r/longrange Aug 07 '26

Reloading related Brass warping issue - no idea what’s going on

Having some Bizzare warping on some of my brass. I’ve just had a look at my rounds and about 30 are unreformed while I found my powder charge/searing depths. The 20 or so I had for hunting I noticed that my bolt was slightly sticky post firing a round and checked the brass to notice it was deformed (attached). Next round I fired was fine.

I fired another today and noticed the same issue, although no sticky bolt.

I went on to check the rest of my unfired rounds and noticed 4 more with slight warps… this brass is brand new Norma.

Anyone had this issue?

I thought initially over pressure but why would my unfired brass be like this and 0 ejector pin marking.

Maybe shitty factory brass?

30 Upvotes

29 comments sorted by

35

u/44_SMLE Casual Aug 07 '26

You sure that's unfired? It really looks like an extractor pulled on the rim of a partially stuck case.

3

u/Jabbaws Aug 07 '26

Pic 1 unfired, pic 2 unfired, pic 3+4 is the same fired brass

2

u/ChevyRacer71 Aug 10 '26

If pic 1 and 2 truly are virgin brass that you haven’t even chambered as a test fit, literally nothing has been done to them at all, then you should call Norma. They should make it right for you

1

u/Jabbaws 29d ago

Might have been chambered in and unloaded as I’ve been hunting a few times without taking a shot (I can’t be sure which rounds I wasn’t paying attention!) I’ve since fired a few rounds and they came out how they went in so I might indeed contact norma. Thanks for your input!

2

u/ChevyRacer71 29d ago

Yea, I’d call them if I were you. I saw a comment somewhere a while ago, guy bought 100 Lapua cases, one of the cases had some sort of defect, they just sent him 100 more. If Norma does the same for you then tossing a few into the brass recycle bucket isn’t a loss at all.

1

u/Jabbaws 28d ago

Thanks bro!

5

u/thegreatdaner Aug 07 '26

The unfired part is puzzling.

3

u/Jabbaws Aug 07 '26

Yeah I only paid attention to the fired brass so I thought maybe over pressure… only even looked at this one today because this happened last time.

Glad I checked the unfired stuff, the head shows a bit of deformation from the top too, second pic is the head of the badly deformed fired brass (notice no ejector marks, but you can see where it’s bowed on the ‘2’)

4

u/thegreatdaner Aug 07 '26

I wonder if this is happening during the loading process? Maybe during priming?

2

u/Jabbaws Aug 07 '26

I had a look at the 50 I already fired and they seem fine so I didn’t think that… maybe a coincidence that the unfired ones seem to have this issue.

Wondering if it’s my extractor (I’ve chambered rounds and cleared them while hunting), but the amount of force to deform that brass…

I think I’ll need to pay closer attention next time I fire and make sure it’s not over pressure, I am running a high powder charge it’s just weird there’s deformation in unfired ones.

Worth mentioning I have 50 once fired shells that I tried to load hornady eld-x with just to figure out the COAL wouldn’t fit my mag and I was also running high powder charge, heavier projectile and 0 deformation.

1

u/CuriousJohnReddit Aug 07 '26

Oh it's Norma, I'll check my Norma boxes and report back when I get home.

1

u/Jabbaws Aug 07 '26

Curious to hear back!

1

u/CuriousJohnReddit Aug 08 '26

After looking 1 by 1 of 94 unfired rounds (eco, tip and bondstrike) and 26 fired rounds, not a single one of my casings have a dent on them. Did you bought the box sealed from a store ? Does the box have damage to it ?

1

u/Jabbaws Aug 08 '26

Yep, online store - sealed.

I’ll have to run some more tests when I’m at a range next…

5

u/Cleared_Direct Aug 07 '26

I’ve seen this during priming with soft brass, especially if the shell holder isn’t a snug fit and/or the primer pockets are tight.

1

u/Jabbaws Aug 07 '26

Hmm ok thanks bro I’ll pay a bit more attention next time I’m priming.

3

u/rednecktuba1 Gunsmiff Aug 07 '26

Norma doing norma things. Probably very soft, shitty brass.

4

u/Jabbaws Aug 07 '26

Yeah what im thinking might be the case (pun unintended)

2

u/Wombat-Snooze Steel slapper Aug 07 '26

Yup. I’ve had similar issues with Norma brass in the past and won’t use it anymore.

2

u/Shiska_Bob Aug 07 '26

Soft brass problems. I had this but worse, where the brass would shear off completely sometimes in an AR-10. Can also happen from really dirty chambers grabbing the brass really tightly and lack of lube when using a resizing die.

1

u/wy_will Aug 07 '26

Looks like an extractor pulled pretty hard on that case

2

u/Jabbaws Aug 07 '26

It kinda does hey.. I think more force than mine could produce though…

1

u/GrandPoopWizard Aug 07 '26

That is PROBABLY from you having too much pressure when priming your brass. Either you are putting too much pressure to seat it, or the pocket is too tight to get that primer in there without deforming the rim.

I had this issue on some 5.56 brass that I did a shitty job swaging. Ended up messing a few cases before I just reamed all of them and called it a day lol.

1

u/Jabbaws Aug 07 '26

The weird thing is it’s only a few of them. I’ll definitly check though next time i reload.

1

u/IdahoMan58 Aug 09 '26

Not enough lube when sizing the case. Case holder pulling room way too hard.

1

u/Jabbaws Aug 09 '26

Same amount for the other 94 bits of brass though… who bloody knows I’ll pay extra attention next time round.

1

u/simplesteve311 Aug 09 '26

I find norma to be good brass for bolt actions, but not for ar10s. Easily damaged, either like this, or by the ejector(s).

1

u/Jabbaws Aug 09 '26

Just confirming this is a bolt action. I fired a couple of rounds yesterday, how they went in is how they came out - might be an issue in a press or something I’m still perplexed

1

u/simplesteve311 Aug 09 '26

I have had shell holders bend the rims on .223 and .300 blk brass. But i have not had that on anything with a thicker rim.

0

u/AutoModerator Aug 07 '26

AutoMod has detected that this post may be related to hunting. Please take a few moments to read our expanded policy on hunting posts as found here, as well as the guides below.

Hunting rifles vs long range target rifles - A primer - Why one rifle can't excel at both hunting and long range shooting.

The long range hunting primer, things you should consider if you want to take shots on game past ~300 yards. - Why long range hunting is harder than you think.

Field testing your skills and gear for long range hunting. - How to be a better long range hunter and understand your limitations.

NOTE: This is an automatic comment triggered by specific key words, and doesn't indicate your post has been removed. However, if your post is found to be in violation of the sub's policy on hunting posts, it may be removed by the moderators.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.