How do you keep track of times brass has been fired?

[gregj]

I've just started reloading 223, and trying to find a good process for me to note the number times brass has been fired. I'm still on my initial quantity (>1K) of once fired brass (all from OEM ammo fired in my AR). Currently, when I return from the range, I put my brass into a bag marked "Fired 2x".

My thought is I could keep this same process until until my initial quantiy of once-fired is gone, and then my 2x fired brass moves into the rotation. Then fired brass will go into a bag marked "Fired 3x", etc.

Unless something drastic changes in my reloading process, anyone see any problems with this? Or can recommend a better process? TIA

 

[deacon8]

That's basically what I do, except I don't use bags. If it works for you and makes sense, do it.

 

[kelbro]

I also bag them up with a note inside showing how many times they have been fired. Rather than cycle through the entire lot, I would just keep shooting the first batch until they begin to fail. Keeps fresh stuff ready to go.

 

[Sunray]

"...into a bag marked..." That'll do nicely. A piece of masking tape on a plastic bin with a lid will do as well. Never bothered with it myself. I load until I get one cracked neck, then pitch that one and anneal the rest.

 

[jcwit]

Why keep track? I've been reloading for half a century now, am I missing something?

 

[HOWARD J]

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[LiveLife]

I also bag them up with a note inside showing how many times they have been fired. Rather than cycle through the entire lot, I would just keep shooting the first batch until they begin to fail. Keeps fresh stuff ready to go.

+1. I have several thousand .223 brass cleaned, decrimped, polished and ready to reload but use a batch of 500 cases to keep reloading for range testing/plinking.

Besides, I always come back from the range with more brass than I shoot. Fortunately for me, many shooters shoot the factory new ammo and don't reload.

 

[Cop Bob]

Hummm....

For my "Hair Splittin Guns" read scoped hunters/target... I track the living heck out of it, along with the number of rounds through the barrel, load, wind, humidity, temp.. etc. I do this by separating them in MTM cases.

For older, and general fun guns, why bother. My .223, and 30-06 for my M1's it just goes back in a box or bag till I can restuff em....

Same with Pistol, I keep a few once fired brass back for heavier reloads for "Social Work"" and practice stuff goes in the bucket.

I do keep some of the .223 and the 30-06 tracked, as I do have a gun in each caliber that I shoot at 600.

 

[Walkalong]

Notes tossed in with the brass. Both in the box of fired brass as well as with each step along the way to the loaded box.

 

[Walkalong]

Why keep track?.................. am I missing something?

Pistol brass? I am right with you on that. Scrap it when it fails.

Rifle brass? I like to keep track of how many times I have fired a piece of rifle brass. For calibers I load in quantity (Like the OP's .223 for example), I do not check each case internally until it has a few firings on it. That is the lazy in me. Saves time. I check range brass the first time, but then skip that step (Unless I spot a case that looks questionable) until it has a few firings on it.

 

[jcwit]

I'm with you on this Walk on target rifles. I only have one in center fire that I consider a target rifle, and only use 5 cases, over & over. It's going to be a real shock to my total system if and when one of these 5 cases fails (don't even want to think about it).

With all my other center fire rifles its load till they fail, same as handgun cases.

 

[gregj]

Thanks guys, good suggestions.

HowardJ, I already use similar labels to label my bags of pistol reloads, but may create some labels similar to yours for my 223 brass. I currently write onto a piece of masking tape, where the brass is in the process, and stick it onto the bag. As each step is completed, that step is checked off on the tape. I like the label better. Thanks for the idea.


EDIT: I tried to indicate this was only for rifle brass, specifically 223. I do not, or will I ever, keep track of number of times my pistol brass has been fired.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

when my brass begins to be 'beat up' I put it the 'shoot and scoot' bag. nicks around the extractor groove, enlarged primer pockets, stretched necks etc.
this brass I shoot and leave lay. someone can pick it up for scrap.

