AusVarmint

G'day guys, (and Gals I suppose).
I've just bought a new rifle in .17 HMR and have been splitting cases. From the necks down, the worst to about 1/4 of the total length of the case.
Got told it was quite common in this calibre, but I'm doubtfull, as I never heard of the problem when I was researching what I was going to buy.
I've used Hornady, Remington and Federal ammo with the same result, 10 split out of 80 fired.
I have my thoughts on the cause, but I'd like some other opinions.
Do any other users of the .17 have a simmilar problem?
Cheers, Ron.

Wellcome to the world of the 17 HMR.I have an Annie HMR and have had a few split the case necks.Does not seem to matter what Branded ammo you use they all seem to do it.An easy cure I have found is to not look at the empties

Yeah I have a marlin that seems to split Federal cases the most, not many for Hornady or winnie super X 20 grain. Like any rimfire try some different brands of ammo.

Usually more of a problem with the cheaper rifles that don't have the tighter tolerances of some of the more expensive rifles. Sometimes it is the luck of the draw when you buy your rifle. It is the same with barrels. Loose chambers are usually the cause of splitting cases on rimfires. I did find Federal was the worst for splitting cases in the 17hmr.

I use Hornady 17grs exclusively, never had it happen.

MISSED wrote:Wellcome to the world of the 17 HMR.I have an Annie HMR and have had a few split the case necks.Does not seem to matter what Branded ammo you use they all seem to do it.An easy cure I have found is to not look at the empties

excellent advice, just don't look.

my cz splits a few and it has no effect on accurancy what so ever. when i first got it i thought there was something wrong too but don't worry about it. i've seen a 22wmr split a few aswell and it just a characteristic of a very thin piece of brass under quite a bit of pressure. also its a rimfire case so manufactures realising that to keep cost low on an item that isn't reloadable, and therefore of no value to the shooter after its fired, they make as thin as possible. that means 1 in 8 as you've found out pass into the bit too thin side.

enjoy your hummer, she's a ripper of a cartridge.

Seen a few split cases from my Marlin, but to be honest i rarely check the empties.

Since all the HMR ammo is suposed to come from the CCI factory, the problem is more likely a batch problem than a brand name problem. Faulty annealing process maybe

MISSED wrote:Wellcome to the world of the 17 HMR.I have an Annie HMR and have had a few split the case necks.Does not seem to matter what Branded ammo you use they all seem to do it.An easy cure I have found is to not look at the empties

I'll use that advice for my new Contender. Just flick out the empty cases without looking

Cheers

MISSED wrote:Wellcome to the world of the 17 HMR.I have an Annie HMR and have had a few split the case necks.Does not seem to matter what Branded ammo you use they all seem to do it.An easy cure I have found is to not look at the empties

Good one Missed.

If they are flying out in the Paddock and you are getting the Bunnys, who cares?

I have the same problem, it seems to be fairly common.
The 17MachII is even worse, it splits from case mouth to about 2/3 of the case body.

That guys. Makes me feell a bit better about my purchase. It was a cheap rifle, a H&R single shot with heavy barrel and synthetic stock. Kinda like the single shots and am hoping to improve it's accuracy with some trigger work etc. Thanks again.. Cheers, Ron.