Deilvered a 300 H&H a couple months ago. Everything seems fine, but when he cleans the barrel, he gets brass "bigger than dust, smaller than chips"

Nickel plated brass, no scratches..says it feeds S.T.O.S.

Any ideas where this "brass" could be coming from?

Is he reloading? could be brass left in case after chamfering case mouth

quote:

brass left in case after chamfering case mouth

Ditto.

Thanks...didn't think about that..I'll ask

craggy flash hole.. I meant that in a nice way...

Duane, are you using those cheap ass brass chamber reamers again???

Humor me here, I can be a bit slow sometimes (my wife takes issue with the "sometimes" part!)

When he cleans the barrel, these "filings" for lack of a better term are on the patches he pushes through?

If it isn't figured out, I'd ask him to mail you a patch after it has been run through the barrel. Just push it through and then fold a sheet of paper in half and put the patch in the paper and stick it in a mailer. Something plasticy so the hoppes doesn't soak through and set off god knows how many alarms at the post office. Not to call anyone incompetent because that is usually not the case but something may look like it has a golden tint and not actually be brass but something else.

Does he use a bore guide? Is the bore guide brass? Are there scratches anywhere on the cleaning rod, no matter what it is made of?

I'd suggest switching ammo for the next time he shoots it and then seeing what is left in the barrel when it is cleaned. If it is gone then you've narrowed it down to something in the ammo, but if it's still there then it is either coming from the cleaning process or another gremlin like bullets getting shaved somewhere, etc..

Thanks for the suggestions...he's beginning to think it may be the brass jag...hmmmmmm...

If it is from his brass jag, have him inspect his crown.

quote:

Originally posted by Westpac:
If it is from his brass jag, have him inspect his crown.

Well, that's a thought...I use the JGS crowning tools...but possibly a burr could have developed...thanks Duane

Tell him to ditch the brass jag and use a nylon 7mm bore brush wrapped with a patch and see if he still gets the brass chips.

Seeing as how he is using nickled cases, this is likely not the cause, but if all else fails, may be worth checking....

About 4 times I have experienced rifles which showed the same thing. Turned out the culprit was a sharp edge on a "too-tight" non-mauser-style extractor. (3 Remingtons, 1 Sako)

When the loaded round was chambered and the bolt turned down, the rear edge of the extractor would peel little tiny shards of brass off the front of the cartridge rim. The shards would fall down into the clearance cut of the action for the locking lugs. Then, when the rifle was cleaned, the patch would pick up some of them as it was run into the chamber and carry them through the bore.

Again, not likely, but possible. A check of the front of his fired cartridge rims should give a clue if it is.

Could be wire pieces of a bronze brush also look like brass

Is he shooting some sort of monolithic brass bullets?

There are not too many placed the brass can come from.

1. Cleaning rod - if brass
2. Rod guide if any and if brass
3. cartridge case
4. rod fittings, jags and brushes
5. brass crap left in his solvent bottle
6. bullets - scrapings from feeding or fouling particles
7. Snap caps

If your customer has OCD he might have fed snap caps or blank rounds through the rifle checking the feeding for hours at a time before actually shooting it.

if it is a brass jag, and he isn't being careful running it in it could be shaving pieces off of it. any more I clean my guns all the same way, blue wonder on a brush, let it sit, patches, repeat sometimes. awesome stuff, need to order some more.

also, I wonder, if he is using sweets, isn't it sweets that dissolves brass? I know after a while with brass brushes they'd be undersized, I wonder if it could weaken them and pieces come off.

Red

I think it is a strong bore cleaner doing a job on his jags and brushes.

Some of you may remember the rifle...had the WR front sight...someone named it a "mousetrap"? 300 H&H built on a Mauser...copied from an old English rifle. Anyway, passing on all this, but right now it's in Kansas pointing at Whietails.


Thanks much Duane

Happy ending: Customer e mailed several groups, varies from 3/16 to a whopper at one inch.

Brass "dust" still there, but he thinks it's from Norma brass

well one of my customers I did a 9.3x62mm for had a very similar problem, if my memory is right he found the mouths of of particular batch of european cases (new brass and mouths chamfered) were very brittle and would give off particles, leaving the case mouths very rough after firing.

I believe a change of brass solved it (had me worried), the rifle always shot around .6" - .8" centre to centre despite the brass.

If he reads this he might chime in...........cant remember him complaining of brass dust.........