Toss or plink away!

[RVTECH]

Did the same with some .30-30 ammo back in the day before collet crimp dies.

A couple were a little 'snug' on chambering but they all shot fine.

 

[fstdraw]

No doubt!

 

[Member 34319]

The machine tool or the crimp proper?

Not sure if it's similar to the tooling, but it replicates the crimp closely if not the same.

 

[thorborg]

Generally, anything that far up the brass will won't cause you grief. If it will chamber, any wrinkle will be ironed out after firing. (fire formed)
Even firing with split cases: @ the base, very bad, but at the top, you'll never notice.
That said, if you are messing with head space which is located off the shoulder, a critical eye may be prudent to ascertain you are still within specs. Unfortunately, head space cannot be seen so must be measured. Because of that, many don't give it the respect it deserves.
Unless of coarse, you are one of them well built rimmed sort belted too!

 

[gmerkt]

The fact that they will chamber is a good thing. If the shoulder were crushed badly, they wouldn't chamber. This is a common mistake for newbies who haven't yet discovered case trimming. Or as in this matter, set the seating die too low. Especially with .223 which doesn't have a very thick case.

I think what scares some people about this defect concerns what kind of rifle they are gonna be fired in. If it's a bolt action, it wouldn't be an issue so long as they chamber. However most AR design rifles have a floating firing pin. So if by chance you tried to chamber one that was more severely crushed that wouldn't go, there would be the chance that the firing pin could detonate the round out of battery. And who knows, in that batch of 400, there might've been one or two that had cases that were a teensy bit longer than the rest. And the couple of exceptions wouldn't chamber.

So what I've said above is a possibility, however slight. But if you chamber a normal round in an AR design, then extract it without firing, you will note a faint dimple in the primer where the firing pin bounced off of it. Without detonating the round. So it's obvious that there is some of this inherent to the original design.

My 5.56mm AR's have floating firing pins. Only my Armalite AR-10 in 7.62mm has a little spring on the firing pin that prevents it from floating.

Okay, suppose you go ahead and fire the ones that will chamber. The defect will be fire-formed out of the case which can be reused. So long as it doesn't have any other problems.

What somebody else said above, a cartridge headspace gauge is a nice reloading tool to have for checking your work.

For cartridges I'm gonna shoot in an AR (which is where most of my .224 bullets are used), if I have a bullet with a cannelure, that gets crimped. And these must have pretty uniform case length. For bullets without a cannelure, I only give them the gentlest taper crimp as a separate operation.

The RCBS die set that I use is specifically for 5.56mm, small base, and incorporates a taper crimp in the seating die. If you want to use it. As I said, I do it separately. Typically, I use a CH taper crimp die. But I've also got a Dillon taper crimp die that I like, seems like it has two facets to the taper.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Dynamiting?

I've heard of mortaring. I'm guessing dynamiting is a lot more serious.

COFFEE!!!! I need more COFFEE.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Not sure if it's similar to the tooling, but it replicates the crimp closely if not the same.

i've seen a lot of the head stamps that are out there and some crimps look like the methods used for crimping primer pockets, 4 gouges at the necks.

 

[Member 34319]

i've seen a lot of the head stamps that are out there and some crimps look like the methods used for crimping primer pockets, 4 gouges at the necks.

 

[Member 5605]

If they chamber, let em rip!

 

[fstdraw]

Thank you guys a ton! I think I'll shoot a few and see how it goes. If I don't have a good feeling about them, I'll deal with it. I've got several thousand already loaded so these 400 aren't going to cost me sleep. All rounds are 55 gr. , CCI 450 primers, 24.5 or 25.0 gr. H335. All my rounds are Lee FCD crimped...except for these 400 lost souls.

Live and learn (twice) I guess.

 

[fstdraw]

OK, one more idea. As a couple of you have alluded to, I've taken the de-caping pin out of the RCBS die. Without lube, I've run the damaged cartridge about 4/5's into the die body, backed off (a few turns) from the regular setting in the press. This rids the brass of 85 to 90% of the slight bulge. It does add 3 to 4 thousandths to the OACL, but no sweat as I was starting out at 2.220 (roughly)anyway. Shouldn't take but 15 minutes to do them all and they do seem to fit into the chamber a tad bit better. Hope I'm not missing anything obvious in this fix. Thanks to all that made suggestions!

 

[DizzyJ]

OK, one more idea. As a couple of you have alluded to, I've taken the de-caping pin out of the RCBS die. Without lube, I've run the damaged cartridge about 4/5's into the die body, backed off (a few turns) from the regular setting in the press. This rids the brass of 85 to 90% of the slight bulge. It does add 3 to 4 thousandths to the OACL, but no sweat as I was starting out at 2.220 (roughly)anyway. Shouldn't take but 15 minutes to do them all and they do seem to fit into the chamber a tad bit better. Hope I'm not missing anything obvious in this fix. Thanks to all that made suggestions!

As long as your brass itself isn't growing too long. Personally I'd just leave em and shoot em as is if they'll chamber.

Hopefully you're not moving the shoulder forward too when squeezing them back down.

 

[fstdraw]

I don't think so. They seem to chamber with just a touch of pressure by me on the rear of the bolt. Much less pressure than the buffer spring is going to apply. The set up I'm using reduces the bulge about 3 thousandths, 2 thousandths of where new brass would measure.

 

[fstdraw]

20 minutes later re-sizing is done. Shells seem to drop into a BCM carbine and drop out with no resistance.

I will be shooting these this weekend.

Thank you again.

 

[Certaindeaf]

20 minutes later re-sizing is done. Shells seem to drop into a BCM carbine and drop out with no resistance.

I will be shooting these this weekend.

Thank you again.

Think of the craven hordes! Save at least some.

 

[fstdraw]

Damn, that's funny! At least it's not 9mm.