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Brass

2K views 15 replies 16 participants last post by  The_Rifleman 
#1 ·
How many times can you reload brass?? i have some 243 that I've reload 5 times and still looks in good shape. Is there a point that you should just trash it?
 
#3 ·
With most American made brass, you're getting close to the end of it's life cycle. Brass gets work hardened after going through firing and resizing cycles, annealing the brass will usually extend it's usable life somewhat. Another thing to check is for the signs of case head separation, this happens right above the web. Before complete separation the cases usually get a bright ring on the body of the case about an 1/8" or less above the extractor groove, sometimes they just let go with no warning signs. The simplest and probably the cheapest way to for this is to straighten out a paper clip. Bend a small hook at the end and insert into the case clear down to the web. Let the hook end come into contact with the inner case walls and extract upwards as far as you can watching for any sign of a thin spot or a dip in the case wall. Maximum or near maximum loads shorten the life cycle of bottleneck brass.
Several years back Precision Shooting did a rifle brass longevity test on several brands of rifle brass. Those in the test were Federal, Lapua, Norma, Remington, and Winchester. All of the American made brands had ended their life cycle by the time they had gone through 10 loading/firing cycles with either case head separations body splits or both. The Norma brass went 25-26 cycles before it succumbed to the same fate as the American brass. The test was stopped after the Lapua brass had been through 50 loading/firing cycles. The author of the article said the Lapua bras had none of the life ending damages the others had, and that the test was stopped only because the brass had become too work hardened to reliably use. He said he felt the brass could be annealed and the test continued.
 
#5 ·
I don't load hot, and go back and forth on neck sizing or full length. I have some 308 brass that I've reloaded probably 10 times now, and with no issues. It comes down to several factors on how long your brass will last. Your gun can be hard on brass, how hot your loads are, if you full length or neck size, and that's just a few of the things to throw into the mold. My Remington 770 was hard on brass big time, and wouldn't last but maybe 5 loads. My Ruger American is easy on it.

Other examples are my hunting buddies m1A is a beast to brass it really beats it up, but his ruger precision rifle is easy on it.
 
#6 ·
I don't get more than four or five loading's out of brass but I do load fairly hot. I seldom get split's in the case's and have never been bothered by case separation except from belted case's. But rimmed case's might do it also. Thing that alert's me to get rid of a case is the primer pocket's get loose. You can feel it really good with a Lee type primer tool you operate by hand. I'd managed to split necks when I first got going, my fault. de-burred the mouth to much after trimming.But in the end fur or five loads and mine are done, except handgun case's. I don't remember ever wearing one out. Ah, forgot. Cast bullet loads in a rifle seem to help the case's last longer too.
 
#9 ·
I also just trash any brass I prime and the pocket is too loose...almost zero resistance when priming. I also check my brass with the aforementioned steel wire bent with a sharpened hook on the end for any ridges above the rim. Brass is cheap enough...I'd rather be safe than sorry. I get between 5 and 8 reloads out of my brass. Then I start using new again.
 
#7 ·
I have .223 brass of various brands that I've lost count of how many times they have been reloaded.

I acquired a .243 a while back. The SAKO brass has lasted well, probably 10-15 reloads on some of it and not showing any signs of cracks or separation.
 
#10 ·
No wrong answers in this thread.
As you reload, inspect (case bulging at the base and cracks on the case rim are obvious). Trash those that don't pass your inspection.

That said, larger straight wall cases can be heat treated (it is called annealing) and allow the brass to stretch more frequently and give you peace of mind. I only do it with 45-70, and 38-55 though. All other brass in the calibers I shoot is so cheap, just buy more.
 
#11 ·
How many times can you use your car? How many times can you use a garden hose?
You can go on and on.
Since you can't answer these questions for other objects, how can you answer it for brass?
If you anneal you bottleneck cases after ever 3-4 firings, you can extend the life. If you reduce the loads from near max to near start, you can extend the life. If you only shoot lead bullets with about 10gn of Red Dot in your rifles, you can maybe extend the life of the case even more.
If you shoot straightwall cases in semi-auto handguns, it is more of when you can't find the case then when the case finally fails.
Some claim that they see a loss in accuracy after three firings. Some benchrest shooters have been using the same cases for several years.
I lose 1-2 cases every 200 rounds fired with .38 Spl and .357 Mag, yet can't remember the last time a .45 Auto, .44 Rem Mag, .45 Win Mag, 9x19, .38 Super, or 9x21 case failed. I had one .40 S&W case that failed due to some loading error that is my fault and I just wish I knew what caused it.
IN ALL DEPENDS.
 
#12 · (Edited)
My .02 cents on this is that the only rifles I will own is one that will dot the "i". To achieve that I match prep my brass cases and have invested a lot of time in those cases and will shoot them until they are no good any more. And yes, I do anneal my brass cases and mostly neck size with Redding, Type S-Bushing Neck Sizing Dies, and Redding, Type S-Bushing Full Length Sizing Dies when needed.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Way too many variables for a definitive answer. Gun, charge, manufacturer, method of reloading, are a few. This is why close inspection is imperative. Look for splits, primer pocket enlargment, and case head separation.

FWIW my Garand is hard on brass so I usually just get about 5 reloads. My Ruger 308 is easy on brass with my loads and I'm getting 6 loading so far. My .223 single shot will allow 10+ reloads per case.
 
#16 ·
I have 30-06 and 30-30 brass that have been shot over 100 times... and still going strong. I have 7.62x39 brass from my AK, shot over 50 times. I don't keep track of handgun brass.

I neck-size only, all the bottleneck cases; unless I find hard to chamber issues, then I full length size. If I have hard to chamber issues, I will reduce the load on the 30-30, and AK, but they are still not low pressure loads.

I anneal every 7 shots.

I inspect cases every time I load them; split necks, over-sized primer pockets, and head-space separations are rejected.
I don't tumble my brass so I can see exactly what is happening to them, as far as head space separation... which usually begins when I screw-up and have an excess of oil in my chamber.

My present 30-30 load is 33.6grs of IMR 4064 with a Hornady 150gr RN. Not hot enough in my Winchester94, to ever need full length sized; but is over max according to Hodgdonreloading.com. Your gun might need a reduction in charge weight.

I usually buy Winchester brass, but see no lesser case life in the other brands I have used.
 
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