Head stamp sort or not?

[Paddy]

Well luckily I have a dollar tree next to my house (never thought I'd say that) and I can get as many tuppies as I need and build a tuppie tower for every gosh darn brand of brass.

On a related note can everyone who goes to the gravel pit please only shoot pmc please? That would help me out a lot. Thanks!

 

[Potatohead]

LOL, I hear ya Paddy. My wife laughs at me because I spend so long on the tupperware aisle at Target.

 

[kerreckt]

Rifle yes. Pistol no. The only exception with pistol is if I am working up a load or comparing loads. The reason is to eliminate any variables. I always sort rifle brass. Oftentimes, with rifle brass I will load particular head stamps differently and then know what the load is by looking at the head stamp.

 

[RealGun]

I found that Blazer 357 brass, i.e. not aluminum, won't fit in my Hornady shell plate. They also will not flow in my small case feeder drop tube, while all others I have will. The heads then are thicker and larger in diameter...complete throwaways, except they might fit a shellholder on someone else's turret press. So much for any advantage in buying their brass cartridges.

The Hornady cases need to be sorted out and measured, if in calibers available in Critical Defense (FTX bullets) or possibly trimmed as reloads (38 Special, 357 Mag, 44 Special, 44 Magnum, 45 Colt, et al.). Those cases are trimmed shorter to accommodate that bullet shape.

 

[FROGO207]

I used to all the time. Then I got lazy one time and the ammo still shot better than I could. Now I do not bother other than when I find a new headstamp. I compare it to the others and if it is the same size within reason it goes into the pile as well. The ones I DO sort out are the Hornaday Lever ammo as they are shorter anyways and need to be crimped at different lengths than the regular cartridge. YMMV

BTW I am not a long range accuracy shooter anymore (poor eyes ).

 

[Elkins45]

Pistol no, rifle maybe. I sort rifle loads for bolt guns but I don't sort anything intended for my AR.

I will sometimes sort revolver cases after they are loaded but I'm not convinced it matters. I certainly don't shoot well enough to see the benefit and I don't load close enough to max for internal variability to be a safety factor. One think I do think matters with revolvers is uniform case length for uniform crimps. I would rather have 100 cases with the same length than the same head stamp.

 

[G29SF]

On brass that I swage, I do sort. My 1050's swager works better when all of the brass has the same primer pocket dimensions and internal (behind primer pocket) dimensions. For everything else, I don't.

 

[Lj1941]

Sorting

I sort if I am loading something special in handgun brass. Rifle is a different story. I separate by head stamp all brass that is being loaded for hunting / and or load development. If I am just loading in quantity IE for a 223 for large quantity with ball/ FMJ no sorting. I never push the envelope with ammo I load in quantity so different HSs are not a problem for me.YMMV.

 

[Catpop]

I, like kerreckt, sort to eliminate one more variable from the equation when working up loads. I have proven to myself it does help to reduce ES and SD. Plinking fodder doesn't matter. Good Reloading, Catfish

 

[Paddy]

ES and SD?

Forgo, my eyes are good for now, but doesn't a scope compensate for even the worst vision?

 

[lakeside]

I pull out my shinny Starline .45 ACP brass and mix the rest. Don't know why, but that Starline seems special. Either that or I am just copying my High Master friend from our Bullseye league. He shoots better, so it might be the sorted Starline?

 

[horseman1]

Pistol brass, no. Rifle brass, yes.

I didn't sort rifle brass at first, until I had some crimping problems. I probably shouldn't have been crimping the 223 in the first place. Anyway, the kind folks on this forum helped me out, as usual. The problem ended up being a few cases had slipped by me that I had neglected to trim.

However, there were other things that were brought up in the thread that I investigated. I discovered small variations in brass thickness that can affect the crimp (for rounds I need to crimp like 30-30 in my tube fed Winchester 94) as well as case capacity.

By sorting I have also been able to see patterns in longevity of the cases develop by headstamp. This helps me decide which ones I prefer over the others.

I learn stuff this way and for me, it has been worth the effort.