 

[swiftak]

I don't. if they split or the primers go in to easy I ditch them. I couldn't tell you after 35 years of reloading how many times I reloaded any case. Its not brain surgery so don't make it so.

 

[gamestalker]

I use coffee cans, jars, or what ever I stumble on to that isn't space consuming. I put a number on the container such 2 or 3 and so on. It does take up a lot of space when you have a good number of calibers that your getting 5 to 15 cycles. I think my 7mm rem. mag. is probably the one that has the most cycled containers with some of it going 12 loadings. That one also has specific jars as which action the brass is from, I neck. Next most space consuming would be the .357 mag. which is a close second to my 7mm. Then the .40 cal., I don't want to keep going.
Wow, I really need to get a life outside of this reloading bench. When I'm dealing with insomnia instead of counting sheep, I count in thousanths with an image of a dial caliper, sometimes in tenths of grains with powder scale image. Is there like some kind of hand loaders support group, or am I already in one? A cry for help.

 

[wheelgun6T9]

I never keep track of how many times I reload my brass. Basically I inspect it throughout the loading process so it's pulled out before reloaded (if split, worn out primer pocket, etc).

That being said - there are many parts of the reloading process I enjoy - just for the sake of the process so I can see someone being scientific about keeping track of how many times brass has been loaded. I don't track it but I can understand folks that do.

 

[MMCSRET]

I don't even try to keep track of the number of times a case has been fired. I use it until I find a defect and then it goes to salvage. Bottle neck cases are handled the same way. I have several rifles that use the same ammo so I size with a small base sizing die for those cartridges, that way there is never an interference. Brass is cheap and will last until it cracks and then it is salvage.

 

[Sniderman]

I box my reloads in 20, 50, or 100 ct. plastic boxes, shoot a box, reload & relabel with grains and type of powder, bullet grain & reload number. For instance, If old label had a 7 on it, the new label gets an 8.
It's so simple that even I can do it!

 

[RustyFN]

I don't.

 

[Flatbush Harry]

I take brass from shooting session, put it in a plastic bag that varies in size with the amount of brass I retrieve, take label from ammo box I used and throw it in bag. I then use either a twist tie or seal bag with label and brass therein. Doesn't take a lot of effort...or brains...I'm lazy and stupid.

FH

 

[1SOW]

Maybe a waste of just a very little time, :
I pick up pistol range brass and my reloads. I don't like to keep shooting "my reloads" until they fail. That means I'll have a regular amount of failures---soon.

I put my range brass into plastic containers of approx. 1000 each. I have 6 containers marked 1 through 6. If I'm loading from #6, the range brass goes into the "empty" #5.

When #6 is empty, I put the range brass in #6 and reload from #1. etc.

This just insures 'all' the brass gets reloaded the same number of times. With 6000 on hand, I have fresh brass for about 8 months. 10 re-uses would take 5 years.

This just delays the eventual increased number of worn out cases, but this is JUST WIN brass. I can switch to my 4K-FC or 4K-PPU or 4k-R&P and do the same.

 

[Seedtick]

I don't.

+1

~ If it's good I load it. ~ ~ If it ain't I don't. ~

Seedtick

 

[James2]

Why keep track? I've been reloading for half a century now, am I missing something?

+1 what he said.

 

[Bmac1949]

I've pretty much been loading the same brass over again so I can get an idea of how long it lasts. I drop it in the tumble when I come in from the range and then put it in a container and lable it. This is for .45 acp. 30-30 and .270 Win. When I have to add to the .45 brass I'll use once fired and don't worry about it.

 

[788Ham]

I write on a sticky tag with powder charge, weight of bullet, type of bullet, how many times loaded, THEN when all rounds fired, I keep separated with others that have the same number of firings. When I need more loaded ammo, I take the boxes with the same # of reloadings on them, throw into tumbler and when ready, I reload and remark a new sticky tag on full box. I know, a lot of work probably for some folks, but it works for me.