Reusing brass - how many times?

[BP Hunter]

I am going to start reloading but primarily with pistol rounds, initially with .45 ACP, then .40 and 9mm down the road. I am sure this question has been beaten to death. I am planning to initially buy .45 ACP casings then reuse them. How many times can I reuse them before they are considered unsafe/useless?

Thanks.

 

[MarcusT]

It depends on how you load them but I just use the brass until it splits.

 

[docsleepy]

probably also depends on
a) how hot you load them (how much powder)
b) how hard you crimp them (moresofor roll crimp)

If the primer insertion force drops off dramatically, or the end splits, or you obseve any signs of incipient failure at the web, then that case is finished.

6PPC benchrest shooters "work" their brass very little becuasethey set their necks up to requie very little resizing, and may use the same set of 50 cases for the entire useful life of a barrel (>1000 shots); implying at least 20 reloadings per case.

Keep inspecting the brass carefully for signsof failaure.

 

[918v]

I you assemble reasonable loads, you will lose them before they will fail.

 

[BP Hunter]

Being a beginner in reloading I will start at the recommeded loads without maxing it out. I will also be basing my loads on www. handloads.com. I will also inspect the brass on every load. So with that, can you say maybe more than 10 times?

 

[918v]

Easily.

But don't base your loads on internet data until you have some experience. Some of those people are idiots.

Right now, stick to published loads and work-up from min to max.

 

[oneounceload]

until they split when it comes to low-powered pistol loads

 

[Slamfire]

For 45 ACP and 9mm, I have ammo boxes full of loaded ammo. As I shoot the ammo box empties and I place the fired shells into another ammo box. When the first box is empty of loaded rounds I reload the shells in the second box. I do not keep track of the number of times the shells have been reloaded. I toss cases that develop case neck cracks, body splits, or the primers fall out due to expanded pockets. AMERC will do that on the first reload.

I kept track of 44 Spl, 45LC cases, I have stuff that has at least 15 reloads. That was when I figured it was not worth the bother to keep track of the number of reloads on pistol brass.

Rifle brass is totally different and I am not going to comment now.

 

[LiveLife]

How many times can I reuse them before they are considered unsafe/useless?

I full-length size all of my cases, but I use the minimal amount of flaring required to seat the bullet and I only use taper crimp for my pistol cases. Percentage wise, I shoot about FMJ (20%), plated (30%) and lead (50%).

I usually shoot my reloads at 5% below max data load (3% for 115gr 9mm) and W231/HP38 mostly.

I used to see my cases split when shooting near max 45 ACP loads with WSF/HS6, but since I have shot W231/HP38/Bullseye/Red Dot mostly the past 10+ years, I can't remember the last time I saw a split case. I usually mark loose primer pockets with "X" and toss them when I sort spent cases.

If you keep your pressures within moderate levels, you should be able to keep reloading until your cases split. I check the flattening of the primer in the primer pockets to gauge the chamber pressure and most of my primers show minimal/normal primer flattening. Loose primer pockets are scrapeed, so I only deal with them once.

 

[472x1A/B]

I have "some" .45 acp brass that has been fired so many times you can't read the head stamp. Have "some" .38spl brass that has been fired 27 times. So, like everyone else says, look closely for splits/cracks and loose primer pockets.

 

[Jumping Frog]

pistol rounds, initially with .45 ACP, then .40 and 9mm down the road.

Although there are always exceptions to the rule, in general, your .45 cases will probably last a lot longer than the .40 or 9 simply because .45 ACP is such a low pressure round.

 

[medalguy]

Same experience here. I don't load near the max and I don't even bother to sort brass by number of reload times. I can't begin to tell you how many times most of it has been reloaded. Like most others, I tend to lose it in the grass/sand before it goes bad. Just keep away from max loads.

 

[1SOW]

I've reloaded 9mm with light loads m-a-n-y times. The only problems I ever find are loose primer holes.

Like bds, I mark 'em and toss 'em when I sort.