 

[ATLDave]

Yes. Rcmodel's post gives one good reason. Another is that I check weigh finished rounds. If headstamps are all over the place, weights will be, too. If the headstamps are sorted and I'm using bullets with good consistency, weights will often be consistent enough to make a double-charge or a no-charge round apparent from the weight alone.

 

[ldlfh7]

I almost never sort by headstamp but there are 2 times I will.

1 - Commercial vs military rifle brass
2 - S&B 8mm brass is a pain to fit into the shell holder so I keep these in a seperate lot for when I get desperate.

 

[Nordeste]

I sort too.

Even handgun brass.

There is a lot of variation in some, like 9mm, that can slightly change the way you do things.

Then, if you do have a problem with one brands case neck tension or something?
Well, you won't have loaded 127 of them before you find out.

I'd much rather sort brass then pull bullets!

rc

^^ This.

I do sort it. I've learnt that, in order to get ammo with the same specs (same OAL and crimp), I have to slightly vary the settings of my dies. The setting I use with CBC Magtech cases is different to the one I use for Remington or Fiocchi cases.

 

[FROGO207]

If you are trying to follow a YOTE or deer through some scrub as it moves, iron sights are the better tool IMHO. I do not shoot at too distant targets with iron sights either. For a distance shot at a still target a scope will be a better choice. Ever see a scope on a shotgun at a bird hunt or skeet shoot?? You need a wide field of vision there as well.

 

[Apex Predator]

Depends on the firearm. I have been known to push the envelope a little on high powered bolt action rifles so when I develop a load I stick to the brass I proofed it with, on weaker semi auto actions I am nowhere near max so I don't worry about it unless accuracy is an Issue with mixed brass.
Currently the only auto I load for is a 742 carbine (30-06) without telescopic sights. It digests them all with no problem as long as I use Ramshot Hunter and 180gr RN, shoots plenty good for a brush gun with any brass 1.5-2 MOA

 

[SEE IT LIKE A NATIVE]

My hunting rounds loads for my .454 start with new unfired brass , My informal range ammo is mixed batch of head stamps for .357, .45 auto and 454 . All my self defense ammo is factory ! Kevin

 

[km101]

Handgun - only if I am working up a load, or loading near max. Otherwise no.

Rifle - I sort for my bolt gun loads as most of them are fairly hot. AR brass is not sorted as I don't shoot max loads in them. All of the accuracy loads for my AR's are above midrange, but not max.

 

[Ky Larry]

Rifle brass yes.Pistol brass no.I will pick out Win pistol brass.I use Win brass for my social work reloads.Star Line,PMC, or most other head stamps would work as well as Win. Everything else just gets reloaded as blasting plinking ammo.

 

[RealGun]

Rifle brass yes.Pistol brass no.I will pick out Win pistol brass.I use Win brass for my social work reloads.Star Line,PMC, or most other head stamps would work as well as Win. Everything else just gets reloaded as blasting plinking ammo.

Chuckle...in other words you sort by head stamp.

 

[Paddy]

Ha! Ya, that's how it starts, lil bit at a time. Before you know it you've been victim to the great tuppie slide of 2014. Luckily unloaded brass is not that heavy

 

[Mad Chemist]

I never sort for bulk pistol practice ammo. I shoot about 1k rds per month. I do not have time for such a tedious task that yields such a minimal return in accuracy.

Sometimes I sort for specialty ammo and load development. This is so I can ID the casings when inspecting during work up.

SD ammo gets new Starline brass.

 

[Otto]

I do not have time for such a tedious task that yields such a minimal return in accuracy.

Me neither....sorting is a total waste of time unless you're shooting bullseye on the long line, and even then the benefits are negligible.
Time is better spent sorting your sock drawer.

 

[Mad Chemist]

Realgun wrote:
"I found that Blazer 357 brass, i.e. not aluminum, won't fit in my Hornady shell plate. They also will not flow in my small case feeder drop tube, while all others I have will. The heads then are thicker and larger in diameter...complete throwaways, except they might fit a shellholder on someone else's turret press. So much for any advantage in buying their brass cartridges."

I've had issues with case tension on 9x19 Blazer Brass cases too. The frequently fail the push test. I'm using a turret so I can feel when a bullet seats to easily. It's always one of these. They are so bad that I just toss them in the trash whenever I find them.