Reloading unsorted cases

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GBExpat

GBExpat

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Having purchased a 1k batch of .380 range brass (to supplement my supply of Starline brass), as I was getting out the bins that I use to headstamp-sort cases, I decided to give these a go, unsorted, for a change.

I have seen mention of this practice by some folks here but my OCD tendencies have always had me sorting my brass and only loading in like-headstamp batches.

The range brass that I received is, not surprisingly, a real smorgasbord, with WIN predominating (appears to be close to 20%).

I will be using WIN loads, exclusively, on any tests that I run ... but I must say that I do not like the constantly changing tactile differences apparent when manually reloading this multitude of headstamps thru my press in the same run. :(

I am used to experiencing some periodic differences when loading sorted brass, but nothing like this.

Probably the last time that I will run unsorted just because of that, if for no other reason.

Surely the mixed-case ammo batches are consistent & accurate enough for range fodder, but ...

Just thought that it might be a good @SUBJ for discussion. :)


DISCLAIMER: In the interest of heading off anyone(s) that will want to grab onto this post, twist the message and spin off into Left Field ...

I am not saying that the practice of reloading mixed brass or anyone doing this is, in any way, wrong/bad/misguided/defective/etc ... just that I don't think that it is something that *I* will do in future. ;)
 
Are you using a single stage or a progressive? Single stage, you are more or less sorting because you handle each case and in theory give it at least a cursory glance before stuffing it in the press.

The vast majority of my trouble with reloading has come from using a bunch of cases that I didn't sort one by one. Berdan primed, cracked, has a rock inside it, crimped primer pocket, etc. etc.

In terms of loading mixed headstamps, I have no issues with that for some pistol stuff. 380 I'd be okay with. I'll use anything for 9x19 that's brass cased, boxer primed, and not Amerc. Still got a sort one by one though.
 
You've probably picked the worst caliber for using mixed range brass. The reason for this is Federal and Blazer both use a step inside their .380 brass to prevent bullet setback, which is fine, as long as you use a bullet the same length as the factory bullets they use.

Most expanders are too long for this .380 brass, and you'll feel when you hit the step when expanding and belling. There will also be a noticeable bulge on the outside of the case.

To make things easier on you for this "experiment", you might want to sort out the Federal and Blazer. The step is visible about 1/3 down the inside of the case, though you might need some good lighting to really see it well.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
Like .32 ACP, which might be worse, wall thickness on .380 is all over the place, from thin to thick. So keep an eye out for problems that could arise from that.

That said, when I reloaded it, I used mixed brass, as I do with .32 ACP.

As Fred posted, some of the new stuff has a step in it, which is fine if you are seating the bullet at or above it, but is something to be aware of.
 
My 380 ACP cases are mixed head stamp but I have not gotten any range pick up brass or bought once fired cases in decades. I accumulated a good supply in the past and am still working on that inventory.

So, I've never gotten any of the stepped inside cases like ReloaderFred mentioned. Also, I've never had any Berdan primed cases but I'd guess with the increase demand for cheap ammunition, more and more foreign surplus stuff is being imported.

Some cases have a cannelure in them to prevent bullet set bak. The cannelure irons out after a time or two of reloading.

When I did get once fired cases, the first time through, I'd give the case a careful inspection looking for things that make reloading difficult. Frequently, the rim of some "off" brand case does not fit my shell holder and they get tossed.

Once they pass the first inspection, they reload just fine although the variation in wall thickness and the such makes the case brand to case brand look different at times.

They make great plinking loads. If I was loading something for "serious" work, I'd use a single head stamp.

I do prefer domestic head stamp 380 ACP cases though.
 
I have never sorted handgun brass and do not forsee myself ever doing so.

Rifle, I do but honestly I don't know if it even matters then. Maybe for benchrest shooters, but for me shooting deer or paper at 100-200 yds? Nah. No way.
 
Since I inspect every case I reload, most of the time a glance at the headstamp is no added work. In my experience, mixed headstamp brass makes very little (no) difference in accuracy or function. I've read a few articles on this subject also with the author experiencing the same results. Out of habit I usually sort by headstamp my revolver brass ('cause it's easier to keep separate?) and a lot of the time, mostly when working up loads I'll try to use one headstamp. I don't reload 380 so I can't address you "tactile differences", but on occasion some imported 9mm brass will "feel" differently when sized...
 
I don’t load for or even own a 380 any longer, but when I did the only brass I had was Starline. That way the only sorting required was to remove any brass that was not mine. My XL 650 never required an adjustment because for different brass.
 
Like Arkansas Paul I never sort my semi-auto brass by head stamp. With .380 I found that I needed to make an exception. Like ReloaderFred said, I think .380 is one caliber where it really matters.

I have a couple of thousand mixed head stamp brass for .380. I bought it before I knew any better. I have had issues with horrible neck tension on some. Some of the cases had walls that were so much thinner than others that they would develop a slight buckle under the stress of being charges with powder.

Currently, I still use them but use pretty light loads and leave them on the range floor when I am done. When I do buy more .380 brass, I think I will stick to either Speer or Winchester since those two head stamps seem to have the fewest problems.
 
I have handloaded many mixed brands of 9mm's. Since lengths & thicknesses vary, when I set the taper crimp die, I'll take one of each brand in the mix & adjust the crimp for each one. That way, the shortest & longest cases will all be crimped sufficiently to prevent bullet setback. Some of the longer cases will get a bit too much crimp but that's not a problem, since I'm not shooting in target matches where the small differences would matter.
 
