[1SOW]

I know, some sort brass by manufacturer & some don't. I do.
My questions are for other 'sorters'.

Below is a list of range brass I usually find, most common first.

Which cases do you "prefer" for reloading pistol cartridges 9mm, 40 cal & 45ACP? Which would you throw back? Why?

Chg 1.: 9mm loading is a little more critical-most interested in 9mm cases.

------------------------SO FAR:
1 Win (Not WCC)...+++ WCC experience=hard to set primer/over-used cases
2 R&P..................++
3 PPU/NNY/Monarch.++/---
4 FC...................+/- (-for old make .40 cal)
5 PMC ................Weak +/+
6 S&B ...............++/IF Not Steel
7 Speer...............++
8 Fiocchi.............+
9 *-* (Starline)...+
10 AMERC............. -/-/-/-
11 AGUILA.............-

[45reloader]

all brass is good and depends on what your reloading for .45 acp i like r&p and winchester

[lev83]

My vote is for FC and Win brass. I use all others as trading material.

[1SOW]

Thanks guys. Why do prefer some brass: manufacturer reputation, good/bad experiences, case characteristics, primer hole/set?

[Randy1911]

About the only brass I won't load is Amerc. It is junk.

[SlamFire1]

About the only brass I won't load is Amerc. It is junk.

+1 Its is not worth reloading.

[bobotech]

My favorite range brass is free range chickens. Um i mean free range brass. :)

[RVenick]

+1 Its is not worth reloading.

+2 I recently bought a new RIA 1911 (my first 45 auto) and was working up some test loads. Went to the range and everytime I fired a round with the a-merc crap the gun would not cycle. Twice I actually had to use the old rod down the barrel routine to drive the slide open. I went thru all my 45 brass and picked out all the a-merc.

[Walkalong]

If I buy it? Winchester or Starline. If I find it? Anything except Amerc.

Winchester is usually thick walled. Good stuff. Remington is usually thin walled. That is good for light pressure loads. It expands and seals the chamber better.

[bobotech]

What exactly is Amerc brass? I have never seen it.

[Walkalong]

It says Amerc on the case head. It is just crappy brass. I mailed all mine to a fellow THR member who was happy to get it. Some folks will load anything. :D

[D. Manley]

Easier to say what I "don't like":

AMERC (Bad JuJu...not worth the bother)
PPU/NNY (Usable but not to be trusted...load once & drop fodder)
PMC (Weak case heads...usable but only as a "bottom feeder, shoot once & drop")
AGUILA (Not worth the trouble)
Older FC marked .40 caliber brass (weak brass - newer "Federal" marked cases are fine.

Aside from the poor pickin's above, I'd add S&B and WCC to the "good list" with a couple of caveats:

S&B: Some S&B is not brass but rather, brass-coated steel. Can't tell by looking, weed these out with a magnet. On the brass cases, the primer pockets can be a bit tight and lack a good bevel. After running through a swaging tool, S&B is actually very good stuff.

WCC: Excellent brass once the military crimp is removed.

[Hungry Seagull]

It's easy just to watch the range rats toss everything but MY Speers aside. Those Speers I shoot vanish into the rat's backpack.

Next time Im having wife catch the Speers. So that maybe I have a pile to send to a reloader someday.

[Walkalong]

It's easy just to watch the range rats toss everything but MY Speers aside.Heck, just pick up all their "rejects" We ain't that picky. :)

[1SOW]

Good info! Thanks. More?

[Walkalong]

Older FC marked .40 caliber brass (weak brass - newer "Federal" marked cases are fine.I had forgotten about that. Good advise D. Manley. :)

[SilentArmy]

Just FYI, the PPU brass Is WOLF Gold. Their line of boxer primed brass cased ammo. I have not found anything wrong with this brass.

[Arlin Mc]

anyone know about "3-D" or "G R "brass?

[ranger335v]

"Some folks will load anything.

Yeah, that's me! If it ain't split, berdan or steel, I load it. Everything is good for something!

[awright]

My favorite is R&P with IMI Match next. I like the softer brass. I seem to have problems with Win brass getting deformed by ejectors. Most of the brass rejected during gauging is Win.

[Clarence]

I prefer whatever is cheapest.

[D. Manley]

Just FYI, the PPU brass Is WOLF Gold. Their line of boxer primed brass cased ammo. I have not found anything wrong with this brass.

