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How many times can you load the same brass?
DieHard4
Member Posts: 2,373 ✭✭✭✭✭
I am new, I know, but I see abouts and not exacts. I understand you can probably load a brass case about 4-5 times. But how can you know when brass just needs to be tossed and is done being loaded? For me, I buy factory ammo and shoot that. Save the brass, and reload as long as possible. That is the plan anyway. But aside from cracks, splits, holes, whatever that makes the brass clearly unsafe to reload, how can you tell when a certain brass case is just done being loaded? I am thinking at some point in the resizing step, but I haven't gotten that far to find out. Or should I just plan to load 4 times and stop? Figure I will need to keep track of how many times each case is loaded.
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I keep track of brass loaded full tilt, the light cast bullet loads not so much. I also make a card with the date, bullet, powder and charge and the primer along with the reload #.
I have a buddy that only gets about 2 or 3 out of his 303 British before the head separates.
None of my guns have loose chambers. The ones I had were sold, traded or given away. Same goes for poor shooting ones. I see no point in shooting guns that don't hit where I aim within reason.
On the other hand, I bought some once fired 243 brass on the GB auction that was ruined on the initial firing due to poor loading practices.
I notice things like looser primer pockets or reduced neck tension first.
I've got some 22-250, 243, and 30/06 brass that's been reloaded more than 5 times. The 22-250 and 243 brass required neck turning after 3-4 times and of course, all had been trimmed a couple of times at that point.
On the other hand, I bought some once fired 243 brass on the GB auction that was ruined on the initial firing due to poor loading practices.
I notice things like looser primer pockets or reduced neck tension first.
Plus one on the primer pockets and neck tension. I have a LOT of 01, WW NATO 556 that has been loaded seven times.
I am new, I know, but I see abouts and not exacts. I understand you can probably load a brass case about 4-5 times. But how can you know when brass just needs to be tossed and is done being loaded? For me, I buy factory ammo and shoot that. Save the brass, and reload as long as possible. That is the plan anyway. But aside from cracks, splits, holes, whatever that makes the brass clearly unsafe to reload, how can you tell when a certain brass case is just done being loaded? I am thinking at some point in the resizing step, but I haven't gotten that far to find out. Or should I just plan to load 4 times and stop? Figure I will need to keep track of how many times each case is loaded.
I have some 45 brass that has been loaded dozens of times with bullseye target loads, no signes of issues. Some rifle brass, 30-06 LC 67 match, that has been fired a dozen times with 46 grains of IMR 4895 amd a 168 SMK with no signs of failure or fatigue.
Generally speaking the hotter the rifle load coupled with shoving the shoulder back excessivly the shorter the brass life. Nickle plated cases tend to fail before straight brass and bottle neck cases fail before straight walled cases. Not anealing the rifle case neck leads to premature splitting also.
So by following recommended recipes, I can probably plan on my brass lasting a long time then right? In the above listed calibers at least. I am interested in loading ammo for practice, not so much to make the best and hottest. I basically just need powders and bullets and I can start loading.
What I will probably do too, is buy factory ammo and save that brass for reloading, rather than buying new brass. Looking at prices, new brass costs about the same as factory loaded ammo, so I figure I might as well just get some loaded and save that brass. But that will put all my brass starting at 1x reloaded.
I have ruined more cases by wrinkling the case (not enough case mouth bell) or applying too much force on the handle when changing from a "Magnum" to a "Special" with the seating die than I have had seperate or split when firing. Examine your fired cases, if it looks like it is not right give it a squeeze and pitch it.
Things to watch for though with warm loads include incipient case head separation, indicated by a shiny line around the base of the case where the brass is getting thin (you can check that by sectioning one case or feeling inside with a wire), loose primer pockets, or other cracks, crumples, or excessive dents. Would I shoot brass that was 20 times fired in a match or hunting? Probably not. But for plinking it's fine.
If the brass in a certain batch gets too many "culls"(primer pocket doesn't hold primers, too many dents in the rim from extraction, thin shiny lines above the head,etc.), I usually send them in for a "brass exchange" at one of my suppliers.
I can get nearly 40 loads in .357Mag, close to 30 from 9mm, 6-10 in 300WM, over 40 in 38Special, 10-14 in 357Sig, 20ish from 40S&W, up to 10 in 45ACP, and ZERO in 7.62X54 or 7.62X39.
I have yet to get more than 5 out of .223 and 38Super; I think it has to do with the Major Power factor in the 38Super, and most .223 I shoot is in "fast" guns.