Sorting Brass

[kingpin008]

What's the reason for sorting brass by headstamp? I've noticed that some folks do it almost religiously, while others couldn't care less. Is there a danger of mixing certain brands with certain dies? (set for a specific case length, etc) or is it just a matter of Obsessive Compulsive Reloader Syndrome? What benefits does one expect from such meticulous sorting?

 

[Shoney]

If you're talking handgun brass, there is little need to sort, as the difference is virtually undetectable, until you get to the larger capacity handgun cartridges.

With rifle cases, there is a great difference in cases. Different volumes (as much as 5% or more difference from one brand to another), wall tickness, elasticity of brass, to name a few. These differences can and do cause better or lesser accuracy.

Is there a danger of mixing certain brands with certain dies?

There are two types of priming to brass, boxer (single hole in center of primer pocket) and berdan (European manufacture - two off center holes in primer pocket), you need special depriming dies for berdan, and YES the use of a boxer decapper on a berdan case will break and/or bend the depriming rod.

Some brass is of such poor quality that flash holes are drilled off center and will also break or bend decapping rods. Brass that has been formed from a larger caliber neck to a smaller caliber neck (i.e. 25-06 from 30-06) can be to thick and casue problems with decapping rods if not turned down.

What benefits does one expect from such meticulous sorting?

better accuracy

 

[kingpin008]

Huh. Learn something new everyday. I was primarily wondering about pistol brass, as I have no need/desire to reload rifle at this point (.22 rifle only for me) but I do know that reloading rifle is a bit more complicated than it is for pistol calibers.

I've heard about berdan primed brass being almost too much of a hassle to deal with, but another reason I asked is because for awhile I was reading a lot of posts on various boards where folks were saying "don't bother reloading X or Y brand of brass, because it's junk"..and I wonder "do people really get that into the sorting?

 

[Shoney]

What pistol cartridges are you loading?

 

[mjrodney]

My range of choice is an outdoor range where brass is allowed to fall where it may, save the concrete pad you stand on, and then it is swept just off the pad.

With each visit to this range, you will always find me imitating an old rooster, pecking at the ground for any brass in a caliber that I reload.

The only pistol brass I reject are those that are already cracked, bent beyond recognition, plated, or made of steel.

Everything else sees new life.

I don't think I have ever seen pistol brass berdan primed........?

 

[kingpin008]

Shoney - None yet. I've started saving my .45 ACP brass and my fiancee's .38 Special though for later down the line. I don't have any gear yet so I can't do much, heh.

Mjrodney - We've been meaning to find the two outdoor ranges near us, just haven't gotten around to it. Currently we shoot at an indoor range, and their policy is that you are allowed to take out the same amount of brass you took in. The attendants regularly sweep the spent brass from the shooting line and deposit it in a brass bucket at each end of the range. If you're done shooting and your brass has been swept up in the meantime, you are allowed to go through the bucket to take as much as you shot. The rest they sell back to a reloader.

I'm also starting to ask the folks next to me if they mind me scrounging their empties, if they're shooting a caliber I collect. A few weeks ago I was entering the range and the guy who had the lane I was taking over left a huge pile of .38 special. I nodded towards it, and he gave me the OK.

Hooray for generous shooters!!

 

[PowderApe]

mjrodney: hang onto the plated stuff too.... you can get several reloads out of them as well. They will fatigue earlier than the plain brass cases, but they're ok for seversl recharges. The more moderate your load, the longer they'll last.

Junk cases are around! Trash anything headstamped "A-MERC" !! Those truly are trash. irrecular thickness, off center primer ignition holes, the case heads stretch so much with initial use that reloaded primers won't stay seated in the primer pockets!! That's the definition of trash cases not worth reloading.

They're ALL worth saving!! If not to reload or to trade away stuff you DON'T reload to other shooters for stuff you DO reload! Worst case scenario: the salvage/scrap value of brass is pretty high now a days. Snag them all, and throw the Amercs and other scrap hulls into a coffee can and turn 'em in.... Use the $$$ to buy more components. Free brass is free brass!

The aluminum cases (Blazer) and steel cases are best avoided. You'll screw up your dies. Berdan is common (less so lately) but lots of foreign ammo deals (Cabellas, Sportsmen's Den etc) contain stockpiles of Berdan stuff. It CAN be reloaded but you need special tools and primers that it's not worth the cost/aggrevation. They're mostly good for just popping off some rounds for it's therapeutic fun effects - and pretty cheaply. (Pick up those empties too not only because of the littering aspect, but also for scrap value!)

They abound in both pistol and rifle cartridges. Look inside the mouth of the case down back for 2 small holes like fang marks instead of the single dot/hole of the normal Boxer stuff.

Accidentally toss one berdan primed case into a batch you're reloading and you can pretty much count on a broken or pretzeled de-priming pin!! (At least Lee's dont break) Get into the habit of inspecting the head of the case when you're ready to reload them....

I deprime and size them all mixed in and sort them later after hand priming them (mostly out of habit and as a double check of the primer seating) and I pitch them into separate boxes ....

Mixing isnt too big a deal with most pistol and plinker ammo like .30 M1 Carbine but it youre looking to wring out the absolute best out of a targert or varmint rifle (pistol too) you minimize the variables and sorting by headstamp (and even the number of times that particular case has been reloaded) WILL make an accuracy difference......

Happy NitroCellulose Therapy!

 

[glockman19]

I don't reload YET but have been saving brass for when I do. I sorted today and have 1,000 rounds of Winchester 308/7.62 NATO stamped, 600 .45, 200 .38 special and 600 .223/5.56 both Federal American Eagle & Remington UMC some of the 5.56 is NATO stamped too.

I'm only keeping it because of the limited supply. Should the shortage of NATO calibers 9mm, .45, .308, & .223 continue I'll be reloading.

 

[kingpin008]

PowderApe - Thanks for the comments - Right now my stock of ammo consists mainly of WWB, some wierd Ultramax stuff, and some fake Lake City Match. (don't ask, I can't figure it out what it really is or where it came from) None have the A-MERC headstamp, so it looks like I'm good to go there.

What about brass with a *I* headstamp? I've seen a fair bit of that in the brass buckets where I shoot, and I remember seeing a few posts where people have said it's crap.

I wish I knew more shooters in my area. I'd feel a heck of alot better about learning to reload if I had someone to walk me through it, ya know?

 

[wally]

For handguns, if you are trying to shoot 'em all thru the same hole sorting brass is probably necessary at ranges greater than 10 yrs. Otherwise, way more trouble than its worth beyond culling the A-Merc, .45GAP and WinNT (small primer .45ACP ).

--wally.

 

[PowderApe]

Kingpin... Wally's right- with handgnns they dont mean much interchanging them unless youre shooting tournement stuff otherwise- great for plinking.

All that other stuff is ok... I'd separated the commercial brass from the GI stuff mainly because of internal volumes so you're not chasing holes on paper targets.

That *I* stuff i'm not sure about... Try a handful next time you reload and see if they're worth reloading... .then let us know too!! That's the fun part of reloading.....

Call the NRA- they have local reloading programs that teach reloading and walk you through reloading......

Rifle reloading are just as easy to reload as handgun .....and maybe a little easier since most rifle sets have only 2 dies rather than the straight walled three die sets....

 

[wally]

Don't know who makes *I* headstamp, but I remember seeing some in amongst my range pickups. Don't recall any issues reloading it, unless it was Berdan primed and therefore trashed.

 

[Walkalong]

Don't know who makes *I* headstamp

Good stuff. Shoot it.