how do you keep track of how many times you've used brass

[44stevenson]

Just wondering how you guys keep track of how many times you've fired brass.

[LDBennett]

I really don't. I try to keep lots of brass together and inspect it before every reloading session. If any of the lot shows signs of failure, like loose primer pockets, throat burn threws (most common) or neck or body splits, the whole lot gets tossed (actually it goes in the recycle bin as it is very valuable today!) and replaced with new brass. Typically I get about 4 or 5 reloads out of it if it is rifle brass and tens of reloads for pistol brass. I have some pistol brass that has been loaded for 20 years or more. The 10mm brass from my Colt Delta Elite has dings in it from hitting the ejection port. Every case has permanent little dings marking each reloading and most have about ten such dings and the brass is still very reloadable.

Others are much better record keepers than me and keep a log of each lot. To me that is too much work and not necessary at the level of shooting accuracy I need. For most of my rifles I reload 100 rounds, store it in a dedicated plastic ammo box. That is my lot and it is not reloaded until the box is all shot and full of empties. For my tactical rifles and for pistol I am less organized.

LDBennett

[daboone]

I shoot then reload 2 to 3 times a week. So I'm only reloading 40 cases for a specific rifle at a time. When the current batch is showing the signs they go into the recycle bin and exchanged for lead at the scrap metal yard.

[reynolds357]

Originally Posted by 44stevenson

Just wondering how you guys keep track of how many times you've fired brass.

I keep it in boxes and mark them. I keep lot numbers of brass together.

[garydude]

Here's how I do it. I keep a post-it note on the load in the case with the rounds. I mark a line for each time I reload it, and an "A" for each time I anneal them. Here's a few examples.

[skyfire1]

For rifle yes. For pistol, man I try, but I always loose at least 20 percent. I always inspect all my brass just to be safe. In short I put the brass back in the same container, I always list on the label how many times it was loaded.

[gdmoody]

To be honest, I don't keep track of it. When it gets unusable, I throw it in the scrap brass bin.

[Pagrizz]

I have a file cabinet.with all the calibers listed.I put a number on each box and list date ,bullets ,powder, primers, how they shot and how many times they have been trimmed.I have loads from over forty years in there.

[henry77]

I loaded a box of 25.06 the other day that has been reloaded 12 times. No cracks. They get trimmed when needed.

I mark the box with a line showing number of times reloaded.

[RandyP]

I scrounge my brass and any other range brass I can asfter each shooting session. Pistol only. I inspect for splits as I sort them by caliber when I get home. They get tumbled and then dumped into a bulk container for each caliber. I am not really interested in tracking the number of reloads any one case gets.

[Clipper]

Originally Posted by RandyP

I scrounge my brass and any other range brass I can asfter each shooting session. Pistol only. I inspect for splits as I sort them by caliber when I get home. They get tumbled and then dumped into a bulk container for each caliber. I am not really interested in tracking the number of reloads any one case gets.

Me too, but I don't have to scrounge much. I usually am the reason for a bad case, either mis-align in the press or stepped on it on the concrete floor. Rare, but it happens.

[LDBennett]

Pistol cases are scrounge-able because they can be reloaded many more times than rifle brass. Rifle brass has a limited life as the pressures are 3 to 5 times higher which is much tougher on the brass. I usually find the necks burned through, eventually, but I have seen body splits and loose primer pockets.

Recently some range brass I picked up in 30-06 developed body splits with my first reloading. I will no longer pick up range rifle brass. It may be on the ground because the original user wanted to discard it as it was beyond its useful life. He didn't leave me a note for the brass I picked up. So no more rifle range brass for me! I can afford new brass occasionally.

LDBennett

[JLA]

I do it the way LD does it. Just inspect every session. I anneal and trim every session as well for my rifle brass. Pistol brass never gets trimmed only inspected and reloaded.