[azmick]

How many here buy ONLY new brass?
For my straight wall hand gun brass, I will pick up and use about any brass I can find {once hit the mother load and picked up about 200 PMC 45 Colt} with no hesitation.
Even the stuff that looks like it has been run over by a truck gets used {if it can be straightened without a crease}. Do you seperate/segrigate by brand {I do to a small extent, GFI 45acp brass gets used but with caution}.

but the rifles all get brand new brass that is sized, trimmed and fireformed before serious reloading.

 

[carl418_resigned]

I don't really know how much difference it's made, but when I first started reloading I bought new Starline brass for each caliber I was working with. Then, as I needed more, I bought more new Starline.

I've read that there are differences in wall thickness between manufacturers. As I said, I don't know if it makes that big of a difference, but I've always stuck with Starline. I'm looking for consistency, and using the same manufacturer all the time has got to help in that area.

I'm very pleased with Starline. I know for fact that some of this brass has been reloaded 10+ times with no problems. Some more than that..

Of course, that can probably be said for most of the manufacturer's brass..

 

[Guest]

For years, many of the guys shooting steel plates would let their brass go into the brass bucket. I managed a lifetime supply of once fired brass in .38, .357, .40, and .45...To this day, 95% of the shooters toss their semi brass into the freebie bucket.

giz

 

[Forester]

Nothing at all wrong with once fired brass. If you are not on the razors edge of pushing the envelope with your loads, it won't amount to a hill of beans if you are using once fired.

I have some 38 cases that are over 20 loads. Occasional split case but still going strong.

 

[c pierce]

Most all my brass has been fired more than once. I get my brass where ever I can find it.

 

[straightshooter1]

I agree with the straight-walled handgun brass idea-get 'em anywhere, shoot 'em till they split. At least for practice.

And, I understand some folk's idea to only start with new, unfired brass with rifles. I just don't agree. I have bought literally thousands of once fired '06, 308 and 223 or 5.56 military.

It shoots just as accurately and, some theorize, new brass doesn't shoot as well the first time as it does after you have once fired it in YOUR gun, then neck-sized it for the next firing (doesn't work with semis, however).

My once-fired are FL sized, trimmed, the primer pockets are reamed and the flash holes deburred.

I didn't like the 7.62s Midway used to sell (maybe they still do) that had been fired in full autos.

IMO, nothing wrong with once-fired for rifles.

Bob

 

[xtimberman]

I keep a small - a very small - supply of new brass on hand, but rarely use it.

I keep a much larger supply of Known and segregated-by-lot once-fired brass. I use this for important handloads that will be used for hunting and "carry". I go one step further and segregate some of the once-fired brass by what gun it was shot in - especially rifles chambered in the same cartridge.

I readily admit that I am a brass whore and know that my fired brass reserves and wheelweight ingots are in danger of popping the concrete slab of my storage room..... but I consider "found" brass to be an unknown and spend a lot of time visually inspecting each piece before I'll shoot it in one of my firearms. Any question and it hits the recycle bucket.

Any cartridge that runs at SAAMI pressures of the .45acp (~21,000psi or less) aren't much worry to me, and I will shoot them until they are lost or split. I do keep them segregated by headstamp to minimize funny problems with crimp, bullet pull, or velocity variances, etc.

It's hard to do, but I try to keep some record of number of times fired for high pressure cases - like 9mm pressures (~36,000psi and above) and pitch 'em after 10-15 firings or so.

xtm

 

[Viss]

Just bought some today, local gun shop I can get 500 38 spl for $15.00.

 

[Forester]

That's a fantastic price, Vis! I was paying $8 per hundred for once fired and thought it was an OK deal.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I scrounge it all but do inspect.

I'm sizing some .220 Swift brass this evening as I read the forums. I've never retired a .220 Swift case and I've been loading some of this stuff for 20 years. This batch is on its seventh trip through the rifle's chamber and has been trimmed once. I don't however shoot loads that are wound tight in cases like this. The full power Swift loads are only assembled in new or verifiably once-fired cases.

