How many reloads

[Guest LetZrock]

How many time's can you reload 357 magnums?

[leroy]

...How many time's can you reload 357 magnums?....

You will be suprised at the number if you take care of the brass. What generally happens is that the case mouths start to crack and split. I have used pistol brass that has been reloaded 7 or 8 times. I always keep them segregated and watch the case mouths for cracks and splits. I toss the batch when 3 or 4 cases show up with splits.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Leroy

[Guest friesepferd]

i always loose my brass before it starts to crack.. so many times. most people say around 10.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Some folks report how fast they can reload, but seems to take me forever, but I'm just naturally slow on everything. Practice is unlikely to make it ever get faster.

One big time sink is inspecting every case after they come out of the tumbler. Takes awhile to properly examine each case. I toss anything that doesn't look right.

The nickel plated cases seem to split sooner than the brass...

[Guest LetZrock]

Thanx all....good info

[I_Like_Pie]

I have some .38 special loads that I have been using since the 1980's. They must have 40 or 50 reloads. Often the primer pocket wears out before I get a split.

With magnum loads in a .357 you just shoot them till you get a split. Not need to fire anneal them as they are cheap to replace. 10-12 reloads is not uncommon - Especially if you don't bell them out as mentioned above. This is easier to do with jacketed bullets because a small bell will shave lead. If you under do it when opening the case mouth you may have a problem with the bullet seating hard and ballooning the whole case....can be corrected to the point of no worry by using a factory crimp die.

[Guest Crunchman]

Agree with all that's been said above. I'd like to add one more thing. Hotter loads will reduce the case life. I used to reload .357 maximum and the average life on those was 4 times, even loading at the light side of the recommended charges. Regular .357 plinking loads would last me 8 to 10. The same holds true in other calibers. Again, don't flare the mouths too much and keep the cases trimmed to the recommended length.

In regards to the chamfering of the case mouths: I have successfully done that with jacketed bullets in 45acp, but watch the crimp when/if you do it. Put just enough crimp to keep from getting setback. Any more and you take a chance on over pressure.