I took some .223 brass in to sell and the guy told me that he couldn't by it because it had been fired from a firearm with a fluted chamber. He said that it was probably an H&K. He said that it couldn't be reloaded because of that. What's the deal?

He is right and he is wrong too.

It does mark the cases lenthwise when fired in a fluted chamber, and therefore many reloaders will not buy it. It does NOT, however, make the brass useless for reloading. Brass life may not be quite as long as for brass which has been fired in a "standard" chamber, but at factory-equivalent pressures, it still should last for several reloads.

I have reloaded lots and lots of range-pick-up brass in both .223 and .308 which had been fired in H-K 91's and 93's, and it all worked fine. Ugly looking, but very useable.

Canuck is right ! The delayed blowback systems such as those used by HK ,are systems where the breech starts to move immediately while the pressure is at peak.The flutes reduce the amount of grip at the neck by the case. Without the flutes the head would tend to tear off .There is though, more stretching of the case therefore reducing the number of reloads.The HK pistols such as the P7 ,also with flutes , don't have that reduced reload problem.

Thanks guys.
If I'm going to sell them, should I run them through the sizer first (at least neck only)or leave them like they are.

Thanks, guys.
So, if I want to sell them should I resize them or what?

quote:

Originally posted by quarterbore:
Thanks, guys.
So, if I want to sell them should I resize them or what?

I'd sell them as is and let the buyer do the his own resizing.

Resizing usually won't erase the flute marks, which can be quite pronounced.

When I come across fluted brass It goes for scrap.

I don't want it and I have yet to meet anyone who does.

AD

i don't think i've seen a case used in a fluted chamber... but there's lots of stuff i've never seen.......

I've reloaded some 308 brass from fluted chambers, it does everything just the same as normal brass, albeit not as nice looking but its great to use in a situation where it might not be convenient or possible to pick it up.
Steve.

Fluted chambers don't damage the brass, they just make it look bad. I have a box of .308 Winchester brass with 10 reloads now, strictly a test case, which was started back in 1974 with my first H&K, a M-41 and subsequently fired thru both an H&K 91 and a SIG-AMT (also fluted chamber) Only cases "failures" are three lost in the grass. I also shoot a H&K 93, with no reload problems there either. The fluted chambers destroying brass is just an old wives tale!
LLS

Sierra2- NICE Kudu. I understand/appreciate your big smile. What is your rifle?

10 years ago, a guy could get 1,000 rounds of Calvim 308 delivered for $80.

It is great ammo, Boxer primer, battle packs, etc, but it has some varnish sealer on it.

Anyone who uses any of this ammo in a fluted chamber gets to practice foul language that day. No exceptions.

Evidently, the varnish gets stuck in the flutes in a way that causes lots of frustration.

Howdy Alberta Canuck, today I still have the H&K 93 (.223) and the SIG-AMT (7.62mm NATO). The H&K is cute, but oh my lord is it heavy, when compared to an AR or a Steyr AUG. The SIG is my favorite over the H&K 91 by a long shot, as mine (I've had two) have been even greater garbage guts than the H&K. Too bad that the SIG has been priced off the market.
LLS