- Location
- 54°52'56"N 112°10'7"W Alpha Bravo
Hi im jus getting into reloading, I was wondering how many times do you wanna reuse your brass before you have to trash it. And does it differ between calibre ie .50 BMG and 7mm Rem Mag..... Thanks
Brass Life????
- Thread starter 50calshooter
- Start date
It depends on a few things, for example if you full length size rather than neck size only, your brass won't last as long. I usually get 4-6 reloads with my hunting rifle brass, but I usually full length size. On my 222, which I only neck size, the brass seams to last forever.
Also, something like a straight walled pistol case can be reloaded many, many more times than a bottlenecked rifle case can be.
Also, something like a straight walled pistol case can be reloaded many, many more times than a bottlenecked rifle case can be.
There's no exact number for any cartridge. Case life depends entirely on the load used. Hot loads shortens it. Handgun brass using target loads lasts for eons. Mind you, the firearm used can shorten case life too. Some semi's bash the brass fairly hard as they eject.
The quaility of the brass matters too. Federal brass, while good quality, is known for being softer than other manufacturer's brass. Federal primer pockets tend to deform(as in get bigger) quicker.
Annealing bottle necked rifle brass necks and shoulders that has been reloaded several times will extend the case life. They get work hardened from repeated resizing and firing. Annealing softens the brass.
The quaility of the brass matters too. Federal brass, while good quality, is known for being softer than other manufacturer's brass. Federal primer pockets tend to deform(as in get bigger) quicker.
Annealing bottle necked rifle brass necks and shoulders that has been reloaded several times will extend the case life. They get work hardened from repeated resizing and firing. Annealing softens the brass.
- Location
- 54°52'56"N 112°10'7"W Alpha Bravo
Thanks guys, anyone know a good website for newbie reloaders to learn the ins and outs of reloading??
A quick summary of the test findings of Fred Huntington (if you reload you'll know the name) of RCBS:
Using Win and Rem brass, loading a 150 gr '06 @ app 2900 fps"
- 1 Rem neck split at the 36th firing
- 2nd Rem split the neck on the 52nd firing
- 1 Win split at the 50th firing
- 2nd Win split at the 55th firing
All FL resized, outside lubed only. No cases split during resizing. PLUS - none were ever trimmed and all mic'd between .3355 max and .3335 min. Fired size was .341 and resized to .328, a .013 reduction. Interesting.
This was done to dissuade the complaints about their dies stressing brass too much and to question the "less stress" theory of neck sizing only.
He then ran 3 .222 brass through the FL die 100 times, lubing only the first time. one developed a crack at 100 resizes and was thrown out. The others he quit after a couple dozen full-bore reload and firings with no indication of wearing them out........food for thought or what?
Using Win and Rem brass, loading a 150 gr '06 @ app 2900 fps"
- 1 Rem neck split at the 36th firing
- 2nd Rem split the neck on the 52nd firing
- 1 Win split at the 50th firing
- 2nd Win split at the 55th firing
All FL resized, outside lubed only. No cases split during resizing. PLUS - none were ever trimmed and all mic'd between .3355 max and .3335 min. Fired size was .341 and resized to .328, a .013 reduction. Interesting.
This was done to dissuade the complaints about their dies stressing brass too much and to question the "less stress" theory of neck sizing only.
He then ran 3 .222 brass through the FL die 100 times, lubing only the first time. one developed a crack at 100 resizes and was thrown out. The others he quit after a couple dozen full-bore reload and firings with no indication of wearing them out........food for thought or what?
I used my 7mm Rem Mag brass (Remington, Federal, & Winchester) approx. 40 times. Just check area above the belt. If you see any changes then discard them. I had one brass head separated and checked all my brasses. I found some minor cracks and dumped them all. But 40 reuses gave me a lot of savings.
Good Luck.
Good Luck.
