Question about brass

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GDavies

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Hey

Im pritty new to reloading I have only been doing it for about 6 months now. But I wanted to know whats the safe limit for reloading brass. Around what 5 times ? Im on reload number 4 with the brass I have right now. I have been looking them over realy good every time and tossing out the ones that do not make the cut. But whats the rule on this or is there one ?
 
There really is no rule as there are a lot of factors involved. I reload 8mm Mauser and I load them pretty light so my brass lasts a long time, my .308 is loaded hotter and doesn't last as long. It also depends on the quality of the brass.

Best to keep track of your brass, once fired together, twice fired together, etc.

Visually inspect your brass before every reload and question anything that looks unusual.
 
ok thats good to know. I have been looking them over well. Ya I have been reloading 303 british. Using sierra 174 gr HPBT match king with a powder load of 37.1 grains.
 
that's definitely gonna shorten the lifespan. There are things to do to mitigate that, however. This is covered extensively elsewhere in this forum.
 
GDavies said:
Hey

Im pritty new to reloading I have only been doing it for about 6 months now. But I wanted to know whats the safe limit for reloading brass. Around what 5 times ? Im on reload number 4 with the brass I have right now. I have been looking them over realy good every time and tossing out the ones that do not make the cut. But whats the rule on this or is there one ?
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With full length resizing you should get 20 rounds or so, unless your gun has a headspace problem. With neck sizing only, you should go 40+. If you really want them to last anneal the neck every 5-10 loads.
 
If you are firing .303 in a Lee Enfield, they have a tendency to allow the brass to stretch a bit more than some other actions, which shortens brass life in that particular aciion. Lots of threads and whole forums about the enfields and their care and feeding. I don't believe I have ever managed 20 reloads from a batch of .303 in my old No.4 . And, I chuck the lot when one develops signs, since I have stuck a few case heads at the range. No biggy, really, but it would be a real pain if I had the old girl out for a moose, and I couldn't take a follow-up shot. (One shot, one kill is the goal, but having access to a follow-up is only fair to the critter.)
 
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