.223 brass is few and far between at my range. I can find plenty of steel .223 cases, but rarely brass. I picked up over 100 cases yesterday. More people are obviously shooting their ARs, and are shooting whatever ammo they can find. Probably about 15-20 will end up being too beat up to use, and some of them have crimped in primers, but beggars can't be choosers.
One benefit of this latest AR craze...
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soloban
Member
^^^ That looks downright sexy.
45lcshooter
Member
Yes steel cases will wear out steel dies faster than a whooopie cushion can deflate when sat on.
There is no evidence to back this statement up whatsoever.
In order to even know, you'd have to do a side-by-side test of a like set of dies -- one resizing steel, one resizing brass -- and go equal case-for-case, stopping every so often to check the diameters of the inside of the sizing die and neck buttons.
Since this hasn't been done, nobody can possibly know if it does or not. If you have such actual evidence or data, I'd love to see it.
I've loaded a LOT of steel cases and have yet to 'wear out' any dies or rifle parts.
I wet tumble the cases in stainless steel pins, which takes the "polymer" or "lacquer" coating off, leaving that nice shiny steel underneath.
If they're left 'naked' like that in humidity, they will rust, but if they're kept in climate control (and/or vibratory tumbled with some car wax), they stay nice and rust free.
hAkron
Member
If it ever wears out your sizing die, just buy a new one.
FROGO207
Member
Yep I found 27 pounds of reloadable brass at the local pit this morning. There were over 200 223 Hornaday brass in the pile.
Someone must have a new 357 SIG as there was a pile of over 300 brass casings about 15 feet from the target. All in all a great spring day for brass scrounging. Hardly any .22 brass there though. Usually it is 3 to 1 in favor of the rimfire brass.
Someone must have a new 357 SIG as there was a pile of over 300 brass casings about 15 feet from the target. All in all a great spring day for brass scrounging. Hardly any .22 brass there though. Usually it is 3 to 1 in favor of the rimfire brass.
Twmaster
Member
This is my experience as well. I've reloaded a lot of 223 steel and 45ACP steel. Now that I have a nice stash of 223 I just keep the steel for an emergency.
Hondo 60
Member
Got 3" of snow Saturday & another 3 is in the forecast for Mon.
I think that's one of the best parts -- I don't have to feel guilty if I lose some of the cases after shooting.
FROGO207
Member
Hondo when you finally get there it is like an archeology dig. Just be sure to check often as the snow/ice melts or you will loose to the early birds. My GF says I can easily smell brass from a mile away. I call it a lot of good luck.
FWIW I reload steel and AL casings for the experience. Not worth it for now but know I can if I have to. Casing steel is much softer than your dies and such they are made out of tool steel.
My GF says I can easily smell brass from a mile away. I call it a lot of good luck.FWIW I reload steel and AL casings for the experience. Not worth it for now but know I can if I have to. Casing steel is much softer than your dies and such they are made out of tool steel.
Welding Rod
Member
You wouldn't want to reload any cases I accidentally leave behind. They case necks may split in short order... and if this is not noticed, bullet setback is possible.
Or it may have experienced significant stretching in the web... one of my M1As does that. After one reloading I consider it unusable due to excessive stretching.
Personally I wouldn't load found brass with an unknown number of previous loadings.
Or it may have experienced significant stretching in the web... one of my M1As does that. After one reloading I consider it unusable due to excessive stretching.
Personally I wouldn't load found brass with an unknown number of previous loadings.
thump_rrr
Member
I'm a member at an indoor range that is quite pricey.
The up side is that there are many shooters who do not bother to reload and buy factory rounds of every caliber imaginable.
Our range does not sell steel or aluminum cases ammo so the brass buckets are usually full of premium brass.
The only caliber I have not run across so far in 2 years is .338 Lapua.
Besides that I have found everything up to and including 50AE. (No 50BMG permitted indoors)
The up side is that there are many shooters who do not bother to reload and buy factory rounds of every caliber imaginable.
Our range does not sell steel or aluminum cases ammo so the brass buckets are usually full of premium brass.
The only caliber I have not run across so far in 2 years is .338 Lapua.
Besides that I have found everything up to and including 50AE. (No 50BMG permitted indoors)
So you only load brand new brass, or brass after being fired from factory?
Seriously how can you know brass sold as "once fired" is truly only once fired?
That is why I inspect cases very well before loading them.
blarby
Member
1. Fire it the first time yourself.
2. Look for crimped in primers.
3. Look for factory sealed primers.
4. Look for extractor marks in extractor grooves.
5. Ask the magic 8 ball.
Kachok
Member
I think steel cases are a mild steel, if they were a high carbon "tool steel" they would be too brittle for even one firing. I would think that a hardened steel die would have no trouble with a mild steel case, though I would also imagine FL resizing/trimming steel could be a workout. Mind you I have never done it myself seeing as steel cases are not common in any caliber I load.
Welding Rod
Member
Yes, I only load brass that I bought brand new or which is from factory ammo I bought. Or that is given to me by a shooter at the range when I can see he is shooting factory loaded ammo.
Then I keep a record of how many firings and trims I have on each batch. 1 split neck and that batch is on its last load. A certain number of trims or a certain number of times loaded (how many depends on the cartridge, method of sizing, and gun it is being fired in) and I scrap it out.
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WinchesterAA
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No guarantees that you can repeat what this guy did, but seems valid to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwmmsZ-aX4g
With the x39 he removes the anvil from the boxer primer, but when he does it for x54r he cuts the anvil on the case out and creates a flash hole of acceptable size for a large rifle primer, and creates a primer cup (because the existing cup is too large for LRP) out of 1/4" copper tubing.
I think in intermediate cartridges you could remove the anvil on the case, create the flash hole, and use the superglue trick with an LRP without need for a new cup, but that's just guessing. I have a couple thousand berdan primed brass cases that I may try to convert if/when I have no better brass to work with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwmmsZ-aX4g
With the x39 he removes the anvil from the boxer primer, but when he does it for x54r he cuts the anvil on the case out and creates a flash hole of acceptable size for a large rifle primer, and creates a primer cup (because the existing cup is too large for LRP) out of 1/4" copper tubing.
I think in intermediate cartridges you could remove the anvil on the case, create the flash hole, and use the superglue trick with an LRP without need for a new cup, but that's just guessing. I have a couple thousand berdan primed brass cases that I may try to convert if/when I have no better brass to work with.
Twmaster
Member
Why go through all that crap when the correct Berdan primers are easy enough to get?
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