How many reloads?

many times, I reload mine until they headsplit

However I cannot exactly tell how many times they have been reloaded, I gather my brass from different people. I know I should sort out brass brand/# of reloads but I don't have enough so it gets all mixed up.
 
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"...until they headsplit..." Until the case mouth cracks/splits. Case life depends entirely on how hot of a load. Using moderate(target) loads, your cases will last for eons.
 
If you are using cast bullets, case life depends to a great extent, on how much you bell the mouth, for seating the cast bullets. Big bell=short life of cases. VERY small expansion of the mouth will give more reloads than you will keep track of.
 
To the same extent, how long do you guys go before trimming?

<5 firings
>5 firings
never?

I have measured some of my brass at above the 'trim-to-length' and usually trim it down to be consistent with the other rounds

Albeit, I am not sure if these longer cases are cause from firing, or just because they are a different manufacturer.
 
I can't speak for 357 brass, but 44 mag just seems to keep going on forever. I've got some that has been through the ringer at least 15 times and it's still going.

The main failures of 44 mag brass, for me anyway, is:

1. Accidental damage by me just being sloppy with the press (and this is by far, head and shoulders above any other type of failure)

2. Losing it

3. Case mouth splitting, which has hapened to me so few times that I don't even want to mention it.

The stuff just seems to last forever, and I full length size everytime.
 
I do trim .357Mag brass to get consistant crimps. As for trimming magnum brass back to make it a special... Ja, I think the walls would be too thick with all but the shortest bullets.
 
curtmg said:
So, a 44mag case gets a split at the mouth, can I trim it down, to be a 44 special, and then again to be 44 russian?
Click to expand...

You certainly can trim them down. I used to do it, until I thought the extra work wasn't worth it, but at that time we got new brass from a source that had really great prices.
I never went shorter than 44 Special, though, because they would reload with the same dies, plus the ring that comes with the dies.
 
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