Originally Posted by
slamfire1
Here is an alternate, unwanted explanation:
Your pull down brass may have been weakened by the gasses released by deteriorating powder.
There is a tremendous amount of denial on this, but powder deteriorates.
When double based powders go bad they release nitric acid gas. This gas will cause corrosion and will attack brass. I don’t know how, but it does.
I had surplus 4895 go bad in the case and cause green corrosion on the base of bullets and case neck cracking. Case necks are more highly stressed than the other sections of the case, and it is thin. My guess that is why the necks crack.
I have been told the Army scrapped ammunition based on clock time. It is 20 years for double based powders and 45 years for single based. Your brass may have been laying loaded far longer than it was supposed to, before it was scrapped. There is the chance the powder in the cases was just starting to go bad.
The cases with split necks, toss them. Cases without split necks, anneal the stuff, do the rain dance, cast dark magic spells; if it helps, it is worth doing. :madsmile:
If it does not help: you are hosed. :surrender: