Does Old Brass get Hard
- Thread starter mic2
- Start date
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
Unless its produced from the factory quite hard then no, age alone will do little to alter its hardness if it was stored even half decently.... I have reloaded .303 brass that could of been your 300WM's grandpappy with zero issue... That said, use a good lube! 300WM brass takes some force to squeeze thru a FL die but should be a one handed operation...
My first thought is no it won`t get hard just sitting altho i have seen old loaded rounds split at the neck and would think the split was from stress. I just started using some 30-06 brass i found hiding under my benches, that i know is 15 years old. It is new however. Annealing isn`t difficult just more of a pain in the butt, i`d load up a few and if they don`t split at the neck, no problem.
water at our house costs $0.43 a cubic meter.
MudChucker
Regular
- Location
- Niverville, Manitoba, CA
43 cents !! holy smokes, you could go broke... perhaps you might consider some of this,
http://4.bp.########.com/_yn_JlLEfg6g/S2Cpr0r-VoI/AAAAAAAABnE/AiEAaZCWQ1E/s400/dehydrated_water-588x441.jpg
http://4.bp.########.com/_yn_JlLEfg6g/S2Cpr0r-VoI/AAAAAAAABnE/AiEAaZCWQ1E/s400/dehydrated_water-588x441.jpg
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I recall finding a box of first World War era .303 ammo when I was a kid, the one I pulled apart was loaded with cordite! The few I tried fired normally (based on recoil and blast) although the smell of the burnt powder was not pleasant as is modern powders. I don't recall any neck or body splits in the brass which was at that time was 60 years old going by the date stamp on the cartridge. The rule of thumb is that ammo doesn't degrade with age provided it stored in a temperature and humidity stable environment; this stuff was in a small wooden box on top of the wall of my uncle's log cabin!
When I anneal I do it cheaper than you guys can with your high tech baking treys etc. I turn the case in my fingers with the shoulder and neck held upright in the flame of the torch until I can't hold it any more, at which time I call it annealed. Based on appearance, the result of this technique are quite uniform when small quantities are done at a time.
When I anneal I do it cheaper than you guys can with your high tech baking treys etc. I turn the case in my fingers with the shoulder and neck held upright in the flame of the torch until I can't hold it any more, at which time I call it annealed. Based on appearance, the result of this technique are quite uniform when small quantities are done at a time.
at that age , you have NO worries- lots of folks have dnd ammo and whatnot that are at least that old-what causes brass to fail is either extreme age( we're talking a couple of hundred years here) or work hardening- annealing causes the flow of the brass ( it flows forward from head to neck) to reverse so you can use it again, although i've never had any luck with it- ie the brass again becomes thicker at the head than the neck-
I don't think I've ever come accross anything in the reloading world as hillbilly hardcore as that!
Well done, you!!! Do you cast bullets with your fists!? 
Work hardens brass. Either by firing or by sizing each time the brass gets harder. The only way to bring back elasticity is to anneal as suggested. Another method is to chuck a 1/2" socket (or what is needed for your brass) and use a cordless drill to spin over a flame (1lb propane with torch attachment). I use colour to judge the change in condition (when a blue hue starts running down past the shoulder I immediately drop the brass into a bucket with water( important to quench brass to achieve proper annealing). Suggest you read up on this on the 6BR page or view ammosmiths pages for annealing if you choose to go this route. It is not perfect, it may not be consistent, but it does the job. You can do a batch of 50 in 10min or so.
There is some writing which suggests brass crysaline structures change over time after resizing. The rule of thumb is to load shortly after sizing. Although this is a practice used by those tweaking each thou off group size it could be useful in any reloading practice. I used to size and leave brass ready for weeks or months before reloading in my hunting rifles. I did notice that seating was more difficult vs sizing and loading in a short period of time. Therefore, I am changing my practice now after reading up on this tip.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
There is some writing which suggests brass crysaline structures change over time after resizing. The rule of thumb is to load shortly after sizing. Although this is a practice used by those tweaking each thou off group size it could be useful in any reloading practice. I used to size and leave brass ready for weeks or months before reloading in my hunting rifles. I did notice that seating was more difficult vs sizing and loading in a short period of time. Therefore, I am changing my practice now after reading up on this tip.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
Does brass harden with age? Mixed answers.
Many of us have seen the cracked necks on loaded ammunition. I can't remember if one brand sticks out as the ones that crack. But, old CIL, Dominion brand 22 ammunition often bursts the case when fired. The case breaks right near the rim. Some 22 rifles allow a bit of gas to come back and tickle your cheek. Just ask Kamlooky how he likes my old ammo!
I first noticed this about 35 years ago, with Dominion ammo that couldn't have been more than about 25 years old. The rifle I had was annoying to shoot, with getting your cheek tickled with about every third shot. I had a 22 revolver that didn't allow any gas to come back, so I fired them in it.
I have 30-06 and 270, Dominion brand empties around, which I bought new nearly 50 years ago and they still reload normally.
I have 303 cordite loaded militaary ammo with an early 1940s date on it, making it nearly 70 years old. It looks perfectly normal and last I shot performed like new ammo.
I recently acquired some boxes of loaded 30-06 ammo that has an original price tag of 5 to 8 dollars on them. They were not made yesterday, but they look great and will certainly be used.
Many of us have seen the cracked necks on loaded ammunition. I can't remember if one brand sticks out as the ones that crack. But, old CIL, Dominion brand 22 ammunition often bursts the case when fired. The case breaks right near the rim. Some 22 rifles allow a bit of gas to come back and tickle your cheek. Just ask Kamlooky how he likes my old ammo!
I first noticed this about 35 years ago, with Dominion ammo that couldn't have been more than about 25 years old. The rifle I had was annoying to shoot, with getting your cheek tickled with about every third shot. I had a 22 revolver that didn't allow any gas to come back, so I fired them in it.
I have 30-06 and 270, Dominion brand empties around, which I bought new nearly 50 years ago and they still reload normally.
I have 303 cordite loaded militaary ammo with an early 1940s date on it, making it nearly 70 years old. It looks perfectly normal and last I shot performed like new ammo.
I recently acquired some boxes of loaded 30-06 ammo that has an original price tag of 5 to 8 dollars on them. They were not made yesterday, but they look great and will certainly be used.
saskgunowner101
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- middle of Sask
I use the same method, with the 1 one thousand, 2 one thousand method. Seems to me it's usually about a long 3 or short 4 count before I have to get that brass out of my fingers to a damp cloth.
lol im sorry have you ever tried annealing 5000 .223 cases ?
450$ machien does it in 5-6 hours nonstop
