Recently I tried some hotter loads in my Kelbly 6PPC (28.9grs N133 w/ 68grs AlpineBullets FB)
And the cases show some signs of overpressure.
This leads to my question, if the cases e.g. Won't easily fit into the shellholder anymore I believe that I can throw them away..
Also I throw them away if there are Bolt-marks on the case.
To what point would you still use these cases and how would it affect accuracy if still used..?
Throw them away when they won't hold a primer (over-pressure), or if they develop a grainy ring at the web/body junction (over-sizing) otherwise, WHY??
Loosening primers is the surest sign of case head expansion. It's easy, it's incontrovertible...... you can't screw it up.
You can measure caseheads with a caliper and document them through their life, frustrating since't they ain't round (a HIDEOUS waste of time, nobody's ever done it more than once)
Or you can measure casehead expansion using a mic, even more frustrating since't they ain't round (a HIDEOUS waste of time, nobody's ever done it more than once)
Or you can measure caseheads in the groove using a caliper, more rounder (a HIDEOUS waste of time, nobody's ever done it more than once)
Or you can measure "the right way" by using a blade mic in the groove (a HIDEOUS waste of time, nobody's ever done it more than once)
Or you can feel them getting tighter in the shellholder.....sometimes.....I have 17, at quick count, .473 shellholders and over a dozen PPC's and they're all different. In fact I commonly switch to a looser fit when I'm loading them cases "for the last time" (see what'cha' do if'n you're a redneck like I'm is, you wait til the primers are perty loose then you load 'em for coyote rounds to chuck into the weeds.....think "Bob-N-Roy's primer sealant"......fingernail polish....cigarette paper....superglue....switch brands....be creative) but know this, WHEN THAT PRIMER LEAKS IT'LL CUT YOUR BOLTFACE SOME....
Rich people just throw them away.
But in any case, the single accurate gauge you've got at your disposal is loosening of primer pockets. Having used an Oehler 43 setup for years and having talked with plendy guys who do this for a living at various component companies, I will state my opinion firmly regarding primer pockets. You're actually gauging casehead expansion (obviously
) and in my world gauging beats measuring every time.
opinions will vary
but this is mine
al
AND BTW......I mentioned the shiney ring.... in this case, if you get the ring THROW them far away after crimping the necks with pliers and then FIND THE PROBLEM. A shiny ring, which leads to casehead separation is the result of over-sizing.......... ALWAYS..... There are no other mechanical reasons for it. Over-sizing is a huge issue, a safety issue and one poorly understood in the handloading community.
