Sorting brass

I sort by headstamp for bullet seating consistency. Loaded a bunch before I started and they shot great. If you are not looking for extreme accuracy or some specific thing in your process then it will not hurt

It won't hurt a thing but it helps to glance at the headstamp before you load it.

FM brass comes to mind. It has a thick shelf on the inside that basically cuts its capacity in half.

That garbage is gonna get somebody hurt.

I sort my 9mm by head stamp also but truth be told it really isn't necessary. I mostly sort by headstamp because I'm looking for certain head stamps that are not worth reloading or dangerous to reload, like these Stainless and aluminum cases or the IMI with the stupid ledge inside of them that have a reduce capacity.

The stainless steel and aluminum cases can't be resized with ordinary dies and the one with the ledge can seperate at the ledge leaving the top half of the brass stuck in your barrel.
Just ask @Dudedog

My sorting of 9mm migrated towards sorting all of them while looking for these.

45 ACP has two different sized primer pockets depending on who made them.

Edit to add: FM and IMT (corrected) are the same design cases. Not good.

I sort by headstamp when working up a load for 45acp (I don't load 9mm). After that I try to load by headstamp, but if I can't I don't worry about it. I load low to mid range target loads.

Full power 357 mag is a bit different, I always sort my brass.

chris

No need to sort pistol brass by headstamp.

I pie them all for loading but for reasons I can’t answer box them by head stamp. Shoot, replace them in their boxes then wind up mixing them when tumbling. Repeat.

I always sort my handgun brass, but it is not necessary. Like tightgroup tiger, I do it to cull out brands I don't like...that, and I find it therapeutic.

Numbingly therapeautic.

I don't with pistol because I'm not going for extreme accuracy. Mostly just cheap, decent loads. .223 sometimes I will when shooting distance.

9mmepiphany said:

I think you might mean IMT.
IMI is Isreali Military Industries and it has been my experience that their brass is first rate.

Cases of 9mm that I sort out are:
FM, IMT, Ammoland...they have the internal ledge
R-P...they are usually thinner walled and often have smaller/rounded rims

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I do sort them all, what is your concern with the rp

I don't seperate handgun brass. I use 95% range brass that I picked up at the gravel pits we shoot at.
I keep shooting the same brass until it becomes garbage and just replace them as needed.


On the semi auto brass I take a red permanent marker and color the ends of the loaded cases so I know we shot them from other brass that is on the ground.

My revolver, single-shot and derringer handguns when I shoot them the brass goes right back in the plastis case when I take them out of the gun.

On rifle brass for plinking I don't seperate by head stamp.
For serious target shooting and hunting I will seperate the brass.

I just started sorting headstamp brass for my 9mm. When I go to the range I only take one brand so they don't get mixed. Then they are all deprimed and cleaned in the same batch. Win, R-P, FC, Blazer are the four brands that make up 90% of my brass on hand. The others I just keep in a container of assorted brass.

9mmepiphany said:

The smaller/rounded rims will make themselves known in two different ways:
1. When they pop out of the shell plate when resizing
2. When the extractor can't gain a purchase on them and flings them back at you...much like Glock BTF

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And in my experience, primer pockets seem too be to loose, not as tight..........

Is it necessary to sort brass by headstamp even if I’m only going to load the low end recommend charge? I’ve read that case thickness can very which could cause pressure issues but figured if I’m on the low end it should be ok. Loading 9mm and .45 acp.

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I cull the stepped 9mm and one must separate SPP and LPP 45 brass but no, they don’t all have to be the same headstamp.

I like to sort by length to make crimping uniform, I do discard the shelved 9mm.

I had so much of it, 9mm, and was noticing there were some different ones that the primer pocket were off and breaking pins. So sorted to the "big ones" FC, R/P, CBC, WIN, SB. No problems after I adjusted to these. Got some extra cash off the brass.

I don't believe it is necessary or that it give any real advantage yet I still do it and the reason I do it because I load my pistol rounds on a progressive press and it just adds another level of consistency. First the sorting is just another step to inspect the brass for defects or failures/cracks. Next as mentioned some brass has thinner walls or tighter primer pockets and while I'm loading on my progressive press I am using all my senses. Sight, sound, feel. When something doesn't seem the same I stop and inspect. Be it a tight resize, a tight primer or a bullet that seats too easily.

And in the case of the 45acp I am also inspecting for large and small primers.

Historically, I have not sorted 45 ACP or 9x19 cases by head stamp.

But, over the last few years, I've had some 9x19 cases that do not reload well for a variety of reasons and they have been scrapped. Rims not to spec, crimped primer pockets, stepped insides and so forth.

As a result, I have stopped using once fired cases or picking up range brass. Of the cases that I have in rotation, they all work fine but I do not want to get a bunch of cases that do not reload well. Generally, I buy Starline cases when I need new cases.

Revolver cases have a different need. For light or middle loads, I have a bunch of mixed head stamp cases. But again, as I need new cases, I buy Starline. For full power loads in su8ch as 357 Magnum, I stick to one head stamp and trim the cases so that I have a consistent crimp.

Generally, I've avoided foreign head stamped cases, they seem to be the most variable in reloading terms.

Rifle cases are another matter. I'm more particular about sorting head stamps.

I feel another myth busting thread in the making

Stay tuned.

J-rod O said:

On .45 acp what’s the best way to tell between small and large primer pockets and are they both still using large pistol primers?

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I think you misunderstood my comment.
45acp cases can be had with either Large Pistol Primers or Small Pistol Primers. A Small Pistol Primer will fall out of a Large Pistol Primer case.

Over the years I have found as many have that primer pockets vary from brand to brand. With the 9mm I find that any case with an S&B headstamp has a very tight pocket and requires much more effort to seat the primers. There are others as well but that is the one that sticks out the most in my memory.

Same thing I have found as a general rule is that R*P 45acp cases have a thinner wall and I save those for loading cast lead bullets.