[Kingcreek]

It has been a long, long time since I reloaded for my .300 mag but I'm getting ready to sit down and put together some hunting loads for my rem 700.
I trim cases to spec after sizing but how many times should they be reloaded before discarding? Not pushing the pressure limits, but I'm thinking that after the 3rd bang they should go to scrap?
also, unless I screw the size die all the way down to just touching the shell holder (lyman dies- lee loader) they won't chamber. So much for neck sizing or am I missing something?

[critter]

I load for the .300 also. I THINK I could go many more, but 3 is my limit.

[rcmodel]

The limit is how much they stretch each firing/resizing cycle.
Or when the primer pockets get too loose to hold new primers.

Generally, unless you are shooting very MAX loads, case stretch will be what happens first.

You can use an L-Bent paper-clip or small wire to reach down inside the case and feel for a stretch ring.

See Walkalongs most excellent photo here:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=6989759&postcount=11

When you can feel it with a bent wire, it's time to retire them.

rc

[Funshooter45]

There is no set number as to how many times to use a case. It will depend on the brass manufacturer, the loads you shoot, the rifle chamber, and how you size them. You might only get 3 uses. But you just might get 5 or 10 or 15 before you get mouth splits or case body stretching signs. You won't know until you start doing it.

[brickeyee]

If you make sure the headspacing moved to the shoulder you can get decent case life until the primer pockets become loose without excess stretching.

It is then like reloading any other bottle necked case.

[MEHavey]

I'm sitting at 8 reloads and counting for my 300WinMag (WW Cases). Annealed neck/shoulders at #5.

So far, no web/belt-bulge problems or incipient case separation issues (as checked by bent paperclip method)

If you don't abuse/max them out beyond reasonable limits (after all, the big case is there so you don't have to do that), 300Win is well behaved.

[gamestalker]

Prior to buying a neck die for my 7mm rem. mags I was getting 8 or 9 cycles. Now that I'm necking that number is closer to 12 or 13 cycles. I load at the top of the spectrum with RL22 and I don't anneal my necks. I'm told by a company that makes a collet for the FL die that going 15 cycles is common place.
Belted magnums headspace at the shoulder after the first or second cycle and will start to get tighter until the FL die is used to reset the shoulder.

[Jim Watson]

One source said to keep track of case length.
That you should not trim a case more than four times; the brass you cut off has to be coming from someplace.

[Funshooter45]

There is absolutely no way to argue with that logic. :)

No doubt if you are trimming a lot, then something has to give out somewhere. There must be a reason why you are trimming a lot and it means something is boogered up somewhere.

A lot of times, rather than looking for the magic answer somewhere, all it takes for me is to sit down and reason about each and every step of the brass manipulation going on. Sometimes I realize that things I thought were gospel are a bit more complex than I thought. If you have some mechanical aptitude and the ability to visualize how things work, you can usually ponder about the processes going on and come up with a better way of doing things for your situation.

[41 Mag]

I load for both the standard 7mag and the STW. In both of them I have done like the other poster, and moved my die up a bit to allow the shoulder to take more of the brunt of the load.

I usually load them until I get the very bright ring around the base of the case body, or a separation. I don't get very many that actually separate, but have had a few.

[hancjamk]

Belted Magnum Collet Resizing Die solves this problem.
Check out http://larrywillis.com/

[Lloyd Smale]

like was said how hot you load them and how much you push the sholder back when loading are the two most detrimental things for brass. I get just as many loads out of mag chamberings as standard if i watch these two things. What i do with all of my rifle rounds is consider them like new for the first 5 firings and have no qualms about hunting with that brass. After 5 firings i tend to use them for load developement so that if something does happen it doenst happen in the field. I just watch for signs of case seperation or cracked necks and if one case shows the first signs of it i **** can that batch and start over.