There is dicussion reguarding a SVT-40 which was ejecting cases with split necks. There was a comment saying that the chamber's neck was relieved and fluted after a comment was posted about the chamber's neck may be loose and the brass or steel cases being hard may be the culprit. I know what fluting is, but how does relieving the chamber neck make the the poster's comment about the chamber's neck being big and and the cases hard being a possible cause no longer relevent?

What does the fluting do other than ease extraction?

Isn't releaving the neck making it bigger and making the problem worse.

Enlighten me please. Kind of lost on this one.

It won't help; obviously reaming the neck larger will only make your brass expand more. OTOH, what ammo are you shooting? If it is steel case surplus, why do you care? Yes, fluting is used to make extraction easier since gas floats the brass on the flutes and does not allow a tight neck seal. German G3s (HK91s in Civilian life) have fluted chambers to prevent the brass from sticking to the chamber as they are not really locked; they have a delayed roller system. Most likely you have some old, brittle steel cases that do not like the fluted chamber neck. Anyway all Tokarevs I have seen have fluted chambers. Not big chambers; just fluted in the neck and part of the body.