Do you keep track of number of times brass has been fired?

[Bear2000]

I'm just wondering if most people do this? I've been trying to keep track, but frankly, it's getting to be something of a pain and often means tumbling 25 pieces at a time. I only own about 400 pieces of Lapua and Winchester brass for my .223, 6.5x55, and .308 bolt guns, which is really more than enough for lots of range trips. But it's getting to be a real pain keeping them all separated by the number of times they've been fired.

Is anyone else religious about this?

 

[Slamfire]

For rifle brass, in the main, I am very concerned about number of times reloaded.

I probably own more brass than you.

I shoot most of my rifle brass in matches. I want my brass to be reloaded the same number of times. It might make a difference on target.

But it is hard to know. I can recall sitting outside the huts at Perry when a Highmaster I know came on by. He had been looking for small primer 7mm-08 brass. The stuff was out of production. A mutal Long Range friend had given him about 250 used cases. There was nothing wrong with the cases, but the long range friend had shot the stuff around 25 times and decided that was enough. My HM friend was going to use it till the necks cracked or the primers fell out.

I don't know what the final life story was on that brass.

I load an ammo can at a time. Then shoot the ammunition in matches. I size and prime cases after the match, but don't load again till all cases have been fired.

I keep track by writing Reloaded X times, Sized X times. This dual system of book keeping is needed because I am a dope and have been confused about the number of times I had shot/reloaded/sized some brass lots.

I have only one lot of rifle brass that I fired 22 times in a 308 M1a. After sectioning failed brass that cracks or split necks, I think 22 times is pushing brass life in a rifle.

But for pistol ammo, its different.

Just this weekend I was loading an ammo can of 45LC. Each 50 round box had been loaded and sized 13 times. That ammo can had around 10 boxes, each fired 13 times, which makes abut 6500 rounds fired. The only use for this data is curiosity. And with all the ammo cans I have of 45LC, I can truthfully say I have shot tens of thousands of rounds of 45LC.

Some pistol ammo I keep track, but I am getting to the point where I just shoot the stuff and pour it into the tumbler and reload it. I stopped keeping track of the number of times I have reloaded 38 Spls or 45 ACP's.

My thumler's tumbler is rolling around right now, its belly full of 45 ACP cases.

 

[supham]

I only reload pistol and I have no idea. What ever I pick up at the range goes into a big bucket that gets separated later. So I practice the Last in, first out method of rotation.....

 

[floydster]

Pistol brass , No. Long gun brass, Yes.

 

[trickyasafox]

I don't. doesn't mean you shouldn't, just the system I use I choose not to.

 

[chutchis]

Absolutely with Rifle brass...keep it in various labeled freezer bags with the amount of times fired written on the bag.

 

[weekender823]

I just reload for handguns, and I keep my ammo in the little partitioned plastic boxes. I put 1/2 an index card in the box with the load info and note like "4rth loading". I keep the card with the shot brass so its like a rolling record for each time. It doesn't take much effort and I like to keep track of the load I am shooting.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Yes.......

 

[Walkalong]

Rifle, yes. Pistol, no.

 

[jcwit]

In one word NO. I load pistol brass till it splits or the primer pocket goes. Rifle brass till it chambers a little hard then bumped and go on from their. If ANYTHING looks WRONG its tossed but I have some Lake City .223 brass thats shot in a bolt action that have over 60 reloadings under their belt.

 

[lgbloader]

Rifle, yes. Pistol, no.

Yup... Sorta...

I like to keep track of how many times I have shot my magnum pistol brass.

9mm, 40 S&W, 45 ACP and 38 SPCL.. Ehh..

LGB

 

[Walkalong]

I like to keep track of how many times I have shot my magnum pistol brass.

I probably should, I just don't. Lazy I guess.

 

[moooose102]

the only brass i keep track of is my 300 win mag. the reason i do this one, is because prior to annealing them every time, i was only getting 3 reloads before the neck would split. so far, i am working on the 4th loading of them. they are loaded now, but i have not shot them yet.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Nope, me either. Pistol brass gets shot until it's lost or splits. Rifle brass gets inspected a lot, and when I see signs that it's reached the end of it's useful life, I recycle it.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[jacob.elliott]

i load it all until it splits. am i in the wrong

 

[jacob.elliott]

i take that back i try to keep track of my 17-222 because it is hard on the necks. i anneal them but don't lose sleep over keeping track

 

[30Cal]

Rifle, yes. I buy a big batch and have two buckets: one is ready to load and one is fired. I go through the whole batch before I start reloading the cases again.

 

[~z]

Dang Moooose, how hot are you loading those things? I ran some Hornady(Frontier) brass through my .300 to see how many loadings it would take. I believe I got 27 and on the next loading I split 4 necks out of my first 5 shots. Pulled the bullets on the other 15.
~z

 

[EMC45]

Nope! I check Bottle neck cases for Incipient case head separation with a homemade tool. I load them until situations show themselves. I don't load hot loads ever! Handgun brass? Yea right!

 

[tjj]

I bought a couple thousand used 308 FC brass when I got a new bolt gun a year and a half ago not knowing for sure how many reloads I could get from them. I fully prepped them and tried to keep count of reload cycle in batches but that lasted for only a few range trips. Subsequently I picked out about 150 cases to cycle through and kept segregated from the rest. Last year I shot over 1700 rounds of 308 from those 150 cases. No splits yet. I tumble the brass after every use and haven't even had to trim them again since the initial prepping. Don't really know how long they will last. I should have annealed them I guess but just too lazy to set up for that.
I also bought 800 Lapua cases (when they were $49./box) in case I wanted to shoot Hunter class matches but haven't had to break into those yet either. At this rate I'll be long broke or dead before those cases are used up.

I don't kept track of all my pistol brass either. Never had a split case there either but I have thousands to cycle through thanks to three years of membership at a local indoor range where I always managed to pickup more brass than I shot.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Nope, never did count the numbers of times I reloaded any of my brass. I do know I've been using the same 1,500 .38 Special cases for the past 4 years or so.

 

[KevinAbbeyTech]

I collect all my shells after I fire them, and then I mark the back of them with a sharpie marker.

One line for every time shot.

 

[whofan]

For my .300 Weatherby I keep track.

.280 Rem I try

30'06 I try.

Now this is where it gets difficult.

.223 and .308 semi auto, ie AR15 and AR 10

Gave up on the .223 and still try with the .308's.

.45 ACP, shoot them until they split. Only some Remington brass has split in the past 6 years. And only a small number from one load.

I did figure out though, that Norinco .223 brass is good for two loads only. After that most split at the mouth.

 

[ny32182]

I keep track of rifle; not intending to for pistol. I typically get about 6 firings out of .223 cases fired in semiautos before I start getting mouth splits. Maybe I am over-working it somehow.