I have roughly 900 rounds of 308 that I reloaded several years ago. Mixed brass. I brought a few rounds for another acquaintance and had a total separation in his bolt action. I’m thinking I need to pull them all and discard the powder and brass and start over new. There really can’t be a safe alternative solution is there?

I'm no expert but I do some reloading.
I would examine the round that failed, note the maker of brass, and then examine the rest of the ammo closely before I made the decision to tear it all apart.

If you know for a fact what powder you used. You could pull down everything and use it again. It would a lot of work , but with cost and availability being what it is, it might be worth the effort.

Before you pull it all down, be sure you are confident the ammo is questionable. I've never pulled down that quantity, but I don't think it would be too difficult with my Hornady Cam Lok bullet puller. I also think the bullets would still be suitable for plinking after being reloaded.

That you aren't supremely confident in your ammo may be enough reason to pull it down.

I pulled 4 rounds and they were all in the acceptable range though not completely consistent (Dillon 550).
GQ magazine hasn’t been ringing my phone for a photo shoot but I don’t want to buy a plastic surgeon his next fishing boat either.
I’m more concerned that it’s the brass that is the culprit not the powder charge. I either missed some signs that I had a bad piece of brass initially, or it was just bad luck that there were no signs.
I suppose I could offer to pay the acquaintance to have a gunsmith verify his headspace before I dump everything. It’s not that I can’t afford the loss but I don’t want to jump to conclusions, so I figured I’d ask the collective brains here. I certainly won’t let pride, ego, or a few hundred dollars stand in front of safety.

Seconds question; I’ve never had to toss a case because I saw a shiny ring on brass or felt a brass wall with a crack. I’ve also never had a case head separation. How reliable is checking the inside of the case wall with a piece of bent wire?

Last question; Since I’m poor at keeping track of my reload counts I figured I could do the following: starting with new brass, use painted felt to mark the bottom of the case head. Say red, white, blue, then green. After green is shot, scrap the brass. Any better ideas?

Hi. I'm not trying to be a dickhead or rude. No offense meant.

There are guys here who are mainly on the SigForum Reloading Section and are less in the Lounge section.

You might ask there and get more and better responses.

Again, I'm not trying to be an ass or whatever.

Best wishes to you, good luck with your question.
.

You are correct. Can it still be moved?

rule number 1 never reload for someone else. lots of people ask and I just say no because if something blows up I don't want to be responsible. that's a lot of rounds to tear apart. but if you want to be super safe I would pull them.

Just ordered the Hornady cam lock and collet.

Before you begin pulling them down, do you have a comparator?

You made the ammo for your rifle. If his chamber is shorter than a debulleting or separation is exactly what I would expect. Or are you saying the base or case separated?

Maybe the chamber in your friends gun is a tad shorter than your ammo that you made, but it fits in your chamber.

I know you can’t measure the one that came apart, but you can find the longer ones, then see if the bullet gets jammed into the rifling on his rifle and then you’ll know. And then try a short one.

Yes you’ll have to measure all of them.

But honestly, I wouldn’t let anyone shoot ammo I reloaded, in their gun because I set my brass back .002. And it works in my gun and probably won’t in anyone else’s.

Get an Otoscope to examine the inside of brass

It was a complete separation just 1/4” or so above the rim. Case head fell into the magazine and the rest was stuck in the bore. Yes I have a comparator.

OK disregard the measurements. Based on what you said, with mixed brass, I’d shoot it, but only in my gun. Then inspect the brass as you consume it. Use a paper clip along the inside feeling for stretching.
The separation could be a one time thing.

quote:

Originally posted by XLT:
rule number 1 never reload for someone else. lots of people ask and I just say no because if something blows up I don't want to be responsible. that's a lot of rounds to tear apart. but if you want to be super safe I would pull them.

This.