Hello: I recently took up reloading again after a 30 year hiatus. I am interested in opinions on how one determines how many times you can reload brass safely before it is time to pitch it. I understand there are lot of variables here, but do you pitch your brass when you've shot it a certain number of times, or do you wait until you see some obvious sign of distress? Thanks.

Look for obvious and not so obvious signs.Split case necks - fairly obvious. Texture of metal near the base which indicates stretching and thinning of the case (insipient head separation ) not so obvious , but the thing is to inspect cases each time.

I use my pistol brass until I looseit or split necks. Rifle brass I use until the casec show excessive over working like; loose primer pockets, reduced neck tension & excessive stretching. I've loaded some of my rifle stuff (10) times w/o these signs showing up. It depends on how hot you load & neck vs full sizing.

Agree with opinions so far. If you anneal the necks you can substantially extend the life. A big factor is if you neck size or partially full size as opposed to full sizing. Also how well your chamber and die are matched. If treated "gently", brass can last almost indefinitely. Some of my cases have been reloaded near 30 times even with moderately heavy loads.

A lot depends upon how hot you load. Generally real hot loading may lead brass to become "worn out" after as few as 2 or 3 loadings. Lighter loads used in cases that fit the chamber well can sometimes be loaded in excess of twenty times. There are many other factors that can impact the life of your brass.

muck

[ 09-13-2003, 03:36: Message edited by: muck ]

I agree with all the above posts. To add a little to them as well. I have a lot of 100 pieces of 308 Winchester brass that I have loaded 26 times with the 155 gr. Sierra Palma bullet. Not one split neck, nor are primer pockets loose. This is with a load that is clocking 2890 fps from a 25" barrel, so it is not exactly mild. But the chamber is a tight match chamber and as stated in previous posts helps minimize brass fatigue. In addition a lot depends on the quality of the lot of brass it was formed with. Of all the domestic brass I have had the best luck with Winchester brass. Lapua and Norma brass are excellent. Monitor the condition of your diligently, it will tell you what is going on.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Straight.....RiverRat

[ 09-13-2003, 06:22: Message edited by: RiverRat ]

Great comments all. Pistol brass almost always splits length wise, so it's obvious when it's ready for the trash.

Head separation on brass is trickier. More of an "experienced eye" thing...or gut instinct if you will. If I don't feel good about a case for whatever reason, I just pitch it.

I have heard of guys bending a lenth of wire into an L shape and using it inside a case to "feel" for pending head separations. I've never bothered. Again, if a case is "looking funny" in places, I just pitch it.

Case life is, I think, mostly determined by the quality of your rifle chamber and perhaps even more so...how hot you load it.

There are more scientific ways to worry about case life, but all these points mentioned are what the real reloaders use and it seems to work. No since making it harder than it needs to be.

Pushing the power up is the fastest way to shorten case life. For the last couple dozen years I have just loaded mid way between suggested and Max loads and had good results all around.

Loosening primers is a good excuse to junk brass.

[ 09-13-2003, 08:37: Message edited by: Pecos45 ]

Pecos45,

You stated "Head separation on brass is trickier. More of an "experienced eye" thing...or gut instinct if you will."

There is a way to tell and it is rather simple. You need a piece of heavy wire, like a stout coat hanger. You grind or file a point on one end and then put a 90 degree bend close to the point. You have to be able to get it in the neck of the case. Leave it long enough to reach the bottom of the case also. All you do is drag the point lightly along the inside of the case slowly. What you are feeling for is a valley that will form where the case is starting to seperate. This will usually be closer to the base then the beginning of the shoulder if it is there. Do it in 2 or 3 different positions around the case. If found into the scrape pile it goes. RCBS has one on their Case Master piece.

With a little care and checking you will find them before they come apart.

[ 09-14-2003, 07:45: Message edited by: Byron ]

How about nickel plated brass? Seems like it might be more durable and last longer. I've been shooting them out of my 22-250 for a while now and haven't seen a single sign of stress. Heck, I haven't even trimmed them yet. The loads I'm shooting are at the upper end as well.

i think the life of your brass depends on the quality and how hot it is loaded ...i use lapua brass in my 06 and i get over 50 reloads per case with pressure in the 60-65000 psi range
daniel

Most of the right information is mentioned above, as it is in most good loading manuals, but just to summarize, there are four things to look for:

1. Case split, usually the neck -- discard case,

2. Loosened primer pocket, where the primer goes in with less resistance than when the case was new -- discard case,

3. Case length beyond maximum -- trim case to within specifications,

4. Insipient case head separation; this will not normally occur unless you are full length resizing AND setting the shoulder back too far. You should resize just enough for the case to enter the chamber freely, no more. To check, unbend a paper clip and run the tip down the inside case wall to the base. A groove around the inside of the case, which is easily felt, indicates a pending separation and an error in reloading procedure -- discard case and adjust sizing operation.