Can you tell once fired brass?

[showmebob]

I posted this on another forum but thought I'd get the advice from all the folks here as well!
Do you feel confident that you can tell once fired brass from reloaded brass that is picked up at the range? I am talking about brass (9MM) that hasn't been cleaned after shooting.
It seems to me that on reloaded brass you can see a mark left by the sizing die that is missing on once fired brass.
I'm wondering if its possible to sort range brass into once fired or reloaded without knowing it origins? Or, is there another/better way?
I usually don't sort brass but I was going to work up some loads nearer the maximum charge and would prefer to do it in once fired brass.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this!

 

[kludge]

You can look for an extractor mark.

 

[edSky]

Yeah, I would count the number of ejector marks on the case head. Especially on 9mm they should be pretty visible.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Once-fired, twice-fired, x-amount-fired...

Show Me Bob (Missourian, I presume??)--Kludge is correct, on reloaded brass there is likely to be more than one extractor scar. You are correct, also: On reloaded brass there are likely to be parallel "polishing marks" made by the resizing die.

There are other signs to look for as well: Primers not the same color as the case = reloaded. Bottleneck rifle case with flattened ironed-out crimp, not just sorta-removed by the bullet on firing = reloaded. Magnum rifle cases in the scrap bucket at the range = once-fired--A reloader would never leave expensive brass like that behind!

All that said, there is NO guarantee on found brass. None. You are strictly on your own.

Were I going to play around with max or near-max loads, I would order out new unprimed brass, or make my own once-fired brass from commercial rounds. For max rifle loads, I'd go the pricey route, too: Norma, Lapua, or Nosler brass. Or Hornady Match brass. Spendy, but far less case prep required.

 

[Walkalong]

When it is all pretty and you find the box for it in the trash can.

 

[moosehunt]

Let's be realistic--if it's in good shape, i.e. nothing suggesting problems, what different does it make if it's once fired or 4x fired? It's free (you said pick-up), so it's not like you're getting a bad deal. Jeez, seperate it by brand and use it--every firing you get out of it is free from the standpoint of the case, whether you get 4 or 40!

 

[SquirrelNuts]

I used to waterboard mine until it talked and told me it's background and history, but I can't do that anymore.

 

[oneounceload]

If it was factory new and just fired, I have found that the inside is still shiny and looks like new.....YMMV

 

[The Bushmaster]

Look on the inside at the head of the case. If it once fired it will be relatively clean and lots of brass showing. If it has been reloaded even once it will be a smokey gray to black on the case head (inside) and little or no brass showing. Federal is the hardest to tell. As said before. Once fired brass that you didn't see come form a Wally World plastic bag and see it bounce once on the ground it will still be a pig in a poke.

I do trust my method...

 

[FlyinBryan]

a pig in a poke.

lol, havent heard that in a while.

 

[depoloni]

...primers aren't the same color as case = reloaded...

May be true, frequently even (?) but I've got four boxes of federal 9mm fmj that I bought off the shelf myself that are brass cased with silver/nickel primers in them. Lot of variation.

Main thing I look for when sorting range brass is any odd bulges, and ESPECIALLY any primers that nearly fall out of the pockets while decapping. Just toss 'em in the scrap bin, not worth it - but then again I sort a ton of range brass.

 

[MMCSRET]

If the case is empty(no powder or bullet, with indented primer) then it has fired once and that all you get until you start the process over again.

 

[SquirrelNuts]

I think he means factory ammo once fired, versus handloaded ammo fired once or multiple times.

 

[tjj]

I don't worry about how many times range brass has been fired. Just sort by head stamp and use the name brand stuff for your hotter loads if you're worried about it. Look them over for splits or bad deformation and cull out the best ones. Never had a problem with 9mm cases of any kind really. .45 ACP seem to be a little more prone to case splitting but then I've only seen one or two in thousands of reloads.

 

[jim147]

The only way to know for sure is if you are shooting it and keeping track of it.
I have two buckets of 9mm. One clean and one dirty. I do not sort it at all.
I inspect it before I load it, while I load it and after I load it.
My thought on range pickups, and this is only my thought, is that you will get mostly factory once fired brass with some reloads thrown in. The people that reload much will do every thing they can to find their brass before they leave. The other reloads will be people that bought the cheapest ammo they could for the range.

jim

 

[Sport45]

The only ones I know for sure are once fired are the ones that still have a primer crimp. For handgun brass I really don't care or even try to keep count of how many times it's been fired.

 

[The Bushmaster]

FlyinBryan...What? Bring back memories?

 

[jim in Anchorage]

I assume its 1 X. Handloaders as a rule don't leave brass at the range.

 

[showmebob]

Thanks to all for weighing in on this subject. As always I learn something from every post!
Thanks again.