Wolf may "use" it but it's actually made by, "Prvi Partizan, 31000 Titovo, Uzice, Yugoslavia". They also market the same brass (such as the "Monarch" brand sold by Academy Sports) headstamped, "NNY" which is Cyrillic letters equal to "PPU in the Western alphabet. For anyone interested in this sort of thing, CARTRDGECOLLECTORS.ORG (http://cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes.htm) is a top-notch reference site.

I do load and shoot the PPU/NNY stuff (went through some today) but don't value it very highly. I've not had any bad experiences personally with it but some very experienced shooters have had some case heads let go with very moderate charges.

[Redneck with a 40]

I've loaded it all, haven't had any problems. Fiocchi, Remington, Winchester, S&B, Federal, all works fine. I can't really tell a difference to be honest.

[Randy1911]

Brass that you don't want to load, just save it. Scrap brass brings a fair price.:D

[1SOW]

Interesting feedback and learned some new things.

The 'old' WCC brass does look sturdier (something about the base)than todays WIN brass.. The problem I've run into with it is that has probably been reloaded a zillion + times and 7 out of ten of mine, the primers won't set to full depth with a clean hole. The holes sometimes look chewed up.. I'm using Fed #100s.

The S&Bs are common and frequently show reloaders primer tints. They all seem to load and shoot fine for me.

Good to know about nny = PPU

Not much talk about Starline +_+.

Randy11: You've got that right. China will buy any metal we'll sell them.

[evan price]

Walkalong: You keep bringing that up... :)

All those A-MERC cases were shot up for bowling pin shoots where you can't recover any brass. They are somebody else's problem now :)
Back then I didn't have a big bucket o' 45 brass like now.

Anyway, STARLINE *_* cases are excellent. Up at the top.

When we are talking .45 acp cases I sort out the Winchesters and sell them. Not because I like or dislike them but because I get the most of them and many people like them.

That leaves me to load the R-P, W-W, Federal, Aguila, PMC, Cor-Bon, S&B, Magtech/CBC, Fiocchi/GFL, Starline, Speer/CCI/Blazer, BHA, El Dorado, S&W, the .mil stuff (RA, FC, TZZ, etc) and whatever else I discover.

The nickle gets picked out, of course, and put aside to treasure later.

Any brass that is found lacking during reloading goes in the scrap buckets. Last year it was $2 a pound. This year about $.50 a pound.

[WV_Vizsla]

I recycle the S & B brass due to small primer pocket holes and small rims in 9 mm.
Once fired Win and Rem for IDPA matches, all else is good for practice.

[EHL]

What about Blazer brass? Has anybody ever had a problem with it not sealing the chamber completely? I shoot mine and it just gets my gun all sorts of filthy. (especially my reloads, but even the factory fresh ones are pretty bad) Is this a brass alloy problem or could it be caused by an aggressive crimp?

[wanderinwalker]

What about Blazer brass? Has anybody ever had a problem with it not sealing the chamber completely? I shoot mine and it just gets my gun all sorts of filthy. (especially my reloads, but even the factory fresh ones are pretty bad) Is this a brass alloy problem or could it be caused by an aggressive crimp?

What's the caliber? I've reloaded lots of Blazer Brass 9mm (bought the ammo back when you could find AND afford factory 9mm ammo) and never had a problem. Okay, maybe the primer pockets were tighter, but cranking a few hundred out on a progressive, I kind of lose track of which ones caused problems.

In .38 Special, I have 50 of these CCI Blazer Brass cases, and they seem OK. Tight primer pockets, good length, but they do seem a little "hard." I really like R-P cases in light .38 loads; get a good chamber seal and the brass stays nice and clean.

Otherwise, so long as it ain't A-MERC or military crimped, I load and shoot it. Only get picky in rifle rounds, and then not as picky as some.

Oh, I really don't like FC .223 brass.

[ArchAngelCD]

For handgun brass I like Federal and Winchester best. Speer and Remington are also high on my list. I have used almost everything you listed and feel they are all good to reload except for A-Merc. That stuff goes right into the scrap bucket. :barf:

[Jaybird78]

I don't complain too much. It was free after all.

Has anyone heard of a headstamp that reads: A M I
It has all been 9mm

That's not short for Amerc is it?

Like someone else mentioned, those nickle plated empties have a soft spot in my heart. They sure are pretty.