This is a two part question: One part requires verification and the other requires real world experience vs published recommendations.
I pulled out my 49th edition of the Lyman Reloading Manual trying to figure out how long brass must be before trimming it. I could not find an answer, but my guess is that if, for example, a .270 round is illustrated in the diagram as being 2.54", and the Trim-to-length value is 2.53", that the case should be 2.54" or less, and once it exceeds 2.54", one should trim the case, and it should be trimmed to 2.53". Is this correct?
While researching this, however, I noted the following, on page 22: CAUTION (this being in bright orange letters): Never load cartridge cases from an unknown source, i.e. cases picked up at the range or sold as once-fired brass. Use only brand new brass or cases obtained as a result of firing factory ammo in your firearm.
How literally should this be taken? If the caution is in bright orange lettering, it would seem to be important, but is this only put in there to guard against a lawsuit? Spent rounds do not remain in the spent rounds bucket at the range for long, and I have reloaded fired brass from an unknown source many times with no ill effect. I inspect the cases and if there are no splits or other defects, it seems that it would be okay to reload. I was given 80 .270 cases from a friend, and three of the four boxes contained a bar code, so, if this should not be a problem (e.g., the question above), I would think that anything with a barcode dates to 15 yrs ago or less. The fourth box did not have a barcode and had reloading information on it dated 1982. Rounds look okay, but would they perhaps be too brittle to consider reloading after 33 years?
I pulled out my 49th edition of the Lyman Reloading Manual trying to figure out how long brass must be before trimming it. I could not find an answer, but my guess is that if, for example, a .270 round is illustrated in the diagram as being 2.54", and the Trim-to-length value is 2.53", that the case should be 2.54" or less, and once it exceeds 2.54", one should trim the case, and it should be trimmed to 2.53". Is this correct?
While researching this, however, I noted the following, on page 22: CAUTION (this being in bright orange letters): Never load cartridge cases from an unknown source, i.e. cases picked up at the range or sold as once-fired brass. Use only brand new brass or cases obtained as a result of firing factory ammo in your firearm.
How literally should this be taken? If the caution is in bright orange lettering, it would seem to be important, but is this only put in there to guard against a lawsuit? Spent rounds do not remain in the spent rounds bucket at the range for long, and I have reloaded fired brass from an unknown source many times with no ill effect. I inspect the cases and if there are no splits or other defects, it seems that it would be okay to reload. I was given 80 .270 cases from a friend, and three of the four boxes contained a bar code, so, if this should not be a problem (e.g., the question above), I would think that anything with a barcode dates to 15 yrs ago or less. The fourth box did not have a barcode and had reloading information on it dated 1982. Rounds look okay, but would they perhaps be too brittle to consider reloading after 33 years?
