Using found brass

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Gleevo

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I've been reloading pistol on a single stage for 9 months or so, and have been using my own 1x fired brass. Recently my reloading partner has been picking up random brass, seemingly of all calibres that are left behind. Ended up getting a couple hundred .223 brass and a couple hundred lot of pistol we shoot. So my question is how do you deal with found brass, not knowing if it's 1x fired and looks like crap because it's been outside for weeks on the ground or if it's been reloaded 5 times prior? Also what do you do with unusable brass or brass of a calibre you don't shoot?
Thanks
 
With unknown range brass as with ALL brass that is being reloaded, INSPECT IT. Just because one case hasn't been reloaded as many times as another one does NOT mean that it won't fail first. Never take it on faith that a low reload count on a case makes it safe! Inspecting cases is a whole reloading process unto itself. Is it time consuming ...YES, is it less fun than setting your hair on fire and trying to put it out with a hammer.....YES, will it keep you from injuring yourself and others around you....YES!
 
I forgot to say that if you are so inclined to squeeze as much life out of the cases as possible, you can always convert some of the mildly damaged ones. This is usually for rifle calibres though. Not too many options for pistol, unless you wanted to turn a 45-70 with a split mouth into a .45 LC or something along those lines. You can research and find out which cases can be converted to another calibre.
 
I started picking up 9mm brass last summer even though I didn't own a 9. I joked with my wife that when I got to a thousand I was going to buy a 9mm pistol. She even picked up a couple of hundred on one range trip. I took that as her approval :+) Every once in a while some .40 brass gets mixed in by accident. I think I am up to about 5 or 600 now....... Hey! I don't even have a 40.....yet. Seriously though, with practice it is pretty easy to spot fresh once fired brass from previous range users that are too lazy to clean up. Every once in a while some millionare will leave behind fresh clean 45acp brass!!
 
Thanks for the replies, was at the range again today and it seems someone else left a ton of .223 brass...since Monday. Plus with the snow melting all week its like a gold mine. I always tumble and inspect the brass anyway, which ends up happening several times because of single stage press. Anything I should be looking for aside from signs of separation, splits, cracks or obvious things?
 
It's funny you bring this up. Just today I was thinking about tossing a bunch of 270 in the range bucket that was ready to have head separation. You know, for recycling.

Then I thought what if some poor guy comes along and picks it up to reload, doesn't check it and ends up having an accident?

I brought it home and hammered all the necks and I'll recycle it next time.
 
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