1. Is there a book of some sorts that can tell you where brass was manufactured by using the head stamp? ie. WRA 64 or DEN 43, SL 42 and so on. I know that some is fairly obvious, as Denver 1943.

2. Also was military brass only shot once or many times?

3. This may be a silly question, but the only stupid question is the one not asked, when determining the (H2O) volume of a case how do you deal with surface tension (ie. the little bubble that forms at the top of the neck, or does anyone do that?
I know that military brass is built thicker than commercial brass, but other than, trimming, then weighing, how can you tell the absolute volume of a piece of used miitary brass. Do you use a pipet and measure the volume you've added, then convert, or bag the whole thing and just back off a few grains?

I know they are a pain but a friend gave me about 500 rounds of 30:06 that I neck down to 270win, you have a short neck for a few reloads. Also have the stripper clips, (I don't know what to do with them?}. Does anyone need or use them still?
The 308's don't have many problems except the primer crimps a pain, also I think they need to be annealed most of the time, same with the 30:06's.

Anyway that's about the size of it. Any help or suggestions would be a help. There are times when I've got a flattened primer and other signs of pressure, I loaded about 20rnds with a min load of Varget (.308win) and got nearly 3000fps. thru the chrono.. Not good..... Needless to say I only fired 3rnds. (44gr) with a 150gr Nosler, solid base, balistic tip. So I think it is important, just maybe.

1. Don't know of any book, but there's a very comprehensive listing here.

2. In recent times, once only. Some of the target match quality stuff may once have been reloaded [mentioned somewhere in Hatcher's Notebook, IIRC], but that would have been before WWII.

3. Water capacity of cases is usually measured as grains of water, by difference [case full weight - empty weight]. Simpler than volume. Use a Pasteur pipette, small straw or such to add water so that the water surface is as close to level with the case mouth as you can get.

Or you can just back off the charge a few grains [for loads developed in commercial brass] and work back up.

Mil brass is softer than commercial, as well as thicker. This seems to be mainly to avoid case separations, when firing full-automatic weapons with 'generous' headspace. The force with which these chamber the cartridge, can set the case shoulder back appreciably, thus excessive headspace again.

quote:

3. This may be a silly question, but the only stupid question is the one not asked, when determining the (H2O) volume of a case how do you deal with surface tension (ie. the little bubble that forms at the top of the neck, or does anyone do that?

Might try adding some soap to water to break tension.

Gadge is correct.

In the early part of the 20th Century, a lot of military brass (.30/40 Krag and .30/'06 both)was reloaded, some of it a number of times. However, starting before I entered the Army in 1962, the practice of re-using GI brass had been generally discontinued, with the possible exception of brass from National Match ammo used by Army marksmanship units around the country. Brass was always policed up off of the firing ranges, if possible, and turned in through supply channels as salvage metal which ended up being sold as scrap through military salvage yards.

Most military rounds I have seen and fired were obvious reloads, whether it was 5.56, 7.62, or .50 BMG. It was easy to tell that the brass had been worked. At every range I have fired on, after we were done, we policed up the brass, and it was then sent off to be reloaded somewhere.

Actually, now that I think about it, the only time I have seen new brass was in theater.

Of course, I don't know where you get your rounds, so it very well may be once fired, or unfired surplus.

Some people are still reloading the 1960s lake city millitary cases.

I believe most G.I. ammo has a crimped in primer. If the crimp is still there on the fired case, it has not been reloaded. National match ammo, I think is not crimped.
I'm still loading brass stamped LC43 SLC42 and 43, DEN43, it was all good brass and has held up well.
Paul B.