I'd be much more curious (worried) about your fcg working to cause a light strike on a primer in a cartridge that is obviously nowhere near fully chambered or the bolt in battery.
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Have you ever seen this happen before?
- Thread starter grandall1972
- Start date
most everything people have said is very true...... however in most cases when the cartridge case separates at the shoulder it is a result of a rough or dirty neck not the fault of the ammo. semi autos have very violent extraction and if there is any sticking of the neck they can tear the case apart. this can also happen if the gun is not properly timed. I see some circular marks on the fired case that would cause for concern. might just need a light polishing. a case that separates back near the head of the cartridge is normally a result of excessive head space.... this can be in either the gun or in the ammo due to an undersize case... in reloads most often this is caused by setting the shoulder back too far. but is also caused by excessive stretching of the case from being reloaded too many times.
a big concern is if your gun barrel was damaged by the splitting. I have seen barrels ruined by gas cutting from as little as a single shot. I'd suggest a good cleaning and then taking the gun to a GOOD real gunsmith that has the tools to look inside the barrel and see whats up. be sure to take along a few of the fired cases so he can see any marks on them up close. this isn't a diy job. you were very lucky to have a full separation and no injury to you or the gun. the lack of serious damage also points to this having happened at the point the pressure had dropped and the gun ripping the case apart. if this had happened at the point of highest pressure..... well I have seen guns destroyed and fingers lost. the last thing I would blame in this case is the ammo.
a big concern is if your gun barrel was damaged by the splitting. I have seen barrels ruined by gas cutting from as little as a single shot. I'd suggest a good cleaning and then taking the gun to a GOOD real gunsmith that has the tools to look inside the barrel and see whats up. be sure to take along a few of the fired cases so he can see any marks on them up close. this isn't a diy job. you were very lucky to have a full separation and no injury to you or the gun. the lack of serious damage also points to this having happened at the point the pressure had dropped and the gun ripping the case apart. if this had happened at the point of highest pressure..... well I have seen guns destroyed and fingers lost. the last thing I would blame in this case is the ammo.
Thanks for the information from everyone. I did go ahead and contact the manufacturer and they are going to replace the rest of the ammo. Very quick and courteous response.
Thanks for the information, and when I have time again, I will get the barrel looked at by a trained eye. I did fire another manufacturer's ammo before and after this happened with no issues at all. Gun shot accurately and smoothly before, during, and after the case splitting issue.
One of the big questions I do have, and I am still a novice with the m1a, but should the trigger have pulled and attempted to fire the round with it not being properly seated?
It should not have caused the hammer to be released if the bolt was not in battery. I have M1As where the hammer will release when the bolt is partially in battery, but it's about 75% of the way home. Half way and it won't fire.
Bolt was not fully set, but had gone far enough to be fully rotated and mostly set. After the light strike the bolt did pull back and eject the round as pictured.
I'd get that heads pace checked if your bolt was rotated to battery with that case neck on the seated round.
Cheap reloaded brass brother. That happens when the brass has been reloaded too many times. Glad you are OK man. Don't use that supplier again and be sure to post the manufacturer for the guys here who actually will shoot reloads. I only shoot new from a quality manufacturer ammo so it is not a issue for me.
