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Those who have followed the thread on the Merkel, O/U double rifle have read this brass being mentioned and properly headstamped 8 X 60R I believe I mentioned it being heavy and not having near the capacity of cases I formed from 9.3 X 74R brass. I think I mentioned the differences. The RCC cases were 75+ grains heavier and held 8+ grains less water and would barely hold 8 X 57 Mauser starting loads. Obviously 8 X 60 is 3mm longer so it's standard loadings will be of heavier charges.
Why does this matter? Those who load very much need no explanation. For those who don't, as the capacity is decreased, with the same powder charge, pressure increases. If a less experienced handloader bought said cases and just started loading them an over pressure situation could arise very quickly. Fortunately for me, I was suspicious when I pulled the bullets of the loaded cartridges that came with the rifle. Some charges were compressed which they should not have been in a full capacity case. Soooo...I became curious about these anomalies.
I found RCC brass on line. Their cartridge cases are CNC machined which accounts for the heavier weight/less capacity. Machined brass is not as strong as drawn brass and they have to get their strength from somewhere so, they get in from the thickness of the brass cases. The machining also explains why I had split necks so easily on what appeared to be new cases, it's more brittle. In essence, work hardened before it's even fired. For being machined, the RCC I have seems to be and feels like good brass....and for what it is, it is fairly good brass for reduced loads. I was fooled at first until I weighed and measured the cases and knew something was up.
Home - RCC Brass / Roberson Cartridge Company | Amarillo, Texas
RCC is quite a company actually. They have a ton of old, obsolete, obscure, wildcat and other brass cases available. They will work with a wildcatter on his case, make cases properly head stamped for any cartridge a fella can dream up and, for machined brass the quality deems to me to be pretty good. That all comes at a price as well. Most prices were between $4.00 an $6.00 per case with minimum orders and set up charges for wildcats and specific head stamps.
Having been up against trying to come up with cases for some old, obsolete cartridges RCC could be a resource to keep in mind. For old, single barrel rifles the reduced capacity shouldn't matter as far as getting a load to shoot to the sights. Sights and/or scopes can be changed or adjusted. With double rifles, that changes significantly with the first criteria being that the barrels shoot together.. Should anyone ever purchase or come across any RCC cases, just be advised their capacity is significantly less than conventional drawn brass cases and approach loading them accordingly.
Why does this matter? Those who load very much need no explanation. For those who don't, as the capacity is decreased, with the same powder charge, pressure increases. If a less experienced handloader bought said cases and just started loading them an over pressure situation could arise very quickly. Fortunately for me, I was suspicious when I pulled the bullets of the loaded cartridges that came with the rifle. Some charges were compressed which they should not have been in a full capacity case. Soooo...I became curious about these anomalies.
I found RCC brass on line. Their cartridge cases are CNC machined which accounts for the heavier weight/less capacity. Machined brass is not as strong as drawn brass and they have to get their strength from somewhere so, they get in from the thickness of the brass cases. The machining also explains why I had split necks so easily on what appeared to be new cases, it's more brittle. In essence, work hardened before it's even fired. For being machined, the RCC I have seems to be and feels like good brass....and for what it is, it is fairly good brass for reduced loads. I was fooled at first until I weighed and measured the cases and knew something was up.
Home - RCC Brass / Roberson Cartridge Company | Amarillo, Texas
RCC is quite a company actually. They have a ton of old, obsolete, obscure, wildcat and other brass cases available. They will work with a wildcatter on his case, make cases properly head stamped for any cartridge a fella can dream up and, for machined brass the quality deems to me to be pretty good. That all comes at a price as well. Most prices were between $4.00 an $6.00 per case with minimum orders and set up charges for wildcats and specific head stamps.
Having been up against trying to come up with cases for some old, obsolete cartridges RCC could be a resource to keep in mind. For old, single barrel rifles the reduced capacity shouldn't matter as far as getting a load to shoot to the sights. Sights and/or scopes can be changed or adjusted. With double rifles, that changes significantly with the first criteria being that the barrels shoot together.. Should anyone ever purchase or come across any RCC cases, just be advised their capacity is significantly less than conventional drawn brass cases and approach loading them accordingly.
