Old brass vs new brass

[Eagleye]

As has been mentioned, to get your brass to chamber in a different rifle, you will need a full length sizing die [set up properly]
I am another guy who does not care for Federal brass, due to it being a bit on the "soft" side.
I;m sure it is fine for rather moderate loads, but the primer pockets open up with warmer loads, rendering it useless after 2-4 firings.
I have no estimate of how many rounds I have loaded since the early 60s, but the number is in 6 figures, so I have obviously formed
opinions about components, procedures, etc. Dave.

 

[MaxxiD]

Just run them thru the sizer again. Brass does "spring back" as steel does and if it doesnt chamber usually another trip thru will give you usable brass again.

personally i think a lot of coolaid being poured into folks over the years is just hype to sell loading components....I am using brass in my Garand & 52' Husky that my old man used for 50 yrs and it is still usable, I can take either of them out & shoot a 3/4" group. If you accuracy requirement is the proverbial "hole in hole group then it might make you feel better using nothing less than "once fired" but for the average hunting accuracy, if I can size it to chamber I will use it.

I agree, I think a lot of stuff is snake oil these days

 

[MaxxiD]

As has been mentioned, to get your brass to chamber in a different rifle, you will need a full length sizing die [set up properly]
I am another guy who does not care for Federal brass, due to it being a bit on the "soft" side.
I;m sure it is fine for rather moderate loads, but the primer pockets open up with warmer loads, rendering it useless after 2-4 firings.
I have no estimate of how many rounds I have loaded since the early 60s, but the number is in 6 figures, so I have obviously formed
opinions about components, procedures, etc. Dave.

I load max load, according to the Hornaday app anyway.

Ironically, the federally brass rounds are the ones that are loading without a problem. Maybe because they are softer?

I am gonna get an FL die either way though

 

[jethunter]

The Domion brass is usually thicker than federal or just about any commercial brass. That's probably why it takes more effort to resize. It's good brass but the thicker material reduces powder capacity some.

 

[FarmerDanz]

Honestly man if you didn't know you had to fully resize when changing chambers, you probably shouldn't be reloading.

I would start reading more. Good thing you came here to ask, as well.

 

[MaxxiD]

Honestly man if you didn't know you had to fully resize when changing chambers, you probably shouldn't be reloading.

I would start reading more. Good thing you came here to ask, as well.

Maybe you're right, but surely it's not possible to start reloading and know absolutely everything about it beforehand? I mean, come on, even life long reloaders will have their blind spots

 

[Eagleye]

The Domion brass is usually thicker than federal or just about any commercial brass. That's probably why it takes more effort to resize. It's good brass but the thicker material reduces powder capacity some.

Actually, I found that the brass headstamped "Dominion" to be lighter than the brass headstamped "Imperial".

When IVI took over from C.I.L. the brass changed. The web became thicker and the brass capacity diminished.

This was very noticeable with certain chamberings. I saw this particularly with the 300 Savage brass, and the 7x57. To a lesser extent in the 8x57.

Example: I had a bolt action 300 Savage. The Dominion brass would hold 45 grains of Reloder 15; the Imperial would only hold 42. Dave.

 

[jethunter]

The IVI brass was heavier, but the Dominion was heavier than most other. That's from experience with 308, 30-06, 7RM, 30-30, 303, and some others.

 

[Snider shooter]

I have pre WW2 brass in 43 Mauser that has in excess of 35 firings on it. I anneal every fourth reload. I have 40 some 38-55 Dominion brass that I have been using, only 4 reloads so far. First thing I do with old brass is anneal it otherwise I find I loose case first or second reloads due to neck splits.

 

[Mr Bill]

Once upon a time, many moons ago, I bought 1,000 pieces of 270Win brass and 20 years latter it’s comforting to know that every time I reach into that container it’s all the same lot and performance is still the same. If I really want fantastic results as in for my 6.5CMs I re-mortgage the house and lay in a supply of Lapua brass. Norma, Winchester, Remington, Dominion has been great, PMC mediocre, and Starline surprisingly good!! If you want to hammer coyotes half a kilometre away or shoot for a gold medal in pistol at the nationals then consistency in components is imperative. Having said that I’ll still pick up range brass, have Rubbermaid containers full of it…just for a rainy day and just because it reminds me of my roots.

 

[cosmic]

I load max load, according to the Hornaday app anyway.

Ironically, the federally brass rounds are the ones that are loading without a problem. Maybe because they are softer?

I am gonna get an FL die either way though

How do you know that book max is a safe load for your rifle? As a rookie, you should be cautious about getting anywhere near book max. Pretty well every experienced reloader has run into a situation where their loads are running "hot" relative to book values. As an aside, running hot loads increases the wear on your bore substantially, and is not usually the sweet spot for accuracy.

 

[MaxxiD]

How do you know that book max is a safe load for your rifle? As a rookie, you should be cautious about getting anywhere near book max. Pretty well every experienced reloader has run into a situation where their loads are running "hot" relative to book values. As an aside, running hot loads increases the wear on your bore substantially, and is not usually the sweet spot for accuracy.

I always work up to max. checking for pressure signs along the way. I have found with my last few rifles that max. is the sweet spot for accurate, taking into account the human error aspect of it i.e I am not good enough at shooting to notice ⅒ of an moa difference

 

[Hitzy]

I avoid obtaining old brass. There is usually no way to tell how it has been used or stored. Of course, you say already have it, maybe you know its history.

The internet is full of bad opinions about Federal brass, but I have never had a problem with it.

In the described situation, I would focus on quantity. If you have lots of one over the other, work what you have most of. If you have lots of each, you can work up separate loads in each. Or keep one batch in reserve while using the other.

I've bought 1000's of old brass from Higginsons, Tradex, etc, Metalverken, Herters, Browning made by Norma, old once fired Norma from a nice old member long gone that use to collect them from CF ranges, mostly 1/4 the price of new brass.
I'd take any of that over current Winchester/Federal offerings.
Current US offerings that are still reasonable $$... Remington and SIG are decent, Hornady seems okay if it's one of their pet cartridges, cheap Euro PRVI is good stuff, S&B can be problematic.
Lots of awesome premium NEW brass out there if you want to spend a small fortune, just don't buy into Nosler being premium, use to be decent, anything lately I've come across is Federal made for them and not gonna last.

 

[FarmerDanz]

Maybe you're right, but surely it's not possible to start reloading and know absolutely everything about it beforehand? I mean, come on, even life long reloaders will have their blind spots

It says it right in the Lee loader instructions, if you read them..

 

[junkdude]

In a savage twist of events, I'm trying to load some rounds for my brand new Tikka and the bolt won't close using either brass haha. Guess it's time for some new

Good idea on the annealing. I've found that almost all brass failure are cracked necks. Some brass seems quite hard and cracks easy, annealing will fix that.

I had the same problem with a Tikka6.5x55, bolt not closing on some full length sized brass. It was the expanding ball being pulled back through the neck pulling out the shoulder just a hair. Problem may have been a combination of not annealing the necks and just slightly thicker case at the neck. If you lube the neck with some graphite it might fix the problem.

edit: might not have been obvious, but it's the inside of the neck that needs the lube

 

[MaxxiD]

Good idea on the annealing. I've found that almost all brass failure are cracked necks. Some brass seems quite hard and cracks easy, annealing will fix that.

I had the same problem with a Tikka6.5x55, bolt not closing on some full length sized brass. It was the expanding ball being pulled back through the neck pulling out the shoulder just a hair. Problem may have been a combination of not annealing the necks and just slightly thicker case at the neck. If you lube the neck with some graphite it might fix the problem.

Thank you for the advice