View Full Version : Spent Casings - Do yours look like this?
This picture just about says it all.
Does the primer on your spent casings look like this? Should these marks be something I should be worried about? I have no intention of reloading any of my brass. All of my spent casings have these marks on them. I can only guess they are from the loaded chamber indicator.
http://img14.exs.cx/img14/3248/133-3321_IMG.jpg
mrapathy2000
08-01-2004, 18:42
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bluewater
08-01-2004, 19:35
Looks normal! Shoot and have fun.
;?
Steyrs unlock quickly and the marks are firing pin drag marks because the FP is still projected outside the breechface and on the primer when the gun starts to unlock. Try a heavier FP spring or different ammo.
The small mark at the rim is from the LRI. I trimmed mine off so it didn't do that anymore.
I've asked around to another mailing list and all of the responses pretty much said that these marks are not normal with factory loaded ammo. Maybe if I were using +P+ ammo, but not with normal load factory ammo like WWB.
Those people believe there might be something wrong with the firing pin spring. I'm going to have to take the firing pin assembly apart and look for myself.
My fired primers were similar but not so deeply drag marked as yours.
All of the steyr that I've shot did that.
{Those people believe there might be something wrong with the firing pin spring. I'm going to have to take the firing pin assembly apart and look for myself.}
So what are you going to actually look for? Nothing to complex in the topend. ;)
mrapathy2000
08-02-2004, 12:12
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Originally posted by mrapathy2000
heres what my M40 and M9 casings look like.
want bigger pic just message
Bigger pic not necessary. I think I'll stop by the gunsmith/FFL that I used to transfer this gun from CDNN to me. He also owns an M40 and maybe he'll have a little more insight before I try to do anything myself. I also wrote usasteyr to see what they have to say.
If more ppl say they have similiar looking brass and have never had a problem with it, I won't worry any more. MrApathy, how many rounds do you have through your guns?
noway: maybe I won't be taking it apart just yet! :)
mrapathy2000
08-02-2004, 12:29
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For the sake of others using the search function, I am going to link this thread to an earlier thread where I found some more discussion on this matter.
Looks like just about everyone has seen something like this on their steyr(s).
http://glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=265297&goto=nextnewest
im not familiar with all the abreviations. but on my glock it is a straight strike. very nice and clean.
this looks like it is putting a lot of pressure on the striker pin by slideing against it? or am i wrong?
Originally posted by 4eyes
My fired primers were similar but not so deeply drag marked as yours.
same here. If I wasn't looking for the drag mark, I probably wouldn't have noticed.
The mark on the rim becomes less prounounced after a few hundred rounds have rounded/smoothed the LCI nub a bit. You can speed up the process with a dremel, polishing wheel, and some Flitz or jeweler's rouge. If you go that route, polish just enough to take the pointiness out and it should be good to go.
On a side note, I kind of like having the little indentation. Its a good way to keep track of how many time the brass has been used. (I reload)
All of my S-40 casings look like the lower right one in your picture Delta-9. As I stated in my earlier post, the gun works fine, but these marks make me very nervous about the life of the striker pin on my gun. Please let me know what you hear back from Steyr.
No offense meant but anybody who thinks drag marks like these are normal has to be crazy. I have a number of handguns but only one other striker fired gun, a Walthers P99, and I've never seen anything like this before. The Walthers has a clean, one hole strike.
I'm hoping that a few hundred rounds will loosen up the gun enough that this smearing stops.
went to the range with my S40 tonight dropped 180 rounds outta her. 50 UMC shot fine no problems 100 wwb fine no problems and 30 win jhp. fine no problems. only one round out of 180 failed to advance into the chamber and that was on my newest clip.. not a gun or ammo error. all my spent casing have a clean firing pin indentation, AND intermittently there is a small indentation on the very edge of the spent casing, im assuming from the indicator.. LUBE YOUR FIRING PINS! and the springs! BTW the UMC yellow box.. are some nasty dirty SHots.. WWB much cleaner ammo.
oh yeah and its amazing how fast ya go through 180 rounds with 5 clips.. :)
matt7184
08-03-2004, 01:12
DONT LUBE YOUR FIRING PIN!!!
Keep the firing pin and channel CLEAN!!!! Otherwise you will gunk up the channel and you will get a light or no strike at the worse times...do a search.
In myn experience, the Steyr is WAY less sensitive to oil on the firng pin than a Glock. In fact, mine likes a touch of tetra.
also depends on what your using to lube it with. i simply spray it with a lil Rem oil and clean it with qtips... that never hurts.
matt7184
08-03-2004, 02:08
The Steyr may be less sensitive to oil than a Glock (havent tested this though), but if this is your defensive gun, why introduce something for Mr. Murphy to use? Ive noticed there isnt much of a difference between an oiled pin or dry one in the steyr, so why take a chance...
