Preferences buying once fired brass

[Apiarian]

What are your preferences when buying once fired brass?
I know there is the old commercial vs military, but to get past that ....

If military then: (specify pistol or rifle)

No processing

Clean

deprimed and de-crimped

add neck sizing

add full length sizing

add trim to standard length

anything else?

 

[Apiarian]

I'll start by answering my own thread.

For my personal reloading I like clean deprimed and decrimped only. I like to size my brass my way and sure don't want someone else trimming my brass for me. Some things I just like to do my way. Trying to find out if I'm an oddball.

 

[Muddydogs]

I like it dirty and nasty. You say once fired I say leave the primer and crimp if military so I know its once fired. I size for my weapons so why buy already sized brass which may have to much or to little sizing. If the seller wants to clean it some I have no problem with that but don't really care one way or another.

Neck sizing is not really applicable on once fired since it may or may not fit in another weapon. If the first weapon to fire the brass had a large chamber then the neck sized case will most likely not fit into a weapon with a normal or tight chamber, best to leave the neck sizing up to the buyer.

 

[baz]

I've only recently started buying milsurp .308, and have never seen anything processed beyond the first two steps you list. Given the choice of no processing and cleaned, deprimed and decrimped, I've opted for the latter (but might not if the price differential was too great). As for processing beyond that, I'd probably pass on it, if I ever saw it.

 

[beatledog7]

I prefer used brass fresh from the bench, floor, or ground, and with the primer crimp intact if it ever had a crimp.

I guess tumbling it is ok, and I have bought tumbled brass, but I don't want any other processing done.

"Once-fired" is never a certainly unless I bought it new, though primer crimps are almost a sure thing. Buying uncrimped "once-fired" brass from any source leaves the possibility that the brass has in fact been reloaded before, even if the seller may honestly believe it hasn't.

 

[mgmorden]

I don't care to have anything done with it. I'll tumble, size, and decrimp it myself. I have only bought once-fired handgun brass so I don't even bother to trim.

 

[mahansm]

I wouldn't mind cleaned, but running a few batches through the tumbler is not a big deal. It's actually nice to see the primers crimped in place, as that assures me that it's actually once fired. I'll set the size die to fit my chambers and the Dillon 600 removes the crimps quickly and easily.

Since you can't trim and debur before sizing, I don't need that done. Actually, the most tedious part for me is the deburring, as I'm still using a hand tool for that stage. This one strikes home, as I'm in the middle of a batch of 1K 7.62 and have 1K 5.56 coming next week.

 

[carbine85]

My preference is commercial brass because it's less work the 1st time around. I've never purchased once fired processed brass. I prefer to process the brass myself.

 

[Walkalong]

Tumbled was OK but not preferred before SS tumbling came along. Now I would want no processing whatsoever unless from a big reputable seller.

 

[ID-shooting]

Like others, dirty, grungy, nothing done to it.

 

[Apiarian]

I wouldn't mind cleaned, but running a few batches through the tumbler is not a big deal. It's actually nice to see the primers crimped in place, as that assures me that it's actually once fired. I'll set the size die to fit my chambers and the Dillon 600 removes the crimps quickly and easily.

Since you can't trim and debur before sizing, I don't need that done. Actually, the most tedious part for me is the deburring, as I'm still using a hand tool for that stage. This one strikes home, as I'm in the middle of a batch of 1K 7.62 and have 1K 5.56 coming next week.

Your Dillon 650 swags primer pockets? How did you set that up? If it is in another thread please just give me a link.

Thank
John

Never mind............you're not talking about your press.

 

[rodregier]

+1 for dirty and grungy. I would rather use my own processes for prep rather than depending on the efforts of another. It also means I'm paying for my own labour rather than someone else's, less markup.

 

[howlnmad]

Cheap and dirty.

 

[rg1]

Only 1000 round lot of LC once fired I have purchased deprimed and decrimped was slightly over swaged and some pockets are minimal. I'll never buy any more processed brass. Rather do it myself. Only reason for purchasing it was that brass recently was scarce. I prefer dirty and untouched once fired.

 

[Apiarian]

I'm seeing a trend that I did not expect. Keep it coming.

In the meantime I think I'll act on what you fine folk have been saying.

 

[FROGO207]

I would like to process my own brass also. I have SS pins that I tumble with and the most unusable/corroded brass can be made to look good by "cleaning", brass that they might not cull out first. I want to make that decision to use or scrap each piece of brass myself. I will only buy hard to get calibers once fired now, most of the brass I get is range/pit pickups I collect myself. I have 5 gallon buckets of good serviceable brass ready to be processed in the common calibers I shoot----223, 30-06, 308, 9MM, 45 ACP, etc. The ones that are rare to find at the range I will buy new or fired as dictated by the price of it. My rule is to never pay more than 50% of new cost on brass that I can readily buy new. For 25-20 SS or 33 WIN and the like, I buy whatever is available if I feel the brass is worth it to me at the time. YMMV

 

[Muddydogs]

If you could figure out a way to trim the brass and clean up the case mouth without sizing plus uniform the primer pocket without depriming then I'm in for a truck load. But it still has to be cheap.

 

[TenDriver]

Cheap n dirty just like my car.

 

[cfullgraf]

When I buy fired cases, I prefer to buy fired cases of a single head stamp and not processed.

Cleaned cases would be ok but I would prefer not to pay for the service. Anything else such as resizing, trimming or crimp removal is definitely undesirable as the actions may make the cases un-usable in my firearms.

 

[Apiarian]

If you could figure out a way to trim the brass and clean up the case mouth without sizing plus uniform the primer pocket without depriming then I'm in for a truck load. But it still has to be cheap.

I'll send that to R&D; my wife needs something to do.

 

[mtrmn]

Although it hasn't been available in like...forEVer, I prefer fully processed and ready to load. Scharch and Apex brass got most of my business in the last few years. All that swaging primer pockets, trimming etc just used up my limited loading time. I can do without all that drudgery.

I did find a swager that seems to be much faster than anything else I've seen. The CH4D.

 

[the count]

I don't quite get what this thread is about.... I pick up brass from the range. As in free?! Dirty or not, who cares? Clean it, check it, size it , load it, shoot it. I have pistol calibers that I have reloaded countless times and they are still 100% OK.

 

[Mohave-Tec]

Pick it up from the range and do it all myself. I reload. Not kinda-sorta reload. LOL.

 

[cfullgraf]

I don't quite get what this thread is about.... I pick up brass from the range. As in free?! Dirty or not, who cares? Clean it, check it, size it , load it, shoot it. I have pistol calibers that I have reloaded countless times and they are still 100% OK.

Very true, but where I shoot most, the only brass available to me is what I shoot. Not much chance to add to my case supply except by purchasing new or once fired cases.

The upside is that I only have to step outside my back door to shoot.

 

[rcmodel]

I don't quite get what this thread is about....I pick up brass from the range. As in free?!

Maybe where you live.

But around here, you have to get up early and stay late to find anything but cigarette butts on the range, and used birth control devices in the parking lot.

You are lucky if the crackheads haven't stolen the target stands and trash cans for scrap metal over-night.

rc