Brass Question

[Joe549]

I hope this is the right spot....

Currently I do not reload, I do not have the space for setup or storage. However, I do keep all my brass and have recently even started picking up spent brass at the range. I would like to get into reloading at some point when I do have the available space. My question is, does anything need to be done to the casings to keep them in ideal condition? Some of the stuff I pick up is already discoloured and full of dirt. I do dry them out and put them in a container and shake the hell out of them to loosen up and clear out as much of the dirt as possible, but is this enough or should I be looking at taking other steps? Or am I just wasting my time with the stuff I find and collect? I am only keeping the brass and stainless(?), none of the steel/surplus.

 

[IMagius]

Clean it in soap and water, dry well and it should keep for years.

I've run some very old and dirty brass through the cleaner/tumbler and it has come back to life quite well.

 

[rral22]

Just one caution. I am anal enough (I think good reloaders are all somewhat anal) that I like to keep track of how many times each brass Lot (and I keep brass in lots) has been fired. Picking up stuff at the range is just not something I do because I don't know its history.

I also want my brass lots to be from one manufacturer, and I match them according to weight when I make my lots. "Found" brass would require a lot of work to make into batches with my system, but it doesn't mean you can't do it. I believe that, for safety and consistency, I like to keep variables to a minimum for all my loading.

The "history" thing, though, makes me just buy my brass in lots from manufacturers. By the time it has been reloaded many times, it really doesn't cost very much.

 

[Joe549]

Just one caution. I am anal enough (I think good reloaders are all somewhat anal) that I like to keep track of how many times each brass Lot (and I keep brass in lots) has been fired. Picking up stuff at the range is just not something I do because I don't know its history.

I also want my brass lots to be from one manufacturer, and I match them according to weight when I make my lots. "Found" brass would require a lot of work to make into batches with my system, but it doesn't mean you can't do it. I believe that, for safety and consistency, I like to keep variables to a minimum for all my loading.

The "history" thing, though, makes me just buy my brass in lots from manufacturers. By the time it has been reloaded many times, it really doesn't cost very much.

How many times a case has been loaded is something I had thought about also. From what I have seen around the range and talking to other members that do reload, one thing I have heard and seen is that they often heat the necks of the cases with a flame and this often leaves a noticeably blackened area on the case. I have seen some reloads that were quite blackened and have assumed that these ones had been reloaded a few times. I tend to leave those ones laying on the ground or toss them into the empties bucket. For the most part I pick up the stuff that is still pretty shiny, also makes it easier to spot them. I don't want to be wandering around on my hands and knees picking this stuff up for hours on end.

 

[rral22]

Imagius has suggested already that brass cleans up very well in a tumbler. Shiny does not mean new. The "coloured necks" may have been annealed, indicating many reloads. Most times you shoot a case, its neck will get blackened somewhat from blow by gasses, so black necks may not mean any more than one firing. It is not easy to tell how many times, or even if, a case has been reloaded.

 

[Cameron SS]

I tend to stay away from range throw aways. The uncertainty and potential consequences isn't worth the couple bucks you'd save.

When you eventually get into reloading, you'll realize that you're reloading techniques will make much more of a difference to brass life, so much so that you'd be happy to buy new virgin brass, just to have a clean slate.

As for storing the brass that you have now, cleaning it up is about the only thing that I would suggest before storing it for a while. A vibratory tumbler, media, and brasso are not big ticket items, and can go along ways towards preventing corrosion. The right sized punch and a brass taping hammer to remove the primers isn't a bad idea either.

With the primer out, there is a cheap hand tool you can use specifically for cleaning the primer pocket.

If you get this far, don't stop there...

 

[Eagleye]

In my opinion, it is relatively easy to spot cases that are once-fired vs cases that have been reloaded.
I pick up a lot of cases at the range.
When I get them home, I clean them up a bit and subject them to a careful examination.
Any indications that it is not a once-fired case puts it in the discard bucket.
Never had any issues with cases I have determined are 1F only.
FWIW, distiguishing 1F pistol brass is far more difficult than bottleneck rifle brass.
Regards, Eagleye.

 

[ATOM]

To me, it depends on the calibre and how you use it.

9mm I load by the bazillion. I'm not using it to stop charging elephants and if it doesn't work quite as well as it should, who cares? I will salvage brass off the range, but always check for damage, weird primer pocket sizes and Berdan priming.

On the other hand, rifles I depend on for good accuracy get fed only that brass I know the entire history of. No scrounging.