New brass vs old

T

tlsdad

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Hi Guys.

So...being new....after reading manuals etc and prior to running my first load, i am sufficiently "scared off" even thinking about purchasing "once fired" brass....let alone picking up anything found at the range.!!!

Because there is arguably ample motivation for manufacturers to want to scare folks away from this practice, I am looking for some balanced perspective from you experienced guys.

iS the cautioning against using brass you havent purchased manufacturer hyperbole or good advise....given the pressures and potential dangers involved.

FYI?...talking rifle brass here. Cheers and thanks..
 
All I load is 1F brass, and go until the neck splits or the primer pockets get loose. I'm by no means a guru but I've never met a piece of decent 1F that I have had an issue with. Even some real gross looking range brass has lasted awhile. Haven't gotten into annealing but it's on the list. As well, I use the paper clip method to check the inside of cases to make sure there isn't any case head speration pending: http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2013/01/case-head-separation-causes-and-how-to-spot-problems/

YMMV and the above is just anecdotal evidence based on what I've experienced. More experience guy'll know when it's a good idea to use more caution, I'd imagine
 
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Even when you buy new brass some of it will have defects. My last bag of Winchester 7mm rm brass had 3 pieces that I could not use. In my opinion the risk is there whether or not it's new or once fired.

Kevin
 
I'm by no means an well versed reloader, but I just purchased 500 once fired .223 casings. I just plan to sort by head stamps and Develop different projectiles on each headstand, campro 55gr on the most common of my bag (also just purchased 500 projectiles) and 55gr Vmax on the next largest group. Maybe Speer TNT's as well just to play with. This way I keep each load to a particular manufacture of brass, I have an easy way to track what's loaded in each, and it's more time to play at the bench and shoot haha. I couldn't pass up the cost savings of once fired. That's my 0.02 anyway!
 
I shoot once fired 338 Lapua and 300 Winchester. I fully prep it and go. My fully prepped 300 brass last 13 to 14 reloads, shot out of a custom chamber. I use Redding Competition Dies.
 
I have fired many thousands of range collected brass. I very rarely buy brass (or loaded centre-fire ammo) new.
If a case looks wonky, I throw it in the scrap metal box. Things like ejector indents in the case head, gouges, curved/banana shaped cases, loose primer pockets, split necks, marks from a fluted chamber, etc.

If the primer colour is wrong for the headstamp, I inspect extra carefully and sometimes just toss the brass for good measure. This could indicate it's been reloaded an unknown number of times and isn't once-fired brass.
Win, S&B, etc. use brass primers
Rem, Fed, CCI, Hornady, etc. use silver primer (nickle plated brass)

Only issue I've run into is with .303 British brass and case head separation. It's a known problem with loose milsurp .303 chambers. Even new .303B brass bought unprimed can have this problem after 1-2 firings if not taken care of well (O-ring trick, neck size only) and I just try to remember to bring a broken case extractor with me whenever I'm shooting a .303 of any sort.

Remember that reloading manuals are written as much (if not more) by lawyers than ballistic engineers and experienced shooters. A lot of the advice is there for liability reasons and isn't always true.
 
No problem with once fired brass just clean well and do a good inspection for splits etc straight walled cases can seem to go on forever I have over 13 reloads for some and still looks good.

For rifles I'm more picky on the inspection and number of reloads plus preparation but 3-4 times and then consider annealing for more uses
 
Ive picked up Thousands of range brass over the years. Who knows how many times it was fired. After they have been washed and tumbled I give them their 1st inspection. Junk or questionable ones get tossed in a separate bucket. 2nd inspection is when you resizing them. You can tell if they have been overloaded or stretched or hair line splits. Once fired brass is generally safe unless the guns chamber was worn out and the brass swelled overly.
 
I can't remember getting .223 brass from any source other than picking it up off the ground at my club. Why pay for what can be had for free?

I should point out that virtually all of my .223 ammo is loaded as blaster grade stuff for my AR-15s. If I was trying to set any accuracy records I would probably buy some.
 
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