Case inspection

[cookiemonster]

I was wondering what most of you do for case inspection. I have a 550b and when I move case to powder station I try to look for splits. Is that good enough or do you use a case gauge? Any other techniques? One guy told me he rolled them on table after loading looking for defects.

[D.Hayden]

For splits.. I think you'll get tuned into hearing them when you pick up a bunch of cases.

If I grab 2 handfulls of 40 cases.. and shake.. you can hear off the 'off tune' split cases.

If I miss one.. I catch it after loading.. when I case gauge match ammo

[Jetracer013]

+1 on "off tune" You can hear them when handling. It is rare though that I find one. Maybe 1 per k.

[djcantr]

Are split cases the main thing one should be looking for in .40 S&W? I'm looking for split mouths on cases as well as any defect further down in the brass. Loaded up 1,800 rounds the other day and found one with an odd defect in the brass. It was about 2/3 the way down the case, about 1/8" long. I'll see if I can get a pic in the next couple days. It was odd.

[cookiemonster]

Did you catch it with a case gauge or visual inspection. Would it have caught it? What all do you look for is main thing I'm wondering.

[Bob DuBois]

I spend some time on 9mm, standing the up on a table after cleaning to look for Berdan primers, splits, chigger bites or trash in the cases. Then look at the headstamp and primer when picking the up to put in the lube tub. Any that are swaged or have signs or being shot through an open gun, flat tprimers, or are military cases get chunked. Military cases have a smaller case volume.

Standing them up, other calibers that snuck into the tumbler can be removed as thet stand out.

40 S@W you can clean lube and start loading, 45 ACP are inspected when I pick the up and for now I'm leaving small primed cases for someone else.

Loading on a 650 it's more important to inspect 9mm as it doesn't have the hands on the cases like a 550.

[Poppa Bear]

I size all of my brass before I put it through the 550. I get to inspect and weed out any bad brass up front. I rarely run into a split. The most common is a piece of bulged brass that will not size properly.

[fishpinoy27]

+1 for the "tune"..but if you didn't catch it there, then you would feel the light (abnormal) pressure when you stroke the level of your 550 downward...

Edited October 1, 2012 by fishpinoy27

[isleman75]

Plus One for jingling them around a bit at all phases before inserting them into the plate. Split cases make a very distinct and different ring than the good ones. Rattling them in the bin with your fingers also sometimes gives away the split ones.