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I recently purchased 200 once fired .223 cases from the NRA shop at Bisley they were £8 / 100 bargain I thought.
Anyway I got them home and noticed the primers had a ring crimp, no probs I thought they are still .223 so ill ream the crimp out after depriming and sizing, it was a bit more messing about than Im generally prepared to put up with (but they were cheap)
I reloaded a small batch with a moderate load of Benchmark and a 69gr SMK they shot very well, however I had 2 case head seperations something I have never experienced in all my years of both civilian and military shooting.
Are they just crap cases.
Anyway I have scrapped the other empties and will not be using them again

That is not 'Case Head Separation" as it has occurred further down the case. What you have got is total case failure.
As the cases were bought as once fired you have no way of knowing what the cartridges were originally fired in and what the condition of the firearms chamber. That is the risk that you run with buying once fired brass that has been in a unknown firearm. That is one of the reasons that I am very cautious when buying once fired cases.

Steve E wrote:That is not 'Case Head Separation" as it has occurred further down the case. What you have got is total case failure.
As the cases were bought as once fired you have no way of knowing what the cartridges were originally fired in and what the condition of the firearms chamber. That is the risk that you run with buying once fired brass that has been in a unknown firearm. That is one of the reasons that I am very cautious when buying once fired cases.

+1!
ukrifleman

Lesson learned then, this is actually the first time I have purchased once fired. And so it seems the last sign92 :goodjob: .

From what I can see, both cases have ruptured in the same place. Most likely where the web of the case, hence the head, has finished. Apart from that, I concur with the above that the gun last used is an unknown quantity, or indeed, if they are once fired....

Have you not learned that your "bargains" tend to cause you drama.....? Tightwad!!

The cases look pretty skany anyway, what is the head stamp?

They are a commercial brand as Milsurp would not be stamped .223

John MH wrote:The cases look pretty skany anyway, what is the head stamp?

They are a commercial brand as Milsurp would not be stamped .223

If I were a betting man, I would say it's Federal American Eagle brass.

Not he best brass in he world if it is AE, I have had similar failures in the long distant past with American Eagle, after several reloads, which is why I don't use it.

John MH wrote:Not he best brass in he world if it is AE, I have had similar failures in the long distant past with American Eagle, after several reloads, which is why I don't use it.

I used some AE hollow point which was good thick federal brass, in comparison I also used some AE FMJ which was thin,crap brass.

The AE cases I used were bought topped with 55 Grain FMJ.