range brass

[FieroCDSP]

Hi, guys. I went to the range today and came back with more brass than I started with. I was mainly just scraping up what's on the floor as I swept up my own, but I did confirm that the place doesn't mind if you dive in the brass bin. I'll do that next time. Anyway, I picked up a lot of Remington 40 cal brass, most of it looks once fired (I can only find one extractor mark) but other ones are questionable. The ones I'm worried about don't have any marks for certain (I've started marking mine with a sharpie in the headstamp, one letter/number for each time I load, to ease sorting before tumble).

What are the indications of too many reloadings?
I've had a couple of cases that I've fired after the first reloading and the brass looked rippled in spots, like if you crinkled a piece of paper a little and then smoothed it out. These I tossed in my scrap box for safety-sake.

What are the odds of getting a previously reloaded case and having it fail?
Some guys reload once and then leave 'em, I'm sure. I don't think that would be too much of a concern short of a max load.

Any responses on your experiences helpful.
(BTW, I'm sure there's a few Glock cases in there, but I've reloaded my Sigma cases without an issue)

 

[armoredman]

Life is too short to shoot bad brass. If it looks bad, crush it, and throw it in a scrap bag. When the bag is full head to the recycler.

 

[Starter52]

Comparing the primer on your found brass to the primers on factory rounds can sometimes tell you if the brass has been reloaded. Most reloaders use silver-colored primers. Many (not all) factory primers are brass-colored.

Also, many factory primers are sealed around the edges with a colored liquid. Reloaders don't generally seal their primers.

As far as using found brass:

If you're loading bottle-necked cartridges you'll run into overlength brass that will need trimming.

Some straight-walled pistol brass will be bulged at the bottom from too many resizings.

Some cases will be split.

With brass easy to obtain on eBay and elsewhere (not like in the years 1968-1987, eh, old timers?) I'd go with armoredman's suggestion and toss anything that look suspicious.

 

[trickyasafox]

i don't load hot so i rat as much brass as possible

i won't load everything. if some brass gives you some bad juju, toss it in your recycled brass bin.

that being said, i reload glock brass. i don't understand the fear of it. maybe if i wasn't shooting it again in a glock i'd understand?

 

[jr81452]

"i reload glock brass. i don't understand the fear of it. maybe if i wasn't shooting it again in a glock i'd understand?"

maybe you already know this but the "fear" of glock brass stems from the fact that many glock (and glock type) factory chambers are a little large on the underside to help them feed smothly. this means that when the round is fired the case tends to bulge a little on the side that was "down" in the chamber. the theory is that if you reload this in a weopon that also has a glock type chamber and the same "side" of the brass ends up in the same position as the first firing then the case may rupture. however this is one of those "it happend to a friend of a friend" things in my experience, and despite the fact that i (like you) have reloaded many thousands of rounds that have been fired through glocks, and never even had a hint of a rupture, once people belive it can happen they will always belive it.

 

[FieroCDSP]

thanks

thanks for all of the viewpoints. I'll tumble all of it and resize a few to see where I stand. I think most of these Remingtons are reloads, though. The factory uses gold-colored primers, right? They look like they have CCI primers in them with no sealer.

 

[jmorris]

What are the indications of too many reloadings? Sometimes once can be too many. I would never reload once fired out of a machinegun for a 9mm “major” load. The loose chamber in an SMG works the brass more. On the other hand, at our club, I bet some .45acp (lower operating pressure) cases have been reloaded a dozen times. I’ve reloaded some 38 spl brass that many times, using light loads. A case gauge will tell you a lot about your final product, I suggest one for the casual reloader and it’s a must have if you shoot competitively. If you’re finished round will not freely fall into and out of the case gauge, cull it. A case gauge will catch the bad cases/loaded rounds your visual inspections didn’t. A loose primer pocket is also sign. A split case is another. FWIW nickel plated cases, in my experience; do not last as long as non-plated cases.


What are the odds of getting a previously reloaded case and having it fail?
If you load in the midrange for your cartridge and use the above recommendations, the odds you have a case fail will be very small.

