mdemetz
Member
How reliable is determining whether brass is once fired or not by a plated primer or a anodized primer? I now about Winchester and Wolf unplated primers.
Once fired identification by primer
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Otto
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Winchester stopped nickel plating their primers in 1999. Wolf stopped 2 or 3 years ago.
Determining OF brass by primer examination wouldn't be reliable at all. Better to inspect the primer pocket after depriming.
If the bottom of the pocket still shows bright brass it might be OF.
Determining OF brass by primer examination wouldn't be reliable at all. Better to inspect the primer pocket after depriming.
If the bottom of the pocket still shows bright brass it might be OF.
Certaindeaf
member
Unpossible
It's very possible to figure out if brass is once-fired, if you pick it up yourself. You just need to add up all the clues. Most of them show you that brass has been RELOADED, but if you find a pile of consistent brass that lacks all the "has been reloaded clues," then you can be pretty confident it's new. The only problem is that there might be a few random cases mixed in with the same headstamp, left by someone else.
There are only two ways I know of to identify OF brass. They apply only to military brass, and they're still not 100%
1. crimped primer pockets
2. if it's military rifle brass, the annealing will still be clearly visible on the case neck. This will polish away after tumbling.
It would be possible to reload a case without removing the annealing surface oxidation and/or crimp, but unlikely.
To tell a case is not OF is much easier:
1. chamfered case mouth
2. chamfered primer pocket
3. tell tale vertical scratches on the inside or outside of the case mouth/neck
4. headstamps worn
5. rim scratched up in multiple places
6. Big pile of brass left on the ground of the same caliber, but of mixed headstamps like what a reloader would leave.
7. The sizing "ring" visible near the case head.
There are only two ways I know of to identify OF brass. They apply only to military brass, and they're still not 100%
1. crimped primer pockets
2. if it's military rifle brass, the annealing will still be clearly visible on the case neck. This will polish away after tumbling.
It would be possible to reload a case without removing the annealing surface oxidation and/or crimp, but unlikely.
To tell a case is not OF is much easier:
1. chamfered case mouth
2. chamfered primer pocket
3. tell tale vertical scratches on the inside or outside of the case mouth/neck
4. headstamps worn
5. rim scratched up in multiple places
6. Big pile of brass left on the ground of the same caliber, but of mixed headstamps like what a reloader would leave.
7. The sizing "ring" visible near the case head.
Hondo 60
Member
There's no way to tell by primer color.
The only way to be certain is if you fired it.
The only way to be certain is if you fired it.
If the primer has a small dent in it, it has been fired, or are you asking how many times has it been fired? Color/plating means the primer has or has not been plated, not a lot more than that (in my new primer stash I have both plated and non-plated).
1SOW
Member
Not.
Gloob gave good advice.
Another thing I've found at "my" ranges where I can pick up pistol brass: watch the shooters. You can spot a Wal-Mart ammo purchaser 9.9 times out of 10.
Ask if it's okay to pick up their brass when they leave.
Most of the shooting on weekends-especially Sundays--at one range I go to, is done by "occassional shooters" leaving once-fired brass.
I'm reliably getting once-fired pistol brass 95+% of the time.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
You answered your own question in the first post. Since yellow brass primers are available to reloaders there is no way to tell if the brass is reloaded or once fired by primer color alone.
Craigman
Member
I've noticed FC brass has either red or blue primer sealer when new. If its still bright in color and/or on the primer, thats one way to tell.
evan price
Member
Some NT primers- I think it was Federal- were colored a sort of pink or red from the factory instead of natural brass or nickel plated. I have also seen this color primer on some foreign milsurp .223 ammo.
Sellier and Bellot ammo uses red-sealer applied over the primers in some of their pistol calibers.
Magtech (CBC) ammo imprints a small sort of "V" shaped mark on their factory primers in their ammo.
Some NT brass and military calibers use a crimped primer pocket.
Some rifle brass has a sort of serrated or scalloped pattern visible on the edge of the brass of the neck. Trimming removes this scallop. However as long as no trimming is required it could be more than 1X fired.
FC (federal) often seals their primers with a sort of greenish-blue sealer.
Other than that the only way to tell 1X fired is by looking at the brass and looking for resize marks, multiple extraction nicks in the rim, etc. Often I find the original ammo boxes in the trash and the 1X fired brass left behind.
Most reloaders pick up their brass, but people who buy reloaded ammo often do not.
Some ranges I buy brass from do not allow reloaded ammo. Again, this is not a guarantee of 1X brass because people could bring in reloads packed in factory boxes.
It all comes down to what the brass looks like.
Sellier and Bellot ammo uses red-sealer applied over the primers in some of their pistol calibers.
Magtech (CBC) ammo imprints a small sort of "V" shaped mark on their factory primers in their ammo.
Some NT brass and military calibers use a crimped primer pocket.
Some rifle brass has a sort of serrated or scalloped pattern visible on the edge of the brass of the neck. Trimming removes this scallop. However as long as no trimming is required it could be more than 1X fired.
FC (federal) often seals their primers with a sort of greenish-blue sealer.
Other than that the only way to tell 1X fired is by looking at the brass and looking for resize marks, multiple extraction nicks in the rim, etc. Often I find the original ammo boxes in the trash and the 1X fired brass left behind.
Most reloaders pick up their brass, but people who buy reloaded ammo often do not.
Some ranges I buy brass from do not allow reloaded ammo. Again, this is not a guarantee of 1X brass because people could bring in reloads packed in factory boxes.
It all comes down to what the brass looks like.
Carl N. Brown
Member
Every general rule has exceptions.
The factory reloads I remember with mixed headstamps in the same box were police practice .38 wadcutters from Zero Ammo and 158gr RN from Star Reloading.
The home reloaders I know, including myself, segregate brass by manufacturer or even by box of original ammo. My son tumbles brass until it looks pristine, and strictly tracks make and number of reloads.
Some factory ammo shooters, like the farmer in "Night of the Living Dead", have a shoebox in the closet with half-a-dozen partial boxes of 30-30 from different makers accumulated over the years. A casual gun owner may leave a pile of once-fired brass with mixed headstamps.
jaguarxk120
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What caliber? are you talking about. If it is 40 S & W, then why care, there's sooo much of it around.
If it is a rifle where you are paying Big $$$ for just the empty case, then I would want the know the history of each case!
If it is a rifle where you are paying Big $$$ for just the empty case, then I would want the know the history of each case!
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