All factory brass ok to reload?

If they "are" brass, I would say so.

Some S&B cases are brass plated steel cases and you should test them with a magnet.

I would skip Amerc headstamps - it's only alleged to be brass.

/Bryan

Nickel cases are harder on the dies over time. All factory ammo is reloadable unless it is stated like CCI"s ammo which some is aluminum cased, it says on the bottom of the case "N/R" meaning Not Reloadable.

For 9mm and 223, if your picking up everything at the range, meaning other peoples brass, look to make sure it is boxer primed. Boxer primed is just one flash hole. Scrap or separate anything that has 2 holes, because it will break decapping pins.

Ive picked up a lot of peoples brass, reloads and non reloads, and I've reloaded it all. Except for mentioned above, aluminum cases, berdan primed (2 flash hole), and nickel.

Nickel can be reloaded, i don't because it is harder on the dies, and i don't come across it much. It is perfectly fine to reload, i just like all my brass to be brass.

FWIW; Nickel plated cases may be harder but you would need to reload tens of thousands or rounds in steel dies, and prolly hundreds of thousands cases in carbide dies. Theoretically hard nickel plated brass will wear out hardened, polished steel dies, but in real life nope...

I've been reloading .38 Special since '69 and .357 shortly thereafter. I have about 2,500 .38 Special cases with about 10% nickel plated and 1,000 .357 Magnum cases and 50-75 nickel cases. I have reloaded some of the nickel .38s so many times the nickel is worn off in spots (about 40 of them) using the same set of dies I purchased in '80. Everything is still running like new...

In all the time I've reloaded the only brass unfit for reloading is Amerc. Cheap brass alloy, sloppy tolerances. Everything else I've picked up, except aluminum, I've reloaded (I tried some steel 45 ACP cases once, but really not necessary, brass is plentiful).

Also be careful with Federal rifle brass, I've heard from a couple sources it's softer than normal leading itself to fewer loadings and signs of wear showing up faster (case head separation, cracked necks, ect.)

There is a very obvious difference between Blazer Aluminum Cases and Nickel plated brass. The aluminum is much lighter and just plain looks like aluminum. You can tell just by looking or drop it on a hard surface and you hear the difference,

Also on your 223 Remington, it may be military brass and have crimped primers, so to reload it you need to remove the crimp either with a swaging tool or reaming it out.

Get a heavy magnet. I use an old speaker magnet and run it through you assorted range brass, it will pull out the steel cases and staples and other junk.

If the surface has a matte silverish appearance it is aluminum or steel. Toss those out. The shiny, almost polished looking silver ones are nickel plated brass. These are fine to reload. They usually originate from top shelf defensive type factory loadings.

Steel cases don't look like brass and are not supposed to be reloaded.
Some people will waste their time reloading steel cases but for all intents and purposes are non reloadable.
Aluminum cases which are also non reloadable are a dull grey in color and are noticeably lighter than their brass counterparts.

Nickel plated brass is almost chrome like and is definitely reloadable.
It has a little shorter lifespan than non plated brass but is pretty.

If you are looking at brass colored brass the next thing to do is shine a light into the case to ensure there is only a single flash hole.
This is what is referred to as boxer primed brass and that is what you want.
For all intents and purposes all American brands of brass will be boxer primed.
Eastern European surplus ammo may be berdan primed (2 flash holes) and for all intents and purposes unreloadable.
It can be reloaded but it is a slow and tedious process left for others who are shooting firearms where boxer primed brass doesn't exist.

is it ok to chunk my brass in a gallon ziploc?

Click to expand...

Yes.

Also coffee cans with snap-on lids, Tupperware & Glad storage containers, etc.

rc

I'd recommend tumbling the brass as soon as you get it. Fresh crud is a lot easier to remove than old crud which seems to harden with age. I tumble my brass clean by adding a little Nufunish car polish to the media which leaves a thin layer of protection and helps keep the brass from tarnishing as quickly. Then off they go into Zip-Lock gallon freezer bags until I'm ready to load them.

Good pointers about watching for Berdan primed brass. There's more and more of it turning up as people become more desperate to find ammo. Trying to deprime Berdan brass is like trying to put a 5-lugged wheel on a 6-stud brake drum. Ain't no way it will go.

Nearly any outdoors type of place sells plastic boxes for neatly storing and labeling reloaded rounds. At least for most of the popular handgun rounds. I guess I've never really looked for rifle calibers, but I would assume they are there. Anyway, they're pretty inexpensive and highly convenient.

I reloaded in bulk a time or two and in that case I just use whatever container I can find. I once filled two of the larger plastic coffe cans with 9mm ammo.