Reloading questions

[Shug]

I don't reload, But I have a load of brass that I've shot and picked up at the range. I was wondering how bad brass would have to be tarnished and dirty before it would be deemed useless. Also all my .223 seems to have the neck kinked, is it useable? I've reloaded shotsheels, and you resize the brass at the base. Are rifle and pistol hulls resized also?

[Dolomite_supafly]

Yes they are all resized.

I have reloaded brass that was nearly 100% black from tarnish without an issue. As far as the case neck dings they are not an issue unless they do not come out during the sizing process. Any dings in the case walls will come out upon firing.

The biggest thing about range pick ups is to make sure they are 100% clean before sizing. All it takes is a single grain of sand to ruin a sizing die. Also watch out for berdan primed brass but nost of that is going to be steel cased, not always but most times.

Dolomite

[dlm37015]

i dont use range brass because i dont know how many times its been loaded and trimmed

[Guest Riverrat]

Once fired brass that you buy? Are you sure? I would sell mine as once fired. I know some have been reloaded 20 times.

[BigK]

i dont use range brass because i dont know how many times its been loaded and trimmed

I understand that you can never really *know* how many times, but my thought process is that most reloaders haul off their brass. That rationale makes me think range pickups seem like they'd be most likely to be once-fired factory brass.

Aside from the ocassional reloader that left his brass because he knew it had been reloaded too many times, what am I missing? You're not the first I've heard say this, so there must be a big hole in my thought process somewhere...please help.

[Shug]

This range is way out in the woods so Im pretty it is all once fired factory and military surplus

[Jonnin]

tumbling can remove all sorts of tarnish, and it has to be extremely bad to have made the case unusable. Like, eaten into the brass enough that you can feel it (after cleaning) --- some sort of pitting and all.

Any splits or cracks are a no-go.

Deep dents can be bad in a necked case, but it has to be very deep, enough that you would think to yourself "this wont feed" or "this dent will up the pressure too much".

Some range 223, actually a lot of it, isnt brass, so make sure. Some is steel, some is other crap. Only brass is really good to use, you can sorta use nickel plated stuff at least once.

You would be amazed at the dents you can knock out of straight wall pistol cases. It can be all but mashed flat and still work so long as it does not split in the process. Necked cases, the neck will undent but there is nothing inside the case in the big diameter pushing OUT to undent it, so dents in the main part of the case of those is an issue. Minor dents there will reform with shooting it again, but major dents there = discard.

[dlm37015]

the only brass i sell as once fired has crimped in primers

for me it is the libality issue

i pick up my own brass and reload it untill it has been trimed 4 times

then i throw it away or sell it for scrap there is a reason that i only sell new brass

cause i sold some fired brass one time young fellow blew up his rifle

sued me because of the brass he didnt win but it stilll cost me several dollars

if you stop by my table at a gunshow you only see new brass thats why

[Jonnin]

the only brass i sell as once fired has crimped in primers

for me it is the libality issue

i pick up my own brass and reload it untill it has been trimed 4 times

then i throw it away or sell it for scrap there is a reason that i only sell new brass

cause i sold some fired brass one time young fellow blew up his rifle

sued me because of the brass he didnt win but it stilll cost me several dollars

if you stop by my table at a gunshow you only see new brass thats why

I have any number of reloaded 223 that has crimped in primers.... I can and have often managed to poke a primer into them without strain and keep on going. There are signs, of course, but if you picked up the case you would have a low chance to notice the differences. Dunno how common it is for people to use the crimped brass without knocking the crimp out but at least one person does it.....

[dlm37015]

have you ever been taken to court over once fired brass i have it cost too much to do again

by all means pick up all the range brass you can i used to do that myself to use

there are lots of folks that sell fired brass but when you buy it how can you tell how many times it has been shot

[Dolomite_supafly]

The only range brass I pick up is from know people or straight walled pistol brass. Straight walled brass is likely to get lost before it wears out and when it does it is normally in the form of a split case neck, hardly a dangerous problem.

Any rilfe caliber bottle neck rounds I leave in place.

Dolomite

[MarkInNashville]

I understand that you can never really *know* how many times, but my thought process is that most reloaders haul off their brass. That rationale makes me think range pickups seem like they'd be most likely to be once-fired factory brass.

Aside from the ocassional reloader that left his brass because he knew it had been reloaded too many times, what am I missing? You're not the first I've heard say this, so there must be a big hole in my thought process somewhere...please help.

Big K makes good sense to me (I do hope that if there is a hole in your theory someone will point it out, though)!

I certainly understand dlm37015's stance too - if I were in his shoes I would have the same policy. In fact, I do different things at work with PCs and components than I do personally just because I "don't want to take a chance".

[Jonnin]

have you ever been taken to court over once fired brass i have it cost too much to do again

by all means pick up all the range brass you can i used to do that myself to use

there are lots of folks that sell fired brass but when you buy it how can you tell how many times it has been shot

? I was just saying the crimped primer may or may not be sufficient to tell if it had been shot many times.

[Garufa]

.