 

[greyling22]

if you shoot outside you'll lose it long before you wear it out. inside, I'd suspect a couple dozen times at least. just go easy on the flare and crimp.

I'm guessing you're asking if it ever gets unsafe but still looks ok. the answer is no. it's good until it splits, and that is not really bad for the gun or unsafe. it might jam though. honestly, I"ve neaver had a 9 or 45 split. only 38's and 357's. I lose the auto stuff after a while. I can only find about 85% of my brass. 60% if the grass is long.

 

[evan price]

I don't bother tracking pistol brass as to how many reloads on them. I have had cases split, but I've also seen new virgin factory ammo have a split case now and then. I have had 9mm, .40, .45acp, .38 spl, .357 mag and .44 spl/mag split.

The only "good" thing about split cases is they are easy to detect when you sort your brass, they have a much different sound when you jingle the brass together. Sort of a tinny clinking sound instead of the tinkle of good brass. I can always find the split ones that way.

Typically, I lose my autopistol brass before I wear them out.

I have .45 cases from before WWII that are still going strong with God knows how many reloads on them. The only real problem I have (other than splits or loose primer pockets) is the extractor rim gets dinged up to the point that it starts looking pretty rough and chewed up. Then you have to worry about will this case being so chewed up cause a jam? Once they start looking that bad I scrap them simply because I have enough brass to not need to worry about it.

For revolver brass, if they are not splitting, they are good to go.

As always, I inspect nickel-plated brass to make sure the nickel isn't flaking off. This is usually cosmetic but again, I have enough brass I don't bother with keeping anything suspect, and nickel flakes can get lodged in your dies & scratch your brass. Nickel plated cases I notice tend to split the necks faster than non-plated cases do, too.

 

[FROGO207]

Ha Ha I have several K of revolver brass that has been cleaned and reloaded so many times that the nickle has worn off everywhere but the in the head stampings, I know it has all been reloaded in the hundreds of times, might be reaching 1K now. less than 1% failure on splits and no primer pocket problems to date. My auto pistol brass is lost or crushed in the press before it wears out. Never had one wear out or split.

 

[Walkalong]

.45 ACP is a low presure round compared to most, as is .38 Spl. You will get a great many firings out of them. I am like many here, I don't bother to count.

9MM & .40 are high pressure rounds, but you will still get many firings from them with any sane loads.

I rotate brass so it all has about the same amount of firings on them. If the neck splis or the primer pocket gets loose, chuck it in the scap brass bucket to sell later on.

 

[kestak]

Greetings,

I remember asking this question a few years ago, then again and again because I got so many answers... and some of the answers I would not pay attention.

After a few years, I now know the answer and it is very simple:

- Pistol brass: until it splits near the mouth or the primer is too lose. Exception: my 500 S&W brass, I put lighter loads after the 10th shot because it scares the hell out of me to put 38 grains of H110 in a pistol case that has been shot more than 10 times.

- Rifle brass: until the mouth split, primer is too lose or it does not pass the paper clip test.

Is it a good summary guys?

Thank you

 

[jcwit]

Bout covers it. Sometimes rifle brass does get hard to chamber then the shoulder needs to get bumped back, but that doesn't stop one from reloading it.

 

[MikeS.]

A guy over on ar15.com reloaded and shot a .40 53 times before the brass was unsafe to use further.

If a .40 will go 53 times I'd think a .45 would live forever, well not really...

 

[BP Hunter]

WOW!! It looks like I am going to save a bunch of money reloading.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

after many loadings the primer pocket gets beat up and so does the rim and groove for the extractor which can lead to reliabilty problems. after I've loaded cases 6-7 times I load if for 'shoot&scoot' practice and leave it lay so the 'range rats' can grab it. I figure the cases have payed for themselves (semi-autos) well.
revolvers can be loaded until they split or primer pocket fails. I've loaded some .32 s&w cases at least a dozen times, maybe 2X that.

 

[LiveLife]

WOW!! It looks like I am going to save a bunch of money reloading.

That was all of our initial thoughts ... what REALLY happens is that we end up shooting twice as much