Reloading unsorted cases

[JimKirk]

Fred ... I have just never seen any JAG before .... I googled it and found a little about it ...
I got a couple hundred in a lot of mixed 500 brass I purchased off a web site ... it appears to be thicker than the RP, Hornady & other mixed in brands .... that is where I found the stepped brass also ...

I had never loaded .380 until about a year ago .... glad the JAG is good brass !!

 

[GBExpat]

All that remains is to get out the bins (and stronger reading glasses & a BRIGHT light) and sort this stuff.

While the tar is MS-soluble, I found that a simple soak was not enough ... a brush installed on a drill motor did the trick, though.

I followed that with another MS-soak, then a quick wash with Dawn and ,finally, with a bit of citric acid & AAW&W.

After looking at how much brighter these ~250 were than the others, I pulled out a 2nd jar and manually processed (the way I did it before I got the F.A.R.T) the remainder.

Toweled dry and left a couple of flats overnight in front of a fan, here is how they look contained on a single flat.



I already had 1k of the Starline brass. My reason for ordering range brass was for those times when I was not shooting in a brass-controlled environment (I have a net setup for my outdoor bench work).

I just don't like the idea of losing any of that wonderful $tarline brass in the dirt/grass/leaves, y'know?

BTW, I found 5 more of those "stepped" Federals in the remaining 500.

 

[JimKirk]

Looking Good !! I shoot my "junk" brass when I'm shooting in grass or straw ... but even then I look like a chicken scratching for corn !! I hate to loose any brass ...

I found a few Federal "stepped" brass in my mixed bag ... they are going in the "grass/straw" pile ... I haven't even tried to load any of them .... so I don't know if they will work with the bullets I shoot ....

 

[ReloaderFred]

One of my molds for .380 is a Magma mold with a beveled base for a 95 gr. RN bullet. It's just the right length for those stepped cases, and the bevel on the base is just right for nesting against that step.

The only problem is most expanders are too long, and they hit that step before belling the case mouth, so you end up with an unsightly bulge at the step. I've been able to work around this, but it took mixing and matching some dies to get the right combination.

I'm one of those people who has to figure out how to make it work, even if I invest an inordinate amount of time in doing so. That feeling of satisfaction in figuring it out on my own was something my parents instilled in me many years ago, and I'm glad they did.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[ljnowell]

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.

I shoot pistols in competition at 50 yards and mixed brass doesn't affect it one bit.

 

[lauderdale]

I have a welder/ friends that weld no biggie. My back yards in steel out to 50. Swing set cut in half gong plate size dual spinners made 10x thick from local steel fact. All I added is how it effects my grouping when working up loads w/a mix. and I use a bingo dauber w/p. plates that stack accordingly stapled and dated/noted by caliber. Thanks rc or walk a. for the bingo d. idea its still loaded well!

 

[GBExpat]

JimKirk,

Jag Brass is very good quality. ...

I found 8-10 JAGs in my remaining ~800 as I sorted them. Since, by the time, I knew that they are decent brass (thank you!) they did not automatically go in the "grass/straw" pile.

 

[konertjm]

Subierex:
Only brass I ever have trouble with is WCC; tight primer pockets.

WCC = Winchester Cartridge Company = Military brass, look for 2 digit date and/or circle with an X (NATO)

 

[ljnowell]

Subierex:

Only brass I ever have trouble with is WCC; tight primer pockets.



WCC = Winchester Cartridge Company = Military brass, look for 2 digit date and/or circle with an X (NATO)

WCC is actually Western Cartridge Company. It's been part of Olin for a long time hence the WW brass also.

 

[Toprudder]

I pay a little more attention to 380 brass than I do the other calibers, but it is because I have an LCP that is a little picky about ammo. The ones that have a beveled rim (like Blazer) work fine. Those that don't (like some of the Win cases) I will run through my case prep station to add a slight bevel.

Other than that, they all get tossed into the same bin for reloading. I'm not loading anything near max, otherwise I might pay more attention to sorting.

I have not noticed stepped cases in 380, that is something that I expect in 9mm. I'm going to go back and look at my stash of 380 now.

 

[GBExpat]

Yesterday I loaded 102 with CFE-P, 16 WIN & 86CBC (the WIN for comparison to the groups the I loaded earlier with BE-86 & TiteGroup).

As I was cruising thru those CBC cases, it felt "right" again ... 86 of, for the most part, the same "feel".

When doing different loads w/same bullet I will color-code either the primer or the annulus with spirit markers.

I am awaiting the shipment (not delivery, shipment) of the Bersa Thunder .380 Plus that ImpactGuns notified me was in-stock 11 days ago (said notification resulting in my placing an order at that time). I am beginning to think that ImpactGuns was less than forthright with me. [EDIT: ImpactGuns finally shipped the pistol on 7/26/16 ]

The Bersa's 15rd mag will allow for the smooth, uninterrupted testing of 10rd strings thru my Chrony. With my P3AT and PPK I would have to pause, change the mags, reset and resume.

I have (max) loads made with Bullseye (in new Starline brass), BE-86, TiteGroup and CFE-P waiting on that pistol. <sigh>

Just one more instance of Roseanne Roseannadanna being right ...

 

[GBExpat]

... I am awaiting the shipment (not delivery, shipment) of the Bersa Thunder .380 Plus that ImpactGuns notified me was in-stock 11 days ago (said notification resulting in my placing an order at that time). I am beginning to think that ImpactGuns was less than forthright with me. [EDIT: ImpactGuns finally shipped the pistol on 7/26/16 ] ...