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Using range pickup brass - Do you sort? Exclude some? Precautions?


LeviSS

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The ones with the "line" around the outside - like a revolver cartridge - are OK. The ones with the ledge around the inside of the case aren't, although a number of people use them for minor loads. I've had a couple separate with minor loads, no harm to anything, but the front of the case can sometimes stick in a chamber.

Even at Minor, there are separations with this brass. I wouldn't do it but you're on your own.

Sent from the range

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Are the ones with the " internal ledge" bad to reload? I noticed a few in the last batch I picked up. Or should I say I saw a few with a line around the outside of the case like some revolver cartridges have...

Two different things. The ledges haven't given me any trouble on a 1050 loading 9mm minor.

9Major aka 9Grenades are the devil. I have more concern about 9Major brass with completely flat primers and even flattened case heads where the head stamps are flattened and almost illegible than I do with stepped brass. There are open shooters out there living life on the edge.

That's funny...there are literally millions of 9Major rounds that have been shot with a very good safety record but to each his own.

Sent from the range

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I don't have a problem then the idea of 9Major in general

I have a problem with open shooters loading them to the point that the primers are completely flat and the headstamp markings are almost unreadable. I have encountered a lot more of these at matches than I am comfortable with. Are these safe to reload? Maybe, maybe not. It's not like I don't run across split cases on a fairly regular basis as well, this may or may not be related.

Then - leaving live rounds laying around for the cheap noobs to pick up and leaving that potentially suspect brass for reloaders. The mitigating factors: (1) the overpressure brass can be detected and culled, and (2) don't pick up and shoots other people's reloads. There are lots of retirees, noobs and whatnot that assume 'free 9mm ammo' and don't know the potential risk associated with a dubiously reloaded 9Grenade lying on the ground.

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I have noticed occasional cracked cases after reloading, more relevant because I actually check for cracked cases after cleaning and QC and before reloading. The test is just pouring handfuls of brass back and forth listening for the tinny ding of a cracked case or letting my eye catch anomalies.

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Do you guys worry about or keep track of how many times your handgun brass has been reloaded?

9Minor now and 40Major earlier - no. Then again I'm a voraciosu brass picker and accumulate more than I shoot. Some of the brass is once fired, much of it has been cycled an unknown # of times. No issues.

I visually roll all ammo in a soda case box and then Case Gauge check primers for match ammo only. CG failures go in the practice box. So far they all have shot (Tanfo 9 now, Glocks earlier 9/40).

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Do you guys worry about or keep track of how many times your handgun brass has been reloaded?

No. I pick up so much brass and have a big enough of a pool of it that it stays rotated to the point it's not a factor. I run very conservative 9mm minor and .40 loads so I'm not in particular fear of anything. .38 Super guys apparently have a lot more to worry about in that regard.

Edited by yellowfin
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I shoot 9 minor, using range brass and coated bullets for most of my loads except for major match ammo. I do sort.

PPU, AMerc, GFL, S&B and WCC 9mm brass I've had problems with either tight primer pockets crushing primers or brass thickness causing problems belling and shaving bullets as they're seated, so all that goes to the scrap box, along with any NT or other crimped cases.

Stepped brass? Well, so far I haven't had a problem loading for my Glocks at 135 PF, but given the frequent first hand descriptions of case separations, I won't use them more than a couple times (starting from once fired - I mark my brass) or use obviously multiply reloaded cases with unknown provenance.

Practice brass is mixed headstamps minus those above. Match brass is single headstamp: once fired for major, multifired for local. I find that the ammo loads more consistently and chrono's more consistently. On my limited testing the once fired single HS ammo seemed more accurate.

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It is actually worthwhile to keep a couple dozen CCI aluminum cases to make dummy rounds. Now that they're boxer primed it's ideal b/c it's so easy to tell them apart. Resize and top w/ totally different bulllet (plated RN if you normally used coated FP or vice versa) from your other ammo.

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I don't have a problem then the idea of 9Major in general

I have a problem with open shooters loading them to the point that the primers are completely flat and the headstamp markings are almost unreadable. I have encountered a lot more of these at matches than I am comfortable with. Are these safe to reload? Maybe, maybe not. It's not like I don't run across split cases on a fairly regular basis as well, this may or may not be related.

Then - leaving live rounds laying around for the cheap noobs to pick up and leaving that potentially suspect brass for reloaders. The mitigating factors: (1) the overpressure brass can be detected and culled, and (2) don't pick up and shoots other people's reloads. There are lots of retirees, noobs and whatnot that assume 'free 9mm ammo' and don't know the potential risk associated with a dubiously reloaded 9Grenade lying on the ground.

Having shot untold thousands of 9Major, the only issue I have seen is loose primers at some point, other than this the cases just keep working, no problems. Nothing's wrong with flat primers, if the case is not split. All those fears are simply from lack of experience.

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Anybody have any experience with LAX Ammo brass? I bought 1,000 of there 115 grain ammo when it was on sale last year and forgot all about it in the back of my closet, just found it and wondered if I should try and reload it after I shoot it... I am wondering if it is Starline with the LAX headstamp or something else. I know that Starline makes Underwood and some other smaller brands brass for them.

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Anybody have any experience with LAX Ammo brass? I bought 1,000 of there 115 grain ammo when it was on sale last year and forgot all about it in the back of my closet, just found it and wondered if I should try and reload it after I shoot it... I am wondering if it is Starline with the LAX headstamp or something else. I know that Starline makes Underwood and some other smaller brands brass for them.

LAX has used Freedom Munitions (Ammoload) for their brass so make sure it doesn't have one of their headstamps (I believe they had an "IMT" headstamp if they came from Freedom Munitions).

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Anybody have any experience with LAX Ammo brass? I bought 1,000 of there 115 grain ammo when it was on sale last year and forgot all about it in the back of my closet, just found it and wondered if I should try and reload it after I shoot it... I am wondering if it is Starline with the LAX headstamp or something else. I know that Starline makes Underwood and some other smaller brands brass for them.

LAX has used Freedom Munitions (Ammoload) for their brass so make sure it doesn't have one of their headstamps (I believe they had an "IMT" headstamp if they came from Freedom Munitions).

Headstamp on these is "LAX", but I'll shoot some tomorrow and see if they have the step inside and throw them out if they do...

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I'm chicken s**t, I sort all 9mm by head stamp. I use Win, FC, PMC, R-P, and Blazer and pitch everything else. I am thinking of including Speer in my future usage.

I also gauge every round in my Shockbottle 100 hole gauge. It has caught cracked case lips and rim problems caused by an extractor in the past.

Maybe it is overkill, but I want no problems and I have had none. Sarge is dead right on the "feeling". Sorting by head stamp gives you a typical feel and alerts you to investigate anything that feels different. R-P clearly sticks on the expander and results in a hitch in the upstroke. If that were mixed into my other head stamps I would be concerned every time an R-P went through the machine..

I use 2 550's and a 650. I plan to continue being conservative about my practices. I want no problems like I see at every match. Knock on wood, I have no problems so far.

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I'm obviously worse than the previous poster, I only use Win 9mm brass, Federal SP .45ACP and LC in .223. Also it lets me use just one primer in all three calibers - Tula KVB-556M. I used to use KVB-223 but switched because I felt the 556M would be better in the .223. I don't have any problem with the rifle primers in the pistols but I only use 1911s.

I'm not shooting competition so don't have the same problems some others do in keeping track of the fired brass.

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