I do neck size the Swift cases.

I used the same batch of Lake City '66 military .30-06 cases for a couple of high-power seasons. It went through my M1 16 times before I gave up and tossed it. My load wasn't gut-bustin' hot but was at least "3/4-throttle," using IMR 4895 powder and surplus 150 grain bullets. The case rims were pretty chewed by the end of the experiment.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I scrounge it all but do inspect.

I'm sizing some .220 Swift brass this evening as I read the forums. I've never retired a .220 Swift case and I've been loading some of this stuff for 20 years. This batch is on its seventh trip through the rifle's chamber and has been trimmed once. I don't however shoot loads that are wound tight in cases like this. The full power Swift loads are only assembled in new or verifiably once-fired cases.

I do neck size the Swift cases.

I used the same batch of Lake City '66 military .30-06 cases for a couple of high-power seasons. It went through my M1 16 times before I gave up and tossed it. My load wasn't gut-bustin' hot but was at least "3/4-throttle," using IMR 4895 powder and surplus 150 grain bullets. The case rims were pretty chewed by the end of the experiment.

The .38 Special and .45 ACP are just loaded until they "fad away."

 

[Deputy1199]

In over 40 years of reloading I have never had to buy new, factory brass. Years ago, before the current ammo shortage,. I salvaged an unlimited supply of once fired brass (9mm, then .40 caliber) from the police academy firing range. (In those days brass was discarded; now it is sold). Now retired, I get all of my once fired 9mm, .40 and .45 ACP brass from my indoor range. I have found that the majority of shooters I meet at the range do not reload, buy factory ammo and throw their once fired brass away. If asked, they will usually give you all their used brass, especially if you offer to collect it for them. On one occasion I scored about 2,000 nickel .40 caliber cases from a group of Federal agents who were shooting qualification tests at my range. When I saw the cases of 180gr Gold Dot ammo they were expending, and joked that only Feds could afford to shoot that much because they print their own money, they offered the used brass to me. I gratefully accepted, and I'm still reloading that brass today.

 

[Faulkner]

I also get my brass from my department's range. I know of only one other officer in the department that reloads, so we usually split it. I've never had to buy 9mm, .40, or .45 ACP brass. In fact, I have an old cracked Coleman ice chest full of .40 once fired brass from the range that'll last me for years and years.

Also, I've heard all the stories about how dangerous it is to reload brass fired from Glocks. 90% of mine is from Glocks, and just for my personal satisfaction, I segregated 200 rounds of .40 S&W Glock fired brass and loaded, fired, and reloaded them 12 times without one single issue. After a dozen loadings I discarded them satisfied that Glock fired brass is no worse for wear than any other.

 

[Geoff40]

Me too. I don't usually hesitate to pick up brass when I see it. You have to weed 'em out based on plain old common sense. I have started processing once fired 5.56, but I don't have a lot of it yet. It is a lot of work. I've hand loaded-including precise individual powder measurement-hunting loads for my ARs with the stuff, and it works/fires/functions great. After screwing around with a couple of different primer crimp solutions that didn't work too well, I discovered the Lyman primer pocket reamer, on the wooden handle, thats the one you want to be using.
A few years back I bought a large quantity of surplus Guatemala 5.56 brass, and I wish I'd bought all I could, because it is as good as new LC but it was half the price.
Otherwise my new brass purchases are almost always limited to just 100-200 at a time. Some of my 38 and 357 has to be up in the 8-10 times loaded and fired, with just a few of them lost to issues related to repeat firing.

 

[Trooper]

I tend to buy new brass for things that work at substantially higher pressures, like magnum rounds. Buying once fired (maybe) or using found range brass in these calibers is too much of an unknown for me. In more sedate pressured calibers like .38 special and .45acp I'm not as picky. I picked up two hundred cases of once-fired .38s at a gunshow this last weekend so i could reload them for the 14-4 I picked up the same day. I do all of my .45acp loading out of a .50cal ammo can that's full of .45 brass. I honestly have no idea how many times those have been reloaded.

