How many firings will I get...

[0to60]

How many firings will I get out of 8mm Mauser brass that I'm resizing with a Lee collet die? This is a minimum load and I'm using the same yugo mauser for all the shooting. How often will I have to trim the brass?

And as I understand it, the Lee collet dies don't bump the shoulder back at all, correct?

 

[choppinlow]

That is sort of like the old question about how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop

You will get as many firings until the brass fatigues and either splits at the neck or begins to get head separation (less of an issue with neck sizing dies like you mentioned).

There is no real and sure answer to your question, so if you are looking to hear 3 or 15 or 50 I doubt anyone can tell you that. I would bet you get many firings out of the brass though.

FYI - you still may likely need a full length sizing die for times where you need to push the shoulder back or if you have other chambering issues.

 

[CLP]

The answer is....

Green.

 

[notaglockfanboy]

You will get at least two, and you should measure the brass after resizing to see if you need to trim. Look in your manual to get the SAMMI max and trim when it gets there or close to max. Too many factors to tell you how many you will get out of your brass. If you anneal, it can extend your brass life somewhat. I usually take a set number and use it until I see failure signs so I can get an idea. YMMV.

 

[BCRider]

I've read that annealing the neck area after every 4 to 6 loadings will help extend the life a lot.

 

[gamestalker]

No way to say, there are multiple variables involved.

Chamber dimensions, brass quality, powder and charge being used, and how much, and how often the shoulders need bumping are all variables.

Bottle neck brass must be maintained to within SAAMI trim too length. This is something that needs to be checked each time the brass is resized. I use the inexpensive ($15) Lee trimming set up. Case length gauge, cutter stud, and shell holder. I put the shell holder stud in the cordless drill, each piece of brass gets passed through the case length gauge, if it trims, it needed it, if it doesn't, well...

FL sizing will eventually be necessary, as shoulders or other dimensional characteristics will need some maintenance in order to facilitate chamber fit. So plan in buying a FL die, you will need one.

I don't anneal my brass, but if done correctly, it will help reduce premature neck splits, done incorrectly and....

So to sum it all up, if you do everything when necessary, don't over do anything thing, and run low pressure loads, from an average chamber, you might get 15 loads, you might get 30 loads, it just really depends on the variables. In most instances, the brass will either fail due to case head separation, neck splits, or primer pocket expansion.

My biggest brass eater is a Rem. 700 chambered in 7mm RM, and I get an average of 12 - 15 loads from my brass. I've had brass that has only lasted for 7 or 8 loads, some that has gone 17 or 18 loads also.

GS

 

[Elkins45]

Carefully annealing your brass every 5 or so loadings will give you a lot of life if you are shooting really mild stuff. It will increase life with heavy loads too, but my cases I use to shoot cast bullets in my 8mm are looking good after 10+ firings.

 

[45lcshooter]

You can Neck Size with FL die. So you would have the best of both worlds. If its your brass fired from your gun you can just neck size if a few reloads then FL size it to the the case back where its supposed to be.

Out of my larger caliber caseings, I get 5-8 reload before I see problems. I don't anneal any of my cases. And it also depends on powder charge, I see the OP is going with minimum charge, which is great. Most times you will wear out the primer pocket before the case fails.

Trimming is a part of reloading. I was taught reloaded from a family friend, the way I look at it is the rifle rounds your looking for accuracy, so if you trim the case to where it needs to be, you are helping with your accuracy. I make sure all my brass is with in the trim specs, and trim when necessary.