Sorting 9mm brass

[fireman1776]

I’m having some issues with certain headstamps in my 750 so I’m going to start sorting headstamps. These were labeled “IK21”. 
 

What are the other headstamps I should look out for. 
 

 

[George16]

Those have crimped primer pockets so they need to be swaged. Other headstamps to look out for are WCC, WMA, Ammoload (stepped brass), ZQI.

[VortecMAX]

Also watch out for "FM" headstamp.  Some of those have a stepped case interior and are prone to separating.  Others with that headstamp are actually steel but look like brass.  There are other headstamps with the stepped case also, but I can't remember what they were off the top of my head.

 

Mike

 

[bravobravo]

I have recently come across some Norma brass. Primer hole is too small to punch out the old primer

in station #1 on my 650

[36873687]

1 hour ago, bravobravo said:

I have recently come across some Norma brass. Primer hole is too small to punch out the old primer

in station #1 on my 650

Fw arms decapper with small pin punch right through em

[sharko]

1 hour ago, bravobravo said:

I have recently come across some Norma brass. Primer hole is too small to punch out the old primer

in station #1 on my 650

I ran into the same thing with 357Sig brass, Speer and Federal had small flash holes. I noticed the brass being hard to size and then started breaking/bending pins.

I call Dillon and they sent me some smaller pins, think they were from RCBS.

[zombywoof]

See that ring around the primer pocket. That is what the crimp looks like and what to watch out for.

 

I've also seen it on some Aquilla and I believe some Winchester.

 

Good luck

[lefty o]

a primer pocket go-no go gauge is a handy tool. especially if you are getting older and blind and hate trying to read all them tiny headstamps.

[Farmer]

24 minutes ago, lefty o said:

a primer pocket go-no go gauge is a handy tool. especially if you are getting older and blind and hate trying to read all them tiny headstamps.

X2 on the gauge. Also helps when checking for proper swaging. CBC brass is thicker and also can have staked in primers. It’ll look like 3 little triangles indented around the primer. I also had some A-American that weren’t crimped but were hard to prime, not all just some.  Link to tool. 
https://ballistictools.com/store/original

[shred]

XTREME brass.  Some is stepped, some is brass-plated steel.   Either way no bueno.

[Sarge]

40 minutes ago, shred said:

XTREME brass.  Some is stepped, some is brass-plated steel.   Either way no bueno.

And yet some is fine. It’s infuriating!

[9x45]

IMT, FM, AmmoLoad and MaxxTech, all have stepped cases. Toss them unless you want the brass to separate in the chamber and leave you with a dead gun, especially PCC's.

[fireman1776]

Thanks all for the input. This helps a lot. 
 

now what’s everyone’s preferred most efficient way of sorting? 

[Farmer]

Make someone else do it!

I have several old ice cream buckets that I set up around me and just start going through them and tossing them in the appropriate bucket. As I get older it helps to mark the buckets.  It helps with eye/hand coordination, or at least that’s what I tell myself. 

Edited March 12, 2022 by Farmer

[WaltK]

Recently while reloading I've had some rounds that gauge high in the Shock Bottle (Hundo) gauge. 

These are head stamped "SARS". I looked them up and this brass (ammo) is Turkish.  

Right now not really sure why this is happening.

[jejb]

16 hours ago, fireman1776 said:

now what’s everyone’s preferred most efficient way of sorting? 

My solution was to upgrade presses to one that incorporates the swaging station. I can "feel" a stepped case at the sizing station, and toss all of those. Not seeing many of those these days though. Found quite a few of them (ZQI) last year, though. 

[Amra86]

I seperate out CBC and SB cases. They seem to have tighter primer pockets and thicker case walls. 

[andyivan]

Military brass slows things down during the sorting prcoess tenfold 

[RGA]

FYI,

 

IK is Igman Konjic from Bosnia and Herzegovina. They mostly produce (crimped) military stuff.

 

[AHI]

Every time this comes up. I remember why I bought a 1050.

[Boomstick303]

11 hours ago, AHI said:

Every time this comes up. I remember why I bought a 1050

 

Yup!

[Boomstick303]

On 3/12/2022 at 10:43 AM, 9x45 said:

Toss them unless you want the brass to separate in the chamber and leave you with a dead gun, especially PCC's.

 

Is this a common thing?  I have loaded them along with everything else I get for practice ammo.  I have never had one separate in PCC or pistol.

[looking4reloadingdeals]

On 3/12/2022 at 3:59 PM, fireman1776 said:

Thanks all for the input. This helps a lot. 
 

now what’s everyone’s preferred most efficient way of sorting? 

I use two 45acp/40 cal 100 round ammo boxes. I dump cases that need to be sorted into them (most of them will end up case mouth up) first, I then check the inside of the case for the stepped cases, then I use the second ammo box to flip the cases over and check headstamps. This is the fastest way IV found to do it since they’re all lined up and you can go through 100 cases at a time. 

Edited March 14, 2022 by looking4reloadingdeals

[rishii]

I do something similar

i line the bottom of an old refrigerator ice maker tray with the plastic inserts from cci blazer 40/45 ammo boxes

And dump the brass in and roll them back and forth, about 90% ends up with the case mouth facing up

then inspect for cracks, berdan primed, stepped also it makes it easy to spot 40 and 380 in your pile of 9

flip it over to a empty tray and look for crimped brass

it take me about 5 minutes to do 350 case

 

[VortecMAX]

On 3/11/2022 at 11:30 AM, lefty o said:

a primer pocket go-no go gauge is a handy tool. especially if you are getting older and blind and hate trying to read all them tiny headstamps.

+1 on this.  The swage gage by Ballistic Tools is a must have item.  You can use the "go" end to check for crimps, and the "no-go" end to check for worn out brass.

 

Mike