cases because of excessive lube. But no pucker like that one.
 
And I should trust that from the same guy who said; "It was a foolish experiment and they should have gone straight into the scrap, even though it worked out fine."?

Point is, it's a dented round. That alone might not be an issue, but what other abuse has it suffered in it's journey to that damage? It's one thing if I just dinged it, but another if I don't know it's full history. And since I don't, my opinion is to discard and move on.

I get it; you don't know me. You don't trust me. And I offended you, for which I apologized. Now you're adding conditions to the round besides the dent, and throwing my words back at me. I must have offended you more than I realized. I truly am sorry for my earlier condescending tone. I'm not saying you or anyone else should fire a dented round. If you're not comfortable with it or don't fully understand the mechanics of the thing, it's wise not to.

I will absolutely stick with what I've said though; based on my understanding and experience, and all else being equal (nothing else weird has been done to it besides that little dent), there is no risk in firing a cartridge with a dented shoulder like the one in the original photo. Looking closely at the photo, I can't see where a dent like that would cause a chambering problem unless perhaps it was a very tight chamber. A dent such as that will not affect chamber pressure in the slightest because the dent will pop out long before it reaches peak pressure.

I've seen a hundred of these kinds of discussions on the internet over the years, and should know better than to contribute. I apologize to anyone else I've offended too.
 
After reflecting a bit I would like to offer a broad apology for some derailing and contention in this thread, and some comments I made that were perhaps more condescending than they should have been. Yes, my ego was probably bruised a little and that's no excuse. I've had my feelings stepped on in the past by condescending internet know-it-alls, and I certainly don't ever want to be one.

For the record I fully agree that it's best to avoid something you aren't comfortable with, even when someone else says it's fine. Reloading, tinkering, and old ammo are really my thing, and I've enjoyed tinkering and experimenting for decades. I've done things that some people would really cringe at, but always in a safe and careful manner, and I've never damaged a gun or myself.

Sometimes I forget that most people just want to shoot. They aren't terribly interested in the ammo other than it works properly every time and hits what they aim at. And that's perfectly fine. To each their own. Have fun and shoot safe! :)
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top