Edited September 13, 2012 by Garufa

[Caster]

I used to be brass buzzard, circling around until I gathered every 223 I could find. Now...I wouldn't bend over to pick up ANY brass. David's primed LC brass is cheaper than working to clean, size, trim and load. THe only 223 brass I save come from my bolt gun. I can buy range brass at scrap price. I will NOT bend over and aggravate my back and shoulder for $3/lb. Common caliber brass is just too cheap and easy to come by to bother with. Any of my auto loaders, I let it hit the ground. THe way I figure it; i really like the range I shoot at and I support them by buying my pistol brass from them. If you figure that I might be buying my own brass back, stop and think. I have a bad back, I'll gladly pay anyone $3 per pound to pick it up for me.

[timthetoolman]

I guess I am still old school. I pick nearly everything that looks shiny and I reload most all calibers I end up picking up. I used to labor over sorting brands etc but now i just scoop up mixed range brass, run it through my 5 gallon caliber sorter contraption, polish the brass, inspect brass as I am feeding it into my Dillon. Anything remotely suspect looking gets plunked in a case gauge, cracks stick out, as do other serious deformities. Do I know how many times its been shot? Nope. But come on, any experienced reloader can look at a piece of brass and determine if it can be loaded or not pretty quick. Especially after loading 1000's of the same caliber.

When I am loading for accuracy or hunting I use new brass, or brass that I bought new and have tracked the history of. But when it comes to loading plinking and practice stuff I shoot everything that will hold one more shot. For 223/556 its easy. I grab the crimped brass, knowing its likely only had one shot through it, and is good for at least one more likely with out trimming. I clean em up, check case length, deprime, decrimp with a Dillon SS, and enter the brass into service. I tend to like the Privi brass and it sticks out at the range because of the red around the primer, its 5.56 and tends to be a bit thicker. I am going on my 6th reload of Privi brass I got from some green tip I bought a while back, trimmed once and still showing no signs of issues.

At this point I have a pretty good reserve loaded, but I still pick up brass and sort it for future loading. The way I look at it... I can't make the stuff...I can't buy it if it's no longer available...or perhaps can't afford it....and it doesn't go bad. It can always sit there in a few 5 gallons buckets or be recycled if reloading doesn't make sense or isn't enjoyable anymore. As is the case for me and 9mm... just doesn't make sense.

I have also purchased brass from David and it was well worth the price, especially for ones I don't usually see laying around....like 22-250. So what range sells it for 3 bucks a pound?

[mikegideon]

I used to be brass buzzard, circling around until I gathered every 223 I could find. Now...I wouldn't bend over to pick up ANY brass. David's primed LC brass is cheaper than working to clean, size, trim and load. THe only 223 brass I save come from my bolt gun. I can buy range brass at scrap price. I will NOT bend over and aggravate my back and shoulder for $3/lb. Common caliber brass is just too cheap and easy to come by to bother with. Any of my auto loaders, I let it hit the ground. THe way I figure it; i really like the range I shoot at and I support them by buying my pistol brass from them. If you figure that I might be buying my own brass back, stop and think. I have a bad back, I'll gladly pay anyone $3 per pound to pick it up for me.

Are you saying you won't pick up Blackout brass? How about .458 SOCOM? I understand 223, unless it's top end stuff like Lapua.

[R_Bert]

I found a whole box of .338 Lapua and ~6 .50 BMG brass the other day.

[Caster]

Are you saying you won't pick up Blackout brass? How about .458 SOCOM? I understand 223, unless it's top end stuff like Lapua.

Well, ole tender knuckles ain't gotta pick up 300 blk brass being as his is a bolt action, now do he?

[mikegideon]

Well, ole tender knuckles ain't gotta pick up 300 blk brass being as his is a bolt action, now do he?

I was gonna leave that one alone. I'll build you an AR if you buy the parts. All you gotta do is ask

[Caster]

I was gonna leave that one alone. I'll build you an AR if you buy the parts. All you gotta do is ask

I've had so much good luck from this bolt action, my brass lasts a LOT longer than it would in an AR and I don't have to order a custom barrel. THanks for the offer.

ALl the standard 300 BLK barrels are a fast twist. You CAN find one in a slower twist but it ain't easy and it sure ain't cheap.

[mikegideon]

I think I'm finally gonna shoot mine later today. Got no problem with AAC recommended twist shooting jacketed bullets. Nosler, Hornady, and gerber.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

The free public range I go to sometimes I show up and there is lots of brass on the concrete. Anyway pistol brass I shoot ends up laying a couple lanes to the right and the brass I get underfoot comes from folks to the leftward lanes. So when packing up I just pickup anything underfoot and to the right of me.

So I end up toting home whatever I fired plus some extras from strangers. Only reload 9mm, .380 and .357. Sometimes I only pick those up and leave the rest for the next guy. Sometimes if in a hurry just scoop it all up and sort when it gets home. Pickups that are shiny at that range are most likely once fired or maybe once reloaded commercial reloads.

Will usually only go for the brass laying on concrete Too much trouble picking it out of gravel. Used to keep a broom in the truck to sweep it into a pile, but keep forgetting lately and my foam rubber "bench pad" makes a decent enough brass sweeper. I carry the 2 foot x 1 foot piece of foam in the range bag so guns don't get scratched laying on the concrete benches. It is just cut out of one of those wallyworld cheap camping sleeping pads-- That blue dense half inch closed cell foam. It is real durable material and I keep some on hand because it is good material for many assorted needs. Been toting that same piece of foam for years as a gun pad and for sweeping brass on concrete and its still in pretty good condition.