once-shot brass vs. twice-shot brass~keep it separate?

[.22LRGUY]

Greenhorn question of the day... Getting ready to re-load some brass that has been shot twice now, and realized I have some once-shot brass on-hand too. (used-up some factory stuff on the weekend) Question is this~do you guys keep your brass separate, in lots, based on how many times it's been shot? I'm new at this, but re-size and inspect every case no matter what.

 

[Tumbleweed]

I keep mine in 50 round MTM boxes, and wrap a strip of masking tape around them so I can write that sort of stuff down. I'm very careful about keeping individual lots together. When the first few rounds show signs of old age (like thin webs or loose primer pockets), the whole lot gets trashed.

 

[tootall]

If it is magnum rifle ammo, count the number of reloads. Maybe as few as 4 times.
If it is pistol ammo, dont bother sorting, just thow it away when the headstamp gets pounded down!

 

[hometownhero]

223 I toss em all together. 30-06 I do the same. When the primer pocket gets loose I toss it

 

[kamlooky]

I suppose it's up to the individual.
I know of folk that buy new brass and use this solely for hunting.
Others carefully check the brass, reload, and blast them off.
I chamber all my reloads that I use for hunting.
No surprises that way when hunting.
Size your brass and chamber the first one and
every other one...........empty.........right....?

 

[fiddler]

For rifle brass that use full length dies, I keep separate in batches of how many times fired. This keeps my length trimming to batches. And generally, I don't even attempt to reload until I have several hundred pieces of brass of the same make.

 

[dead meat]

I tend to load in 40-60 round batches, depends on the ammo box i have that batch in. I use a lot of MTM ammo boxes and have some for the varmints calibers that hold 100. Then load em till the primer pockets get loose.

 

[ykkid]

Also depends on end use. Action pistol rounds need not be hair-cutting accurate. Bullseye, more so. Those thousands of rounds you pour downrange to master field hunting positions can come out of mixed lot, mixed reload count, but safe - check trim length, and note where case mouth indexes off cannelures, for instance - because only the mostest bestest rifleman is going to use MOA from a field position.

But, for match work, and just to feel good about your hunting loads, keep count and records of the history of your brass, and for hunting, lots of folks use low count reloads - three, four, or perhaps five, depending on caliber and your personal history with the gun. I.E. if you load magnums to the nuts, then two or three times reloaded is all you probably want to take hunting. Load a service standard, reasonably, and they are likely good for ten or more.

Or, go all OCD, and count and measure everything. That is actually cheaper, because all that time you are measuring, and counting, and creating records, you are not consuming components!

 

[scott585]

if you know how long your brass lasts, you can keep track and get the best use out of it.
load it up for match/target work, until 3 reloads before mean failure, load it again, use it for hunting so your only losing worn out but safe brass if you cant recover it, then load it one last time for your semi auto that you will lose them from anyway.

 

[bigedp51]

The following is from "Reloader Magazine" the cases below were full length resized with the die making hard contact with the shell holder. (camover) Over resizing your cases will shorten their life span, bolt actions rifles only need the shoulder bumped back .001 to .002 and an auto loader should be .002 to .004. Anything more than this is over working your brass.

Sort your cases in plastic MTM containers and mark each firing, the chamber pressure of your cartridges will determine case life. Meaning a 30-30 case might last for 20-30 years at 38,000 cup and a 5.56 case loaded to 55,000 cup might last 3 to 5 loadings.

I do not get rid of cases after X amount of firings, I check the web for thinning and with reasonable loads a case will last longer than you think and even longer if you anneal the necks.

Your biggest enemy below, learn how to set up your dies and control cartridge headspace.

Excess headspace even in Canada can get real ugly at times, you will find it mostly in dimly lit bars caused by unscrupulous bar tenders.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

I think the above came from a recent issue of "Handloader" to which I subscribe, and recommend for others who are serious about reloading cartridges. You can subscribe here

Me. I go by case inspection. I am still shooting some cases made By Dominion, for 30-30, and 303Br. they have at least 25 loadings.
I had a guy at the range pick up a piece of my brass, look at it and pronounce that the load was too hot for my rifle. little did he know that the reason the headstamp was pretty much obliterated, was because that same load had been fired more than twenty times in that 45-70 case. Primer pocket still tight, case trimmed.... never, no sign of pressure at all. But he didn't like they way it shoved me around and made noise I guess.
I've given up on that load however, it seems I now have bursitis in my right shoulder, and am stuck with it as a recurrent condition.

I do the same for 308, and other rounds, but am much more careful checking brass for signs of strain with these higher pressure rounds. Your rifle can make a difference too. For example, 303BR fired in an SMLE will generally have short life, if loaded to full potential. The loose tolerances the rifle was given to handle wartime conditions don't make for long case life. However, I have a Ross rifle so chambered, that was not given the horrible chamber expansion treatment that most were. In that tight tolerances rifle, 303Br cases will last as long as brass lasts in any more modern rifle firing cases of the same pressure, 20-30 firings at least.

 

[HKMark23]

I keep mine in 50 round MTM boxes, and wrap a strip of masking tape around them so I can write that sort of stuff down. I'm very careful about keeping individual lots together. When the first few rounds show signs of old age (like thin webs or loose primer pockets), the whole lot gets trashed.

x2. I like to keep track even for pistol brass. If I'm shooting a match where and when brass recovery will be unlikely I'll bring rounds loaded with the older brass so I'm leaving as little "shooting life" on the ground as possible. I think with long life rifle brass like Lapua, batch tracking is obviously important. If you're into annealing, you'd want to track batches too. All in all, a good practice, and not particularly costly in time or resources.

 

[darcy32171]

22-250, I never seperate. Some have been reloaded at the very least 6-8 times now and they are the winchester bulk 40 pack .

 

[hometownhero]

22-250, I never seperate. Some have been reloaded at the very least 6-8 times now and they are the winchester bulk 40 pack .

Same with my 223 brass. Most of it is winchester and some loaded 6+ times now

 

[Dogleg]

I like to leave some once fired brass in reserve for hunting ammo. You don't need a ton of it, but when that stuff has to work you will know that you've done everything you can do give it its best chance.