I don't normally sort handgun brass, but I've found that with .380 acp, I have to look inside the cases to find the ones with the interior step. I keep those out and then load them all at one time, with a bullet that I know won't seat below the step.

All other calibers are mixed brass, with the exception of cases I form into .400 Cor-Bon, which are Winchester in my case.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
I know by sorting I get less flyer's for sure! And don't shoot competition in.380 .9 .40 .45 . But that's me and im not stirring the pot. I hate when I shoot and group and one goes over there. And please no hate mail.
 
ReloaderFred said:
You've probably picked the worst caliber for using mixed range brass. The reason for this is Federal and Blazer both use a step inside their .380 brass to prevent bullet setback ... <snip> ...you might want to sort out the Federal and Blazer. The step is visible about 1/3 down the inside of the case, though you might need some good lighting to really see it well. ...
Click to expand...

Fascinating! I just closely inspected the interiors of the remaining 300 prepped_for_loading cases ... and found 4 Federal cases with steps. :what:

I am sure glad that you mentioned that, Fred, because it would have been a real stumper for me.

While I found no more actual steps, in many of the cases I could see where, at the same location, the brass starts to slope from increased thickness.

The exterior rub markings on the only 2 loaded AMERCs suggest to me that there may be a step inside those cases.

All of the PPUs and some of the others have a tar sealant remaining inside the neck, perhaps an easy way to make them setback resistant.

I see that ! am going to have to setup a mineral spirits bath for soaking all of the remaining, unloaded, tar-bearing cases. While I am inspecting the interiors of the cases for tar I will BOLO for "stepped" cases.
 
I am going to echo Reloader Fred's findings .... I ordered a batch of mixed range brass off a web site .... I found exactly what Fred found and Walkalong has it also with brass thickness ....

Sized in the same die ... some of the brass seems never to touch the expander .... others you can feel is fairly good ... that tells me that bullet tension will be all over the place .....

So I am sorting the .380 brass ...
 
Federal and blazer 380 requires an extra good inspection, the step in the case that is talked about is a tapered step and not nearly as visible as the stepped 9mm cases with a nice sharp corner down in there. I think ammoload/IMT? is the 9mm headstamp that is stepped.

Also all the foreign stuff tends to be super thick. Tula, CBC, S&B, GFL, etc is no good for lead bullets and having that junk mixed in really kills the reliability of "feeling" things go smoothly on the press. They expand and crimp more than thinner brass will and gives you false feedback. I've started scrapping this brass, its nothing but trouble.

Being a lead boolit loader, I really like thin remington brass. Winchester is generally pretty good brass all around but I find that a lot of the calibers have tight primer pockets. Whenever I have a high riding primer it is winchester or a s&b that snuck it's way past the scrap bin.
 
I reload 380 mixed brass with RMR plated bullets. I have not noted difficulty resizing or seating/crimping on my LCT press. Neck tension seems good. I load for plinking so I may not be picky enough to notice what others pick up. Still... accuracy seems pretty good with my loads.
 
drband said:
... I load for plinking so I may not be picky enough to notice what others pick up. Still... accuracy seems pretty good with my loads.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that. I will have my fingers crossed (figuratively ;)) when I get the chance to test these first 2 batches of "range brass" rounds (one batch/each loaded with BE-86 & TiteGroup under a 95gr Federal JSP).

As for the remaining unloaded ~700 cases, I think that what I will do is go ahead and chamfer them all, using the opportunity to inspect & segregate for tar & "steps". I will then use an MS bath to remove the tar and do a quick reclean of that brass leaving me GTG for more reloading of those cases ... after I take the time to headstamp-sort the silly things. :)
 
I had a few spare minutes this morning and here is a photo of Fifty .380 ACP amm I loaded using JAG Brass (Jagemann) .... I know nothing about the quality of this brass ... but it sure does seem to be very consistent ... This load is the JAG brass, 90 gr Hornady XTP, 4.8 grs of AA#5 and a S&B SPP .... I am shooting this out of a Ruger LCP ....

IMG_20160723_100822708_zpsxb6chnxk.jpg
 
I sort the 9mm brass for my wife, don't have enough .380 brass to bother sorting. We lose about 25% everytime we go to the range, her .380's tend to go up straight with reverse english and roll out into the range. I come home with 10% or more 9mm brass, so I have ton's sorted and the ones I don't, I have in a bin to send to xtreme.
 
I only have one 380 pistol (LCP), so I don't go thru 380 that quickly. Because of this, I only reload casings that I've bought myself. Interesting to hear about the Federal and Blazer brass; I'll have to remember that.

90% of my 9mm brass is range pickup, and probably 80% of that is Winchester (started life as WWB, I'm sure). I never sort it, but only load range brass to plinking levels, never anything hot. Only brass I ever have trouble with is WCC; tight primer pockets.
 
JimKirk,

Jag Brass is very good quality. They've displayed at the SHOT Show for several years and they've been making brass for some of the major manufacturers under the other headstamps. It's only been recently that they've been able to catch up with demand and release a limited amount of their "extra" brass for reloading. The samples I've picked up at the SHOT Show have impressed me, especially their 10mm brass.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
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