Can crimped blank brass be used for reloading???

n/a

...or are the necks still deformed after firing??? Does the crimping process weaken the necks? Would you reload it??? Thanks!

Mobuck

I've heard that blank cases were made using out of spec or substandard lots of brass-either formed cases or brass stock. The star crimped blanks appear to have enough mouth to trim back to normal length.

perry shooter

I for one would not reload . You really dont know either quality of brass or the case capacity. If it is a blank I take it is a military cartridge and REAL brass should be cheap or even if you buy loaded ammo and then reload that.

flyingtorpedo

quote:Originally posted by Mobuck
I've heard that blank cases were made using out of spec or substandard lots of brass
+1

I'm new to reloading but I wouldn't reload it. Sell the fired ones as scrap and buy some good brass.

n/a

Thanks for the info guys.[:)]

MEMPHISJOE

The powders used in modern U.S. mil-spec rounds is designed to operate the fire arm (with blank adapter in place), this is very fast burning powder, as it must produce enough pressure at the port, without the benefit of a projectiles resistance effecting the pressure curve. This powder has no other application, do not every break down some old blanks, and attempt to load anything with it, you will only damage you weapon. Back to the point,this weird powder can do some strang thing to the brass in question. If you closely examine the "folds" in the crimped areas after firing, you can often see hair-line cracks already appearing in the neck. As for opening the case, disposing of the powder, trimming all the excess etc, even if it worked, you'd quit after one round, you time alone would be worth more than ten cents an hour savings. There are other things that blanks can be used for, and are very good for, those that know, know.

jonk

I've reloaded some .32 Smith and Wesson blanks. But those are so small that they just blew out the roll crimp, plus I was reloading with black powder. I'd do it but only light loads.

ammo guy

The short answer is yes it can. There is a whole lot of BS on this issue out there. The specific area I can speak to involves the Austrian .308 blanks that were commonly available a year of two ago. I cut off( basically the crimped area) at what would be the mouth of a standard case, then dumping the powder. At that point the case is trimmed and then run through a sizing die with the decaping pin removed. They are then ready to load. I have used 100's of the cases to load standard GI spec loads with NO problem. Some has said that these cases are too weak for this, Not so. The cases are made to the same spec as those loaded for ball ammo. I have tried to reload them on occasion but the problem comes in that the flash hole is under size and the decaping pin gets stuck. Other wise they could be reloaded a couple of times as they have standard boxer primers. I have found the USGI blanks have a neck thickness that is too thick for them to be loaded.

Wulfmann

Ammoguy,
They make smaller decapping pins if your sizer can interchange the pin when broke it can have one of these smaller pins put in place.
The base of the pin is the same size just the part that decapps is smaller.
S&B and Hirtenberger use the smaller flash hole.
After I decap them I drill out the hole to be like my other brass.

They also have a slightly larger rim requiring you use the next larger shell holder.

Wulfmann

Mobuck

FYI I found some 5.56 blanks and cut them off at the edge of the crimp. They are shorter than minimum length and do have slight cracks where the folds start. While they might work once, there is a good possibility of split necks on the first firing. Be advised that there are two kinds of blank cartridges. One for simulated fire and one for grenade projection. Firing a grenade blank with BFA attached is dangerous. I don't remember the color coding but you better know which is which if using a BFA on an auto.