Why take a chance? Mainly because I've found that my Steyr works better with a properly lubed firing pin. Unlike the Glock, where the spring cups are in contact with the channel, the Steyr has the firing pin itself as the moving point of contact w/ the channel walls. Metal on metal produces more friction than the polymer on metal setup of the Glock, requiring a very light coat of lube. Not enough to collect gunk mind you, but just enough to ensure the pin can move forward with minimum resistance. In the case of the Steyr, I would say NOT lubing is more likely to invite Mr. Murphy.
mrapathy2000
08-03-2004, 06:27
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Originally posted by Delta-9
This picture just about says it all.
Does the primer on your spent casings look like this? Should these marks be something I should be worried about? I have no intention of reloading any of my brass. All of my spent casings have these marks on them. I can only guess they are from the loaded chamber indicator.
http://img14.exs.cx/img14/3248/133-3321_IMG.jpg
what is that indent on the rim?
Originally posted by KK20
what is that indent on the rim?
That mark is from the Loaded Chamber Indicator (LCI).
mrapathy2000
08-03-2004, 07:53
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my early glock 20 (the one that came with a glock 17 extractor) does the exact same thing to my 10mm brass.
theres no loaded chamber indicator on that model. i could not work out what causes it i buffed all parts trying to figure what causes it.
(BTW the gun functions flawlessly and never failed me as is therefore i am hesitant to interfere with a winnig combination).
i reload so i would like the cases less battered.
what do you guys think may be the cause?
matt7184
08-03-2004, 16:39
c5367,
If you choose to oil your Steyr's firing pin/channel that is your call, but in a defensive situation, id personally prefer to keep the channel clean. That being said, I do oil lightly my firing pin channel, but mainly since my gun is sitting (and mostly a range gun) and I prefer to keep the parts protected (and im grabbing my AR first if shtf). The firing pin channel (at least on my M9) is HIGHLY polished, if not chromed as well as my firing pin. You will reduce some friction as you say with any metal on metal contact (even though it will be slight), but if my gun is gunna be exposed to dirt etcetera, id prefer to keep the firing pin channel clean and dry.
In my experimenting using oil in the firing pin channel, with MY gun, it does not make a noticable difference. It may in your gun but it does not in my gun. However, I do notice a little difference using oil on the sear part of the firing pin and sear assembly.
Actually the elongnation on the primer is caused by the loaded chamber indicator NOT the fp , the metal used in the primer is kind of thin and the sharply point loaded chamber indicator easily creases the primer . This info I got from my gunsmith , under magnification you can a scribe mark starting from the edge of the case all the way to the primer . ANd C5367's suggestion is the best way to take care of the little problem .
SturmRuger
08-04-2004, 09:47
I will have to check some of my brass. I don't remember it looking like that. If it does I don't know that I really would care. I have yet to start reloading so most of my brass is just sitting around in buckets.
Originally posted by Mortech
Actually the elongnation on the primer is caused by the loaded chamber indicator NOT the fp , the metal used in the primer is kind of thin and the sharply point loaded chamber indicator easily creases the primer . This info I got from my gunsmith , under magnification you can a scribe mark starting from the edge of the case all the way to the primer . ANd C5367's suggestion is the best way to take care of the little problem .
I believe you will find that it is the fp dragging all the way to the lip if there is such a mark because mine retained the fp drag mark after I removed the lri. Try it yourself. Remove the lri and then ask your gunsmith what he thinks the problem is now because you will still have the fp drag mark.
In my case it was the LCI , you could actually see the way the metal kind of 'flowed' toward the primer and material from the base webbing of the casing was actually pushed into the primer pocket . ON a futher note the effect is much more noticable when shooting hotter loaded ammo .
This is what i got back from Steyr regarding that photo.
"Thank you for the picture.
Now it clearer for me. As I wrote you yesterday, the marks are absolutely
normal. I agree that it frightens a lot of person but there is nothing
wrong. _Otherwise I noticed that the firing fin mark is perfect, strong
enough to avoid any misfiring with a hard primer.
If you want to avoid the marks you can file or remove the loaded chamber
indicator...which I don't recommand.
So be insured that your pistol is absolutely is perfect shooting condition.
With my best regards,
Frederic PAVAT
Sales Manager"
chainslack
08-06-2004, 19:05
Is the lci for saftey or to know when your out of bullets?
Safety. It just provides an extra verification that you do have a round in the chamber, obviating the need for a press check. the slide should lock to the rear after you've emptied the mag.
Speaking of which, only 39 days until we can get standard caps!!!;f ^5
mrapathy2000
08-06-2004, 19:18
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chainslack
08-06-2004, 19:32
I like bells & whistles as much as the next guy but fewer moving or
just fewer parts (lci) woldn't make this an unsafe gun IMO.
How many have forgot to reload or caused an accident before lci's?
I don't know.. maybe it's a department requirement or something.
mrapathy2000
08-06-2004, 20:33
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{How many have forgot to reload or caused an accident before lci's?
I don't know.. maybe it's a department requirement or something.
}
all GUNs are loaded regardless if they are or not. But mrapthy has it right, it was CYA from steyr in our PC world today.
btw: My LCI is pretty much useless , it always sticks out with the gun chamber or unchamber. It is very sticky and not amount of oil keeps it unstuck.
time to field strip it.. :) prolly brass shaving slowin it up
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