- Location
- Port Perry/Toronto
Say I had some rifle brass that was fired a whole bunch of times, and I had brass that was only fired once... should I keep them seperate? Would there be an effect on accuracy if they were all mixed?
once fired brass versus 10th fired brass
- Thread starter nickorette
- Start date
I keep all my batches separate, based upon manufacturer and # of firings - otherwise, how would you know how many times a given piece of brass has been fired??? Segregate by manufacturer for accuracy, firings for safety.
I buy in lots of 50 as we all do, then they go in a case holder and stay there till they're done. By that I mean I'll load them all repeatedly until the first one shows signs letting me know they're getting old. Then the whole lot goes in the bin at the range.
Most guys will use new brass for a hunting load and the rest for practice and load work up.
Most guys will use new brass for a hunting load and the rest for practice and load work up.
Ok, but if they show signs well before they are in danger of failure, why not hang on to those which show no signs of getting old? After all, brass isn't getting any cheaper; Lapua brass is running 90 cents a round these days.
I had one of my .06 completely separate the case from the rim. I wasn't about to see if the rest in the box were going to do the same thing.
The remaining ones we pulled and the components recycled.
Sure brass is getting pricey, but is it really worth it??
- Location
- In the middle of gopher country
I do NOT keep them separated.
Quote:I had one of my .06 completely separate the case from the rim. I wasn't about to see if the rest in the box were going to do the same thing.
The remaining ones we pulled and the components recycled.
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That case didn't "wear out," it was wrecked by (most likely) excessive headspace.
The normal way a case should wear out, is the neck eventually getting a vertical crack in it. These uually show up after shooting, not while reloading and are in no way dangerous to shoot. I would discard the case with the crack, but keep loading the rest.
Life is too short to spend all the time needed to keep every batch of cases
seperated. My only seperation of cases is by their weight. All cases that weigh within a few grains of the same, will have the same internal capacity, regardless who made them. Powder holding capacity is all that matters.
The remaining ones we pulled and the components recycled.
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That case didn't "wear out," it was wrecked by (most likely) excessive headspace.
The normal way a case should wear out, is the neck eventually getting a vertical crack in it. These uually show up after shooting, not while reloading and are in no way dangerous to shoot. I would discard the case with the crack, but keep loading the rest.
Life is too short to spend all the time needed to keep every batch of cases
seperated. My only seperation of cases is by their weight. All cases that weigh within a few grains of the same, will have the same internal capacity, regardless who made them. Powder holding capacity is all that matters.
You guys... Suggesting to a newbie reloader that "life is to short to segregate cases" (based upon firings) is bordering on irresponsible. As an experienced reloader you can tell when a case is pooched, and have the regimen to check them regularly, and understand how headspace can also damage cases, and...
Someone without these skills is bound to get themselves into trouble.
Someone without these skills is bound to get themselves into trouble.
I don't separate them either, just inspect, load, shoot. I have some .308 cases that have been fired over 20x, still look perfect. I only throw them out when the primer pocket gets loose.
As pointed out by H4831, case-head separation is a result of sizing too much or a rifle headspace issue, and can happen with new or once fired brass. If you have problems like that, just neck-size your brass instead of FL sizing.
As pointed out by H4831, case-head separation is a result of sizing too much or a rifle headspace issue, and can happen with new or once fired brass. If you have problems like that, just neck-size your brass instead of FL sizing.
I shoot them until the primer pockets open also. When the primer seats a little too softly the case is used for practice then pitched. I work with a larger lot of brass than most that have posted here so far. I keep them separated by weight. I am not going to bin 1800 Lapua cases because one primer pocket is loose. I must also point out I have never had a split neck on a Lapua case.
....I really don't think I said anything wrong, or anything that may get a newer reloader in touble.
The key is the condition the case is in, and this is not really related to how many times it has been fired. Inspection is everything, and every reloader should be able to make a knowledgeable evaluation of his cases, before loading them.
Many of you have pointed out that cases become unusable because of swelled primer pockets. This condition comes about because of loading a bit too heavy. In the article by the RCBS head, Fred Huntington, he showed that 30-06 cases could be loaded 50 times, at velocities of just over factory loads, without the primer pockets swelling. His cases wore out by neck cracking.
On my heavier loads I always test them first to see if they will swell the primer pocket, and only use loads that don't swell the hole. As a result, my cases usually wear out by neck cracking, also.
However, I check every case for a possible swollen pocket. This is one of the most important checks in reloading, and is done by judicious care in seating the primer. You have to be constantly aware of how much pressure it takes to seat the primer and any time it takes only slightly less power to seat the primer, that case is discarded. I once had a primer blow out on firing and it is not a happy experience. It takes a while to get the extractor pieces all back in the bolt!
Cases that get neck cracks are in no way dangerous. If you miss seeing a crack in the neck, even a very slight one, you will notice the bullet seats easier. Use your judgement here. If it is a reasonably tight fit going in, though less than normal, I just go ahead and shoot it.
- Location
- In the middle of gopher country
What H4831 stated is right on
I would like to agree with H4831 as well. One thing I have noticed since getting into handloading is some calibers of Remington bulk brass has a tendancy to neck crack after only a couple loads. I have only had this happen to me on a couple first time loads in 22-250 they had never been sized just measured to verify lengths and loaded just under max in respect to the hornady load data for the v-max's I was using. So as to cases wearing out there may be no rhymn or reason but a safe responsible handloader takes the 2seconds to check cases irregardless of number of loads. On the other hand I have some old dominion brass in .308 Win that I got from my grandpa that I would bet has been loaded atleast 30 times and it looks like new. Load em blast em off tumble em and still they keep going. These old babies I took a couple at random out of the lot an cut them lengthwise so I could see their internal condition and it looked just as good inside as out.
heavyBullet
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Just off the island of MTL
Why is that ???
At the moment I am strictly a hunter, but am thinking more and more of getting into reloading as a hobby, and hitting the range more often.
Because on a hunting trip you don't want anything to go wrong, so you use the best components you have. That is why reloaders commonly try every round of their hunting ammunition they have loaded, in the chamber of the rifle, before they go hunting. Just another precaution to guard against "surprises," while on a hunting trip.
At the range it wouldn't matter if something jammed up the rifle for a bit.
