9mm major open pistol - reuse brass or let it go?

[mag17]

Gun smith just complete 9mm major upper for my 2011 STI frame...I plan on shooting 9mm major and I have LOTS of 9mm brass that I plan on reloading on a Dillon 550B.... Question, should I even consider collecting my brass after a match or should I just plan on using the once fired brass for my 9mm major gun?

Constant supply of once fired 9mm brass from many friends that are still not reloading....

Edited November 25, 2013 by mag17

[al503]

There are many threads on the question.

Some use their brass once and let it lay.

Some (like me) use their brass multiple times. I shoot the brass anywhere from 3-7 times in practice then shoot it in a match and leave it.

I ran a test batch a while ago, loading them 10 times. No loose primer pockets or splits.

YMMV depending on how you reload them and what your personal load is. Shorter OAL's and faster powders will probably shorten the life.

[eric nielsen]

I had good luck (no case failures at all) shooting once-fired police brass sold to me by their practice range officers. All shot out of G17s. Only issue is some of the cops obviously had a corner of their extractor chipped off and it messed up their case rims. If you can be sure your friends are giving/selling you once-fired out of the factory box, great.

EDIT: I reshot my own brass (from the practice range) loaded to Major several times over.

What I would avoid like the Plague is picking up match brass. You never know how many times those cases were fired and scary part is the guys who tumble their brass with Brasso or other ammonia-containing products. Shoot, tumble in Brasso, size, load, repeat - that's a cycle you don't want done once on 9Major brass; if you pick up at matches you might get cases that have done that many times over.

Limited 40 case failures - like 200gr bullets in front of Clays - are sort of scary. 9Major case failures are completely scary; they can blow-torch the shooter's hand to the point where they drop the gun (if you weren't on edge enough already).

Edited November 25, 2013 by eric nielsen

[Hi-Power Jack]

should I collect my brass ?

Constant supply of once fired 9mm brass

Why would you consider collecting your brass IFF you have a constant supply of once fired brass?

[basman]

There are many threads on the question.

Some use their brass once and let it lay.

Some (like me) use their brass multiple times. I shoot the brass anywhere from 3-7 times in practice then shoot it in a match and leave it.

I ran a test batch a while ago, loading them 10 times. No loose primer pockets or splits.

YMMV depending on how you reload them and what your personal load is. Shorter OAL's and faster powders will probably shorten the life.

When I was shooting open (9major) I kept track of the number of firings on the brass, I got up to 5 reloading's with no problems.

[Sarge]

Reload mine a lot.

[BoyGlock]

I moved over to 38s for all the reasons above

[JackinSD]

I reload mine several times.

[phatman]

Ok here's what I do - I'm not saying it is right way but it is my way. I reload the same brass any number of times during my practice/testing range time but when I go to a match I let it go for the same reasons that others have given. At a match you can never be sure how many times the brass has been fired or at what degree of reloading proficiency the previous owner has had. During my practice range times however I can be sure of this because I'm the one who has loaded it! Sent from my SGH-I757M using Tapatalk

Edited November 25, 2013 by phatman

[lcs]

When I shoot indoors I save the brass and reload it several times. Any match outdoors, it stays on the ground.

[DVC1911]

I changed calibers, to 9Major, a couple of years ago. Everyone was telling me what you could only shoot the brass once. So I did a test.

I took 100 rounds, and used it at the start of every practice, collect the brass, and then reloaded it. I reloaded it 13 times, before I started seeing problem, IE: loose primer pockets, split cases.

The gun I was shooting was new, and had a schuemann barrel. I do not know if this is typical, but if a barrel is fitted properly the brass will last long time.

Typical, I use 9mm brass two times in practice, and when I shoot a match I leave it on the ground.

DVC

[Chris iliff]

At this point in the knowledge of 9mm major it's safe to say you can reload many times. I, personally, never pick it up. I detest picking up brass, it's why I went from super to 9 major to begin with.

[BillChunn]

When I shoot indoors I save the brass and reload it several times. Any match outdoors, it stays on the ground.

This.

I've backed off the powder charge a bit (was running a 174 power factor) as some of the primers were being shaken out of the pocket while in the magazine. Other than Speer and Blazer brass (which have a loose feel when seating the primer on a 650) everything else seems to survive at least 2-3 reloads.

I have found a few (less than 10 of about 5,000) that were cracked or blown out at the bottom of the casing.

BC

[Parallax3D]

I generally lose them before I worry about how many times they've been reloaded.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I am reloading them 5-7 times then move them to be used in minor 9mm loads for my Production guns. Major problem I have is loose primer pockets. I use a brass wizard to pick up brass and get about 98% of them back. Thanks, Eric

[shooter995]

I have loaded the same piece of brass so many times I lost count! That was also with 115's.

Edited November 25, 2013 by shooter995

[slinginlead]

I reload all my practice brass and then i make sure I am leaving all that brass on the ground at matches. Last weekend I left over 300 rounds of brass on the ground and did not feel bad about it one bit. I am going back to .38 Super and I know my feelings will change.

[Tino2212]

I reload my 9major brass i use in practice for about 5 /6 times there are still no issues with it then .

And then i either leave it at a match or put it into the used brass bin at the range .

[mag17]

OK - thanks... If I do pick up my brass I will make sure the that I have numbered as to how many times I have reloaded... scheumann barrel for the upper....

Thanks again...

[rocice]

Wow, I pick up all my brass. (and any brass people leave behind) If I’m not going to reload it, it all goes into the recycle bin. Once a year the recycle bin gets cashed in, $1.80 a lb. just a few weeks ago for 132 lbs. Used the money to buy a case feeder :-)

[Intel6]

I will reload my Open 9mm brass for practice but when they look like they have had it I put them aside and use them as jackets and make .40 bullets out of them and shoot them in my limited gun.

Neal in AZ

[Shooter116]

I reload mine 3-5 times then trash it or leave it for others.

[Neil E.]

That's one reason I went to 9 major so I don't have to pick up my brass.

[cecil]

a little off subject.. but a friend of mine saves his primers... he cashed in a 5 gallon bucket of spent primers and bought a case feeder...

[Mat Price]

Hello: I am reloading them 5-7 times then move them to be used in minor 9mm loads for my Production guns. Major problem I have is loose primer pockets. I use a brass wizard to pick up brass and get about 98% of them back. Thanks, Eric

i do this eaxactly and then shoot them till the case mouth splits. I am lucky to be able to shoot alot and get to the range alot. so i just put a tarp down and it cathches 99% of my brass. I then just pull the tarp ends and dump it right in my bucket. i do however always loose track of which brass is which but just inspect your brass and load it till it splits..

with that said i have .38 super comp brass you cant even read the headstamp on anymopre

Edited December 6, 2013 by Mat Price