RELOADING USED BRASS

Until the case splits, primer pocket fails or you check for incepent case separation and your uncomfortable continuing.

I think it depends on what cartridge and how hot the load is. Of course inspection.

How many reloads on a case can vary, as the die to chamber compatibility becomes a factor in how much the brass is being worked or overworked radially as well as length, an additional factor can be the powder charge or how hot you load them, different cases can have different thickness creating volume variations and pressure variations. personally I gave up on mixed brass and range brass long ago.

AJC1 said:

Until the case splits, primer pocket fails or you check for incepent case separation and your uncomfortable continuing.

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RockRat64 said:

I think it depends on what cartridge and how hot the load is. Of course inspection.

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I second that... it really depends on whether we are talking straight wall pistol cartridges, or the myriad rifle cartridges and their idiosyncrasies. Something like .308 brass, loaded with midrange loads, fired in a bolt gun can last a long time; that same brass, loaded to max, fired in a semi-auto... I've seen case head separations in 2 firings.

Load it until it fails, straight walled pistol brass last for lots of reloading.

Rifle brass is generally limited to about half a dozen times sometimes more.

Here's a test I did, certainly not definitive. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/30-30-case-life-test.896133/

For pistol rounds, like 45 auto, or 38 special, the reports I've seen go into the 30+ range, with a single 38 case going past 80 in one test.

Charlie98 said:

I second that... it really depends on whether we are talking straight wall pistol cartridges, or the myriad rifle cartridges and their idiosyncrasies. Something like .308 brass, loaded with midrange loads, fired in a bolt gun can last a long time; that same brass, loaded to max, fired in a semi-auto... I've seen case head separations in 2 firings.

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I've reloaded pistol cases enough times the headstamps get rubbed out.

I shoot a lot of range brass with an unknown history. I deprime and tumble it, inspecting it carefully at each and every step. If it looks to have been reloaded it goes into my scrap bucket. Signs like silver primers in military cases are a dead give-a-way but there are other signs. I also cull the pistol brass with the "Glock Belly" bulge.I had about 35 really loose primers in the last 1000 round batch of 223 that I loaded, all the same headstamp.

As said, it all depends. You will probably lose 45 acp brass before the brass fails. For .308 Win, you may only get 5 or 6 firings before it is toast. Always inspect your brass and check the primer pockets with a gage.

Just inspect your brass carefully & toss out anything that you question if it could safely fire one more shot.
If the brass, has any kind of stress lines, is belled too much, loose primer pocket, splits in mouth or neck, strange discoloring or just anything you see that makes you suspicious of it pitch it, it's not worth the problem it could cause.
I have had large caliber brass that I've gotten 10 to 15 reloads out of & I have had brass that I tossed after the first shot. Let you eyes be your guide.

Ak nailed it right on
It is only brass and range brass is dirt cheap.

Highland Lofts said:

Ak nailed it right on
It is only brass and range brass is dirt cheap.

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Because it's just about all I use. I pick up about 15 to 20 lbs a week all calibers just while I'm shooting.

I generally cull when the neck splits or the primers get too easy to seat.
Necks splits are obvious. Annealing greatly protects against neck splits.
Primer pockets are more of a subjective thing. I mark them with a Sharpie marker, take one last shot and recycle.
I dont worry about case separations.

Personally, I segregate my brass based on intended use. It's not a perfect system, and will give the more organized here fits. Example. .223 range brass. Unless I come across something special, such as a large quantity of same headstamp military brass confirmed OF by primer crimps or similar, it gets mixed into a big pile. Treated as "prepped" (crimps removed) or "farm fresh" (may still have crimps). This brass gets lost on a regular basis, firing through a carbine at ranges out in the woods. Accuracy is not a prime concern with these loadings. I count on entropy to rotate my stock. Ditto with 9mm.

Other calibers I consider more "rare" get treated with loving attention. Number of known firings are counted and recorded. Failures are noted. Some of these are match or hunting loadings, where known precision is wished to be duplicated. Some of these are indeed rare and expensive brass. In those cases, I will milk them along until they start spitting primers or cracking at the necks.

Kaldor said:

I generally cull when the neck splits or the primers get too easy to seat.
Necks splits are obvious. Annealing greatly protects against neck splits.
Primer pockets are more of a subjective thing. I mark them with a Sharpie marker, take one last shot and recycle.
I dont worry about case separations.

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Most of the time you can see a shiny line before you get case separations. I have caught them with a very small crack just by looking for that shine.(or it's a discoloration to other people)

Examples:
5.7x28 - 2-3 times
9mm Luger - 20+ times

twarr1 said:

Examples:
5.7x28 - 2-3 times
9mm Luger - 20+ times

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Examples:
308 Norma Magnum & 7mm Rem Mag - 2-3 times
30-06 - 4-5 times
38 Special - until the case mouth starts to crack (20+ times, I guess)
45 Colt with "Ruger Only" loads - maybe 2, but "Ruger Only" loads in my Blackhawk really hurt my tendonitis filled right elbow, so who cares?

I have some 30-06 brass that i have loaded more that 15 times, then stopped counting. On the 45ACP, 9mm and the like the reload count I'd over 30 when I stopped tracking it. I 'be had a few loose primers (which I discard but I inspect every time.

BW460 said:

Always inspect your brass and check the primer pockets with a gage.

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Thank you for mentioning primer pocket gages. I didn’t know they existed until today. I looked them up. I am ordering a set from Ballistic Tools.

AK Hunter said:

Most of the time you can see a shiny line before you get case separations. I have caught them with a very small crack just by looking for that shine.(or it's a discoloration to other people)

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Exactly, and its even more evident when you tumble in SSTL media.

A case head separation isnt going to kill you, or blow your gun up. It will scare the crap out of you though, and sometimes getting that shell from the case out of the chamber can be a PITA. Ive had it happen three times. Once with a 9mm case that failed just above the web, that one was easy to get out with a pocket knife. Once with a Rem 700 243 with factory ammo, the case separated about 2/3 of the way around, I was able to extract, and the gun was checked for headspace to ensure it wasnt damaged. Once on my AR-15 in 223, the head came completely off, but I was able to reach into the chamber with a dental pick and pop it out after I soaked it in Kroil.

I had a case/head completely separate on my 375 H&H. Getting that case out was (as you say) a PITA. Like you, I had the head space checked, no problem. On that big gun I only get about 5 or 6 reloads then I see the ring start to form and trash them.

I have a lot of "range pickup" so rarely buy brass. Only stuff like .45 Colt,45/70 and stuff like that. Only scrap the split/dangerous looking.

AJC1 said:

Until the case splits, primer pocket fails or you check for incepent case separation and your uncomfortable continuing.

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There are many different levels of reloaders and what they determine are acceptable risks. I tend to agree with the above post as that is the exact way I roll. Still have all my digits and both eyes so must be doing it correctly so far.