The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

I noticed these marks on a .308 RWS case after cleaning. Does anyone recognise this type of marking and can anyone identify the cause?

• The case originated as RWS .308 Win factory ammo, is once-fired and has never been reloaded.
• The mark runs all the way around the circumference of the case.
• The rifle it was fired-in is not known and can’t be identified.
• The batch of brass is from mixed rifles, so the case can’t be compared with others known to be from the same rifle.
• The dimensions of the case are broadly reasonable for brass fired in a CIP/SAAMI chamber.

Thanks!

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Very long shot, but I vaguely remember some russian rifles made for both civilian and military have a slight ring in the chamber of one version (civilian or military version) so cases fired in that particular version can be identified.

The rings were on the 54R and can be found at the base of the neck.

I saw similar on a fairly recently barrelled .303 that came in, it was due to a mark in the chamber probably down to swarf getting behind the reamer. It shot and ejected OK however it left a witness mark on the case every time.

Thanks both. Have now searched through that bin of brass and found another example with the same ring at the same place, so backs-up the suggestion of a chamber feature and not a brass defect.

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zanes wrote:Very long shot, but I vaguely remember some russian rifles made for both civilian and military have a slight ring in the chamber of one version (civilian or military version) so cases fired in that particular version can be identified.

As Ovenpaa said the ring around the neck of some Russian 54r and 7.62x39 civilian market rifles such as Saiga and Tigr rifles is so that Russian law enforcement can differentiate between cases fired from civilian and military rifles.It is usually found on rifles that were destined for the Russian domestic market but it can be found on export rifles as well.My SVD rings the cases whereas my SVDS doesn't.

I would say the ring on the 308 cases is from a chatter mark in the chamber as Ovenpaa suggested.

Rox, I acquired some 200 RWS, genuinely once fired in various target rifles. I worked through full length resize and cleaning.Loaded and fired some, (155grn Scenars and 45.5grn TR140) and I have had the same problem with 'ringing'. Not many, but they also display a slight internal ridge at ring point by using hooked paper clip.
I spoke with 'someone what knows' and it could be faulty brass at manufacture point? It is not case head separation.
I therefore have 200 RWS cases for sale.... any takers!!!??? I have reverted to Lapua again!
You are not alone!

JohnG :cornwall:

Is brass like this harder to extract, and would it also require full length sizing in order re-use? Never come across this before.

These are unsized as yet.

johngarnett wrote:they also display a slight internal ridge at ring point by using hooked paper clip.

I can't feel anything inside or out, with paper-clip or fingernail. [correction - I can *just* feel it on the outside with a fingernail, but I wouldn't describe it as 'catching'].

johngarnett wrote:it could be faulty brass at manufacture point? It is not case head separation.

I've now examined 2 cases with the ring under magnification, and I can see identical variation in the width and pattern of the ring around the case, so it's definitely a tooling mark of some sort, whether during manufacture or firing (rather than something more worrying, such as an inclusion or flaw in the brass material itself).

The measurements of the cases with the ring correspond closely, which seems to suggest that the marks have come from the chamber. In fact, the ringed cases have stretched a little more than most of the others (the shoulder by about 0.003" more and the case length by about 0.005"). The ring itself is nearly 0.050" wide, so I doubt it is related to that extra stretch. Perhaps that particular chamber was just a bit ropey all round.

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WelshShooter wrote:Is brass like this harder to extract

I doubt it very much.

WelshShooter wrote:would it also require full length sizing in order re-use?

Is there another way? :)

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rox wrote:

WelshShooter wrote:would it also require full length sizing in order re-use?

Is there another way? :)

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As opposed to just neck sizing.