I was reloading a hundred 375 H&H brass. I had full length resized them all, and I had found my desired load to use up some bullets. If we are reloaders, we commonly save the brass from any factory rounds we or acquaintances have emptied. A buddy was at a friend’s yard sale and bought me a bunch of boxes of once-fired brass for a dollar per 20 count. Score! I have loaded them once or twice without pushing the brass super hard.

As I was reloading one shell, something caught my eye. There was a thin line just ahead of the belt. In all my reloading, thousands of rounds handloaded, pushing cartridges to the maximum, reloading belted cartridges 4-6 times, and maybe more, I have never had this happen. I have seen a couple of .44 Magnums separate in one gun and a .243 Win once. That .243 rifle was out of commission for the rest of the day. The boy did get his muley buck in one shot, though! This .375 brass was about to have a head separation. I don’t really want to try and dig that brass out of the chamber, so I pulled the bullet with a kinetic bullet hammer puller to examine the case.

I found my dental pick and felt around down in the case just ahead of the belt. Sure enough, there was a groove all the way around. Upon examining the rest of the brass, this was the only one that looked anywhere close to cracking. Keep in mind that you can have a bad brass occasionally, no matter how good or new the brass is. This is not limited to used or older brass. With every firing, the brass is weakening and stretching. Just keep a close eye out and notice fine details.

I know belted cases get a bad rapport these days. However, what an ingenious design that has been used and proven for 100 years (300 H&H was introduced in 1925). Belted means that they left some extra brass with a sharp lip just ahead of the rim. It is a brass belt. This allows the belt to stop the cartridge at a precise distance from the firing pin for primer dent and ignition. Non-belted cartridges use the shoulder of the case to obtain this distance. I reload for the 7 Rem Mag, 7mm STW, 300 Win Mag, 338 Win Mag, 264 Win Mag, 458 Win Mag, and some of the Weatherbys. I think you get the point. Use and appreciate it for what it is. I am a fan, but will still use beltless cartridges if I have to. A vague attempt at humor. Laugh if you’re inclined. 😉

Unless I am chasing accuracy, I don’t usually neck size a case. Neck sizing is when you have a special die, or don’t run your regular die clear down to where it sets the shoulder back, when you are sizing the neck back to where it will accept the bullet and retain it consistently. By full-length sizing, it may add some unnecessary stress to the brass as it reforms the shoulder every time you fire the case again. Was this why this one cracked? Quite possibly.

A couple of tips –

1 – Even if you have a loading press bullet puller, it is good to have a hammer-type kinetic bullet puller. I can recommend the RCBS puller personally. Universal and easy to use.

2 – I was using a metal dental pick. You can get a set of polymer picks from Midsouth for a very small cost. I was expecting them to cost much more. You will be amazed at how much you use them to clean firearms, pull stuck objects out of wherever they have taken up residence, and check your brass for stretching that will soon be catastrophic. Polymer will not scratch the brass like a metal pick will. I will have my own polymer set very soon. Please don’t use them on your family’s teeth. You know, lead poisoning and all.

3 – I tend to milk my brass to the bloody end. I anneal and pinch to save where I can. However, if this is not a fluke and any of the rest of this brass is going to act up like this, I will be replacing it. Start over. Enjoy the process. Don’t be caught standing there looking at wounded or escaping game with half a case stuck in your chamber.

About the Author –

Dan is a native of Montana and the son of Skinner Sights owner, Andy Larsson. He loves the Lord, is a family man, and spends what time he can sharing the outdoors with others. Hunting is his main hobby, and reloading for that purpose has driven this passion.