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1/17/2010 10:58:54 AM EDT
How do you determine how many times you will reuse it.

Lets say I have once fired military brass and once fired factory fresh LC brass.

Do you use it until it "breaks", or do you set a number and through it away after?

I also have...
FC brass
LC brass
AD 5,56 brass
RD
PMC .223

How many times would you suggest I reload each brand.


Also on the side note do you guys also sort your brass by how many times fired?
1/17/2010 11:12:27 AM EDT
[#1]
What do you guys considered damaged?
1/17/2010 11:22:42 AM EDT
[#2]
I havent been reloading long enough to retire a lot of brass yet, but some of what I have retired already was due to necks starting to split.  Most of them are not even actual splits, but i can see cracks developing, or weak spots starting.
1/17/2010 11:50:21 AM EDT
[#3]
I use LC,FC, and WCC mostly i can usually get 7-8 out of LC, 5-7 out of FC and WCC before i toss it in the recycle bin. I check around the necks every time and if anything looks funny i toss but on average this is what ive been getting with semi mild loads.
1/17/2010 11:59:20 AM EDT
[#4]
Quoted:
I use LC,FC, and WCC mostly i can usually get 7-8 out of LC, 5-7 out of FC and WCC before i toss it in the recycle bin. I check around the necks every time and if anything looks funny i toss but on average this is what ive been getting with semi mild loads.


WOW! Thanks.

I thought $25 for 500 cases was good, but now i can use them about 6-7 more times!! Thats like $25 for 300-3500 cases!!
1/17/2010 1:34:20 PM EDT
[#5]
each gun is different though.

i havent loaded brass for my AR's very many times but i can tell you with my M1A and M1 garands i do NOT load the same brass more than 3 total firings.
1/17/2010 1:40:28 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
each gun is different though.

i havent loaded brass for my AR's very many times but i can tell you with my M1A and M1 garands i do NOT load the same brass more than 3 total firings.
You should carefully inspect every single case every time you go to load it.  Every one, every time.  Just because 99 out of 100 cases in one batch are perfectly fine does not indicate that that last one is fine.  So I usually concentrate on measurable characteristics of the cases themselves.  Are the primer pockets still within spec?  Are the mouths OK and not split?  How do the cases look just forward of the case head?  Keep in mind how many times a case has been trimmed, because the metal you trim off has to come from somewhere-and that somewhere is the body of the case, near the head. Always err on the side of caution; a good, recycled case is better than a bad, not recycled case.
1/17/2010 1:47:02 PM EDT
[#7]
GHPorter- the reason i scrap my brass after the 3rd firing is i get case head separations on the 4th firing. doesnt have much to do with my loading practices as far as im concerned, its about how abusive the rifle is on the brass.
1/17/2010 1:48:39 PM EDT
[#8]
I reload for cheap plinking ammo. I just keep adding new stuff to the pile. If it looks hinky, I pitch it into the scrap bin. I think some of my earlier WCC NATO stuff is on it's 5th or 6th loading though.
1/17/2010 2:36:20 PM EDT
[#9]
Quoted:
GHPorter- the reason i scrap my brass after the 3rd firing is i get case head separations on the 4th firing. doesnt have much to do with my loading practices as far as im concerned, its about how abusive the rifle is on the brass.
No problem there.  You are applying experience to the process and noting that 3 is the most you can get out of brass in those rifles.  But an AR is generally more gentle on brass than M1s and M1As, so it's less straightforward with the "little" gun.

I really didn't mean my post to be directed to you; it was more aimed at the OP.  Sorry I wasn't clear about it.
1/17/2010 4:57:32 PM EDT
[#10]
Worn out cases look like this.



Left to right,

Incipient case head separation

Weird crease not a crack

Next 3 split body

last 4 split necks

The 2 bottom rounds are factory loaded foreign 55 gr FMJ's with bad necks.

I inspect my brass and recycle the bad cases, then load them.

Hard to inspect cases that have not been cleaned, so I tumble my brass.

My thoughts on FC 223 brass is located up in "Useful Threads".

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