Brass Life

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sobo4303

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With all the work I been doing on measurements on my casings I have a goofy question. (Yes, there are those of us that really do have goofy questions that rate no more importance as a notation in a bureaucrat's daytimer) But here goes.

Has anybody kept track of their average brass life (number of reloads) using an original Norky or Poly bolt? I have gone through four or five reloads and expected to see some brass deformation (I dissected a few cases), wherein, I saw nothing.

The extractor chews on the heads, so I have been tossing, but I sorta filed/sanded the edges and they seem like they can go for another 5 or 10.

Anybody else have some experience as to when I am pushing it? I use loads equivalent to NATO spec (2,750 fps @ 150 gr).
 
I have set myself an unwritten rule of reloading 5 times in the M14 and Garand and then to the scrap bucket for the 308. The 3006 is then used for cast loads in my 03A3. Have some 3006 that have been reloaded an additional 20 times for the 03. I do have a good stockpile of both 308 and 3006 brass.
 
I sort of do the same... I use them in the M14 / M1 Garand 5-6 times max. Then they get recycled into my hunting loads which are disposable... we have lots of snow here come large game season (except during the fall bear hunt) so finding the spent casing is next to impossible anyway.

Yes I find the extractor on the M14 can really mangle the brass too (I shoot a stock Norc bolt).

Regards,
 
I find the m14 makes it very clear when it is time to change brass. That number of loads changes from brass to brass though. The nickle plated stuff seems to last a little longer. I track them by # of reloads across a batch of brass. look at them when decapping, and if individuals are in bad shape, I toss those into the recycler. If there are cracks, I toss the whole batch, and record the # of reloads I got out of the batch.

Next time around, as I get close to the number of reloads I got last time for that type of brass, I look at them closer.
 
Thanks Guys

I thought the same, about 5 times and then toast the casings. But when I cut the case into sections, it seems to be a different story. The brass is fairly uniform in terms of width. There is not any deformation that would account for excessive stretching, particularly near the head.

Although I do note that the neck gets thinner and seems to be the area with the majority of stretching.

I so leave an extra .005" when full sizing, so maybe that has something to do with it. Seems to contradict some of the cautionary posts I have read, so I thought I would hear from some other experiences from those whom have had their rifles much longer than mine.

Gene
 
In the past I have gone as far as 20 reloads starting with brand new Winchester cases...............after the 20th firing I chucked the cases ( although they still looked good....) as I didn't feel like pushing my luck any further...............

After that and reading about a few head case seperation incidents, I would only reload cases 6 times maximum (Depending on the make of brass, and if they passed my inspection) , then I chucked them.............at 6 times the brass had more then paid for it self, and buying new brass was cheaper and less of a hassle then having your face put back together........;)

If / when I was using Federal brass, I used only their match brass, and only reloaded those a maximum of 2 times..............Federal brass is known to have issues with its primer pockets enlarging..............

I mainly used Lake City match cases or Winchester cased for my M14 loads................:D

If you happen to be using Lake City Match cases, do not use the cases that are knurled near the case head..........there is a risk of head seperation as the knurling weakens the case in that area................the cases were knurled for a period of time to distinguish the M852 match ammuntion from regular 7.62mm ammuntion due to concerns with the Geneva Convention and "hollowpoint" bullets.........
 
I have one batch of brass that has been through my rifle 15 times and zero evidence of stretch; doesn't even need to be trimmed.

Of course, my loads are a little light and they are going through a Ross, so that might make a difference.

Good thing I have a fake '14 coming; now I can start to support the North American metals industries!

What I plan to do is fire 5 rounds and measure them, THEN set the dies for the rifle: neck-size with just a kiss on the shoulder.

This is standard procedure for any rifle using rimless casings, should you want to get the best accuracy out of it.
 
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