Do I throw away this whole lot of brass?

[nkyshooter]

What kind of rifle is this? ... and how old?

 

[Troutslayer2]

What kind of rifle is this? ... and how old?

M700 action, Manners, Proof Sendero Light, TT. It was a custom I bought used and eventually shot out and upgraded some stuff on. I'm really not sure how old the action is, maybe 20 years old.

 

[nkyshooter]

Only other thing that crossed my mind is if the lugs are either uneven or worn or overlapped or something that doesn't show any excessive headspace until it is fired and the thrust forces the bolt rearward under the pressure ... that could allow the separation even if the go/no guages all say "all good" ....

I'm hopeful for you that it really is just crappy brass ...

Might be a good idea to use the lower velocity node until you are sure you don't have a repeat on the Petersen ...

 

[Troutslayer2]

Only other thing that crossed my mind is if the lugs are either uneven or worn or overlapped or something that doesn't show any excessive headspace until it is fired and the thrust forces the bolt rearward under the pressure ... that could allow the separation even if the go/no guages all say "all good" ....

I'm hopeful for you that it really is just crappy brass ...

Might be a good idea to use the lower velocity node until you are sure you don't have a repeat on the Petersen ...

Lugs lock up tight as can be.

 

[Mike Matteson]

There was never a reason in reloading to have, much less accept, cracking or separations.

Are you saying that brass should never crack or split neck, primer pocket don't loosen up. I don't follow. I know that you can slow the neck splitting down, or it last longer than primer pocket loosing up, or cracking at the base. I would agree that you can detect case separation before it actually shows exterior signs of cracking. I have never had bases crack in 3 firing from a case. I feel that either he is loading way to hot or something is wrong. I normally load hot or beyond what the reloading manuals call out for in my mag. I normally lose my cases do to primer pocket loosen up, but that is in 10 or more firing.

 

[Mikecr]

Are you saying that brass should never crack or split neck

Yes this is what I'm saying. Maybe this is another attribute accepted by FL sizers,, I never do that...
I've been reloading for 45yrs, and have never cracked/split a case. The worst failure for me(once) was opening primer pockets -thanks to Norma's overly soft grade of brass. But in the past ~25yrs I have not killed a case.
For a 223 I have over 40 reloadings on Lapua brass, and for a WSSM I'm closing in on 80 cycles.

So from my perspective, for case splitting, things have been built wrong/loose, and/or a reloader causing it should get out of the endeavor.

 

[MagnumManiac]

As far as I know, with LOTS of experience with SAAMI chambers that do not match the brass being made, not once has there been a reason other than excessive headspace being the culprit when case heads separate. This is either a hand loader induced cause or faulty brass.
There is an inherent flaw with the 280AI Nosler, they didn't give the case negative head space, if you look at the SAAMI drawing, as pointed out by Mikecr, it has a .017" variance for the head space dimension. If it had had the case designed to have negative head space, like original AI chambers were, there'd be no issue.
Scrap the brass and try another brand.

Cheers.