I have a good question for all of you experienced reloaders out there. Who knows, one of you may even be somewhat of a metallurgist with some really good info on this topic.
It seems the brass on cheaper ammo is always discolored in the neck & shoulder area like it has been heated to a very hot temperature. I like to collect brass whenever possible but, so much of what I can pick up at the range is this type of ammo...Especially in 5.56mm (.223 rem.) I always understood the better brass is usually made by Remington/Peters (marked R P) & Winchester along with a few others but, are far and few in between at the range. Currently, I never keep the discolored cases I find. Are the cases with the discolored brass even good to reload or should I continue as I always have? The better brass is hard to come by without purchase and I want to make sure I'm not passing a good oportunity for savings.
It seems the brass on cheaper ammo is always discolored in the neck & shoulder area like it has been heated to a very hot temperature.
Any replies will be greatly appreciated!
Well. That's because that all cartridge brass is annealed several times during the drawing process. The reason that some have the discoloration is that the manufacturer decided to forgo a final polish. But what you may be finding may not be brass cases, especially if it appears to be surplus. It might be steel cases, in which case you should verify with a magnet. The steel cases are not considered to be re-loadable.
The discoloration around the neck and shoulder of brass cases is indeed from the annealing process used to take out the brittleness of the brass to prevent neck and shoulder splits on firing and reloading.
Some manufacturers do not do a final polish of the cases after this process but this is only cosmetic and probably does help keep the price down. The discoloration is not just found on cheap brass cases. The red and white boxed Parker Hale 404J ammunition with a crosshaired elephant pictured was manufactured by Norma for PH, and the cases showed the discoloration of the annealing process. Norma brass is about the best you can buy then and now and is not cheap.
Posts: 3926 | Location: Rolleston, Christchurch, New Zealand | Registered: 03 August 2009
I've noticed that the Lapua brass appears to have the same annealing discoloration as well and I believe they are regarded as one of the better manufacturers of brass.
Even my spell checker wants to replace Obama, it just doesn't have any suggestions. jerry.baldwin06@comcast.net
What everyone is trying to say is ; Brass case quality isn't dependent upon shoulder and neck annealing discoloration being visible or polished away ,where one no longer sees the heated areas . Lapua is some of the most consistent quality manufactured brass an they simply consider secondary polishing unnecessary . Some like cases that shine like jewelry others prefer function and others prefer both . Performance isn't determined by looks , it's a combination of proper case preparation ,load and bullet selection for ANY particular gun . Some people are simply taken with sparkle ,I'm taken with results regardless of exterior shine points ...
Not to go of subject, but be careful picking up brass of unknown origin. I like to save money as much as anyone, but I don't scrounge brass for any of my guns. It may have been reloaded numerous times and a case head seperation is just one more firing away. James
Posts: 74 | Location: East Kentucky | Registered: 22 June 2006
When picking up range brass be sure to look it over real good. Make a tool out of a paper clip so it has a hook at the end to check for case stretching problems and be sure to clean it real good.
Posts: 1371 | Location: Plains,TEXAS | Registered: 14 January 2008
The discolored brass at the range is a good indicator of once-fired, so don't automatically reject it. You can always check it like plainman suggests.
Likewise, if you're desparately broke, steel cases are usually good for one reload. But only one. And without the lacquer coating, they'll rust in a heartbeat if you leave them laying around. I'm not saying its a desirable practice but I thought the survivalists might like to know....
"Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson.
Posts: 11142 | Location: Texas, USA | Registered: 22 September 2003
Once fired is easy to spot check the primers color . As everyone has cautioned clean it check it and cycle a Clean checked EMPTY through your chamber Before resizing or loading it . You can use a Marking pen or candle soot around the neck and shoulder ,so as to see if it presents any problems with your chamber specs .
I've used range brass many times and as of yet have had NO problems , 44 years that isn't a hateful track record !.
You just need to be diligent about WHAT YOU'RE DOING is all .
I am all over range brass. Even stuff I don't have a rifle for. You can always trade it. (I had several hundred .223 cases before I bought a .223 rifle) As posted, you can check the brass but I find that brass that has been reloaded several times has a "tired" look to it: several extractor and ejector marks on the head and little dings and scratches that polishing just don't do away with.