 

[scrat]

whenever we go shooting we always take as much brass as we can. they usually have white buckets for putting your empty shell casses. i usually bring my own. then fill it up as much as i can. so does my neighbor. then when we get enough brass. we check them discard the bad ones bag the rest and list on ebay. you can get good money for selling the brass that will help pay for you hobby

 

[FieroCDSP]

THe next thing you know, I'll be digging in the trash bins for brass. I've started a bit of sorting here. Keeping the 45 ACP for the day I dream of where I get a 1911. Keeping the 9mm. Most of it's from my friend's XD, which he wants back to reload. The rest will get shaved down for Makarov. There's a few 380 auto in there. NOt sure what I'll do with it. Maybe keep in case I get a mouse gun or sell it for a few pennies. Lots of 22. Is there any practical use for them? They're in my scrap bin, destined for a chunk of change some day. Reloading is such a hassle.

 

[ilbob]

Most of my brass came from pickups. I am not ashamed to admit it.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Once-twice-thrice-XX-times fired brass...

Almost all serious target pistol shooters load and re-load their brass until it splits at the mouth. Target loads tend to be light, so the stress on the brass is minimal.

It's a good idea if you are re-reloading pistol brass, to bell the mouth as little as possible, likewise crimp as little as possible. The cases almost always fail at the mouth first.

What are the odds of getting a previously reloaded case and having it fail? If you load in the midrange for your cartridge and use the above recommendations, the odds you have a case fail will be very small.

Gotta agree with this entirely. As a league bullseye shooter, what with league plus practice, I run through 'way too many cases to keep buying the brass new all the time.

Some bullseye shooters brag that they reload the brass until the headstamp is worn off--have never managed to achieve that.

 

[ilbob]

Some bullseye shooters brag that they reload the brass until the headstamp is worn off--have never managed to achieve that.

I have some 38 spl cases that have been reloaded at least a hundred times, although I do not have an exact count on them because I never kept track of it. I would bet some of them are into 200 reloads.

 

[scrat]

for my 30-30 alone i have over 400 cases. about 1/2 of them i picked up from the shooting range itself. I havent bought cases in years. thank god. now if i can just get a really screaming deal on the bullets. id be set

 

[Idano]

Sorry I don't get this whole issue with worrying about how many times a piece of brass has been used. I have reloaded for over 30 years and I have only had one case failure; the web blew out on a 9 mm:

This round was shot in a Beretta 92 FS without a problem. The brass is only the container for the powder, it is the action of the gun that has to handle the pressure. If you don't agree with this statement then think about all plastic shot gun shells made with no brass, paper cartridges, and exactly how much pressure do you think that little brass cartridge can withstand without being in a chamber? I do monitor all my brass when I clean the primer pockets and I have discarded pieces with cracks because I don't need a bullet dropping out and dumping powder in my action or failing to eject.

 

[Zeke/PA]

Every year at our club, the deer season crowd leaves tons of once fired brass waiting to be picked up.
I have hundreds of all the more common stuff sorted by caliber and if I need a box or two I'll sort by manufacture.
Just yesterday, I gave a buddy about 80 rounds of Federal stuff which I'm sure is once fired.
Zeke

 

[Zippy06]

I shoot them till they crack. But, I look at each piece of brass. Before I size it and after seating the bullet. And the cracked ones slip by. During sizing, I found one, that was cracked. It sized too easily.
As they say "s*** happens".
Yesterday at the range. I scored big time. I was picking up my brass. And 4 other guys, came over and gave me theirs. I left with twice the brass, then usual.

 

[Satch]

I fnd a lot of brass at the range I belong to and go through later and pitch anything except Winchester, Remington, Speer,and federal.

 

[spencerhut]

I stumbled upon some cops practicing the other day and got so much .40 S&W and .223 Rem that I'll never be able to use it all. Yeah, right.

 

[RustyFN]

I go back to the range the day after our club has an IDPA match or GSSF match and can pick up 2000 rounds in about an hour. Most of it once fired because I can see them opening their new boxes of ammo the day of the match. It is an outdoor range so nobody sweeps or cleans up brass.
Rusty