PistolPete Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 I'm trying to get an idea of how many times you relaod the same brass. I've heard most people will do no more than 6 and other say until there is a crack in the case. What is your cutoff point and do you just reload the cases until they are junk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus The Bum Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 I usually do not pick up my .40 brass because it is so dang cheap $8-$12/thousand, but my .45acp and 38 super I reload until the cases crack or are just too corroded to reload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 A friend recently said, "...until I can no longer read the headstamp!" (assuming no other damage). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 As many times as I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasag93 Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 When the .40s crack at the case mouth from belling they hit the trash. Best I can tell that is around 8 to 10 reloadings. Nickle about 3 to 5. Very brittle stuff, nickle cases. TXAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zorba Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 well in southafrica we load them till there finished,cracked or bulged what ever comes first. the less bell the longer they go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 well in southafrica we load them till there finished,cracked or bulged what ever comes first.the less bell the longer they go. Ditto here in Italy. .40 brass is quite expensive, thus I load them until I find them cracked. I don't keep track of how long will they last, but I figure they can last at least 10 to 15 reloads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 There are a number of things that determine brass life for me. Whichever comes up first out of the following list is the determiner for that lot of brass. 1. Do I feel "hinky" about the brass? If so, it's outta' here! 2. Headstamp/extractor rim condition. Too beat up, it's outta' here too! 3. Bulges that won't size out enough to pass drop-in gauge. Gone! 4. Bright bands near base (typically specific to rifle cases). See ya' 5. Case mouth splits. No quarter given! 6. Attrition. Not enough left to justify processing/loading. Just sigh, and toss the rest. You got your money's worth, it's time to move on. Here are some typical lifespans I have gotten along with the reason for retirement. .270 I have a batch of New WW (260ish left of 300 original) that are going on the 6th loading right now and look to go a couple more (all in same rifle at sensible velocities). .223 Brand new WW has gone 6-8 loadings (in the same AR for High Power) before I tossed it for reason 2. .223 1x commercial processed brass (mostly LC headstamp) have gone 4x in the same AR before they are left on the range for reasons # 1 & 2. It's also cheap enough to load-n-leave on the first re-loading at "lost brass" matches. 9x19 Range pickup brass has gone 8-10 minor PF (130ish) loadings till splits start to get culled. After 8-10 loadings reasons # 1 & 2 have also stepped in. 9x19 New WW I have taken out to beyond 10 loadings (125-130 PF) and reached the holy grail of brass life, reason # 6, death by attrition. .38 Super Remington +P Nickel always went 5-6x (178 PF) before splits started appearing and the batch was tossed. .38 Super New WW Brass are still going strong after 4-5 loadings (168 PF). 9x21 CP +P+ (not available new anymore) would go till attrition in minor, 6-8x in major (168-178 PF) till # 1 was selected. 9x21 Starline (what is available new now) seems to look OK after 3x in major (168PF). I'll know more in about six months after I cycle this batch into the ground. I have heard it said by some .45 ACP shooters that they cull their split cases by shooting the loaded splits, and just not picking them back up after firing ;-) Nowaday's, re-processed, ready to load brass is so cheap in some calibers, it's not worth bending over to pick it up anymore. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zorba Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 send some this way plz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 My brother is still reloading some .45ACP brass from the early 1980s for us. Of those cases that still have a visible head stamp, most are TZZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 Rufus the bum, could you please share your source of cheap 40 brass with me? I use to get range brass for free-well not really because I have to pay the 8 dollar fee to get in. But it seems I'm not the only one picking up the brass anymore because there is not much left on the ground for me to pick up. I think the rangemaster is selling it now. oh well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratochief Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 brassmanbrass.com is where alot of guys buy brass from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 I've had a couple of decent experiences with ebay sellers. Just try to find a seller (with what you're looking for) close enough to your own location to keep the shipping costs down. Depends on precisely what you're looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironman Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 PistolPete, I reload once fired 40 cal once or twice because it is so cheap, 45 cal gets reloaded until I loose it or use it at a competition (usually 4 to 5 times). 38/357 we reload a soft 357 load and have reloaded some cases 8 times without any signs of fatigue to the case. I have not started reloading 223 or 9 mm yet. As I recall the rule of thumb is about 4 to 5 times but I have heard some reloaders get 10 reloads out of a normal 45 cal. load. Of course if you go hot, love a big bell, or shoot a glock you might want to reduce the number of reloads per case a bit. Joshua, I use brassmanbrass.com for my 40 brass. I have always been satisfied with their product. I suggest that you order while you still have some brass because they are getting very busy and it may take a week or two for you to receive your shipment. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kline Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 I usually load mine about 6 times, but its so cheap now, probably not. I picked up thousands from my PD and I now won't reload them for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonub Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 until it cracks. usually 8 times for 40 and probably 20 times for 45acp. Brass is winchester for 40 and RPA for 45. RPA is military brass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted July 9, 2003 Author Share Posted July 9, 2003 Where does everyone get their brass??? Do you buy new or used and what prices are you getting? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 Try http://www.brassmanbrass.com/ or http://www.scharch.com/ Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmaass Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 It depends on the caliber, power factor used, and specific gun. For my 9x21 IPSC loads, I find that the primer pockets get loose before anything else wears out. I start each year with 2000 new cases, and keep them segregated by the number of firings. After seven or eight firings, I stop trusting them to hold the WSR primers, and swap the cases out with new. This with Tanfoglio cases. Except for split cases, I don't think I've ever worn out a .45ACP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSCDRL Posted August 6, 2003 Share Posted August 6, 2003 I did an experiment once with one .38 super case that I kept using and then reloading. I got tired of the exercise after about 10 loadings with no significant detriment to the case. This is a Major power factor load around 178PF out of a match Baer Built Caspian. My .45's? I load them until the case splits, then I load them one last time and leave the empties on the range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAB Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 I've found it depends on the brand of brass. I can't remember the headstamp (it was one I'd never seen before or since - bought it "new" at a gun show), but I had some .40 brass that was cracking after its second firing. I figured it either wasn't new (although it looked really good), or it was a bad manufacturer... SAB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 PistolPete, I usually load them until I lose them. Very seldom will I find a cracked case. I load .40 with 180 fmj rounds loaded to about 170 pf for IPSC shooting. FWIW Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacblack Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Find your self a nice police friend and get some of that once fired brass from the PD's range. Of course if they dont keep it all for sale, but even then most of the LEO's I know can get some if they want. This is great for 40 cal. thats what most use. Most of it is glock but my SV doesnt mind. I load my brass tell it splits or looks suspect. I started with some 9mm in 96 painted the heads green and still see some in my reloads. No telling how many times its been through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quixote Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 I've reloaded .45 brass in excess of 20x without a problem. I do inspect each as they are placed in the ammo boxes and any splits are marked with a magic marker, loaded first, and left at the range. I've had VERY good experience with Starline, both new brass direct from their website and in purchasing once fired through Ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Other than splits and cracks I've never stopped loading 9 and .45 cases. 9 cases are so cheap now that I've stopped brassing them up at USPSA matches. I'll still collect them at steel matches and practice sessions though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now