Handgun reloading: how do you track brass usage?

[ExMachina]

Cut my teeth on 45acp so never really worried about how may times I reloaded my brass. It seemed that for high volume, non-precision shooting in a low pressure, taper crimped cartridge, trackign brass never seemed worth the hassle.

However, now that I'm spending a lot of time with higher pressure, roll crimped revolver rounds I'm needing to come up with a simple system for tracking my brass. Anybody care to share some tips (or a link to a previous thread)?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I don't. I load it until it splits. I have brass that is 50+ years old in my rotation.

 

[hdbiker]

If the primer pockets hold a primer snugly and the case mouths aren't cracked or split,I just keep loading them.hdbiker

 

[OpticsPlanet]

As suggested, load em till they split haha

But otherwise, a simple light/shallow punch mark on the case would be simple

-Matt S.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Load-em 'till they split or won't hold a primer. I used to track them, but found it a waste of time.

 

[MEHavey]

Just collect fired cases in ziplock baggies with the #-times-fired w/ a Sharpie

 

[MifflinKid]

I do track the number of times I reload cases, to the best of my abilities, for cases that I buy new or once fired.

I don't track range scrounged cases.

 

[Schwing]

I don't. I load it until it splits.

This is my method for all of my brass. On some of my REALLY old brass, I lose about 1 or 2 per hundred but the majority of them just keep on going.

 

[iShoot17]

Since you specifically called our high pressure revolver rounds, I'll state what I do.

My revolver brass is managed differently than my semi brass. Semi brass goes into a 5 Gallon Bucket and gets scooped and cleaned as I need it. Revolver brass is in two large Tupperware containers. I start with new brass in the first and after firing out it in the second. After the first bin is empty, I clean all the brass and repeat the process. I put a "slash" on blue tape with a Sharpie to track amount of times firing. This is with light range loads.

For full magnum loads, I keep 500 pieces of brass in play. This brass stays in 5 MTM 100ct boxes and only leaves to be fired and then put back in. Once I make it through all 500 rounds, I clean all the brass and start my reloading process. Pieces that are split or have something wrong with them (i.e. Dropped on the ground, and the neck hit a rock that dinged the neck significantly) are put in the scrap bin. When I hit 7-8 reloads, I generally deem the brass to have served its purpose and is generally scrapped. Sometimes though, they can last upwards of 10 rounds. I have not personally loaded magnum brass more than 10 times though and I highly doubt I ever will. Lots of pressure in those little casings..I'll just buy new brass and start again with 500 fresh.

I like Blue Scotch Painters tape and a Sharpie for tracking the times fired for my magnum brass.

 

[ExMachina]

Since you specifically called our high pressure revolver rounds, I'll state what I do.

My revolver brass is managed differently than my semi brass. Semi brass goes into a 5 Gallon Bucket and gets scooped and cleaned as I need it. Revolver brass is in two large Tupperware containers. I start with new brass in the first and after firing out it in the second. After the first bin is empty, I clean all the brass and repeat the process. I put a "slash" on blue tape with a Sharpie to track amount of times firing. This is with light range loads.

For full magnum loads, I keep 500 pieces of brass in play. This brass stays in 5 MTM 100ct boxes and only leaves to be fired and then put back in. Once I make it through all 500 rounds, I clean all the brass and start my reloading process. Pieces that are split or have something wrong with them (i.e. Dropped on the ground, and the neck hit a rock that dinged the neck significantly) are put in the scrap bin. When I hit 7-8 reloads, I generally deem the brass to have served its purpose and is generally scrapped. Sometimes though, they can last upwards of 10 rounds. I have not personally loaded magnum brass more than 10 times though and I highly doubt I ever will. Lots of pressure in those little casings..I'll just buy new brass and start again with 500 fresh.

I like Blue Scotch Painters tape and a Sharpie for tracking the times fired for my magnum brass.

Perfect! Thank you for sharing.

It only dawned on me that I needed a different game plan with revolver brass when I was reloading a mix of new and once-fired brass and could not get a consistent roll crimp to save my life! :banghead:

 

[stompah]

My method is to use nickel for my magnum loads and brass for my plinking rounds. I only use once fired or new for my heavy loads. After that I do not count the reloads, I just inspect the nickel more. My plinking loads are light so I look for either splits or loose pockets.

 

[bluetopper]

I don't. I found it a waste of time and too much trouble.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

trackign brass never seemed worth the hassle

I agree. It's not worth the hassle.
I don't track anything, even rifle rounds or roll crimped revolver rounds.

I do inspect my brass thoroughly after tumbling to check for splits and in rifle rounds, impending case heae separation, which is pretty easy to detect with a simple bent wire.

 

[Muddydogs]

Perfect! Thank you for sharing.

It only dawned on me that I needed a different game plan with revolver brass when I was reloading a mix of new and once-fired brass and could not get a consistent roll crimp to save my life! :banghead:

You are not getting a consistent roll crimp because your case lengths are different. Cases from the same lot of brass do not all expand or shrink at the same rate so keeping track of the number of times fired won't really matter. If you want perfect consistent roll crimps on each case don't waist your time keeping track of number of times fired but instead trim your brass so its all a consistent length. Or you can do like most of use do which is set the roll crimp for the shortest case length and not worry about the case being a little longer.

 

[medalguy]

While I do examine cases before reloading, I don't record times used. I shoot them until I lose them in the sagebrush and cactus.

 

[Walkalong]

I don't keep track. When one case fails, scrap it. If a bunch in a batch starts failing, scrap the batch.

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

I use to recycle after so many rounds. Tried tracking them. Simplest system for me was to reload all, fire all before reloading again, then I knew they all were reloaded once.

As others have said "I don't track them anymore" fits my current practice.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Never did, never will!

As most of the answers above I see no reason to track usage for any handgun brass. I have never had a problem with crimps but then again, I have never measured the crimp on revolver ammo. When the neck splits or the primers are loose I scrap the brass. It seems the semi-auto brass gets lost well before than happens! LOL

 

[cfullgraf]

I do not track the number of loadings of my hand gun cases. When they fail, they get scrapped.

Rifle cases are a different matter.

 

[Potatohead]

Same way I do for all of my reloading-I dont

 

[Blue68f100]

I don't keep track on my pistol ammo. I load and shoot till the split or pockets start getting loose. With full mag loads I normally will only load the brass more than 5 times. These are in a MTN box with labels. I just keep of the reloads with the load data. I then rotate it to my LSWC loads till they fail.

 

[gamestalker]

I don't track it either. If it splits, or the pockets get loose it goes to the recycle bin, simple and effective. Since I don't bell my brass, most of my handgun brass will often get loose pockets before it splits.

Bottle neck is a bit different though. I do try to keep track of how many times it's been loaded, but the primary concern here is no different, in that, I inspect it for signs of failure, incipient separation, primer pockets, the usual.

GS

 

[alientrainwreck]

I shoot my brass until there are visible cracks or any other defect but I usually loose them before that happens but if you must track them get you a pack of different colors paint markers or sharpies.

 

[ExMachina]

If a bunch in a batch starts failing, scrap the batch.

Thanks. But this kind of gets back to my question. How do you keep track of what a "batch" is?

 

[Constrictor]

never kept track but im going to start on my 500 magnums, and rifles. keep in batches in bags with a piece of paper inside with the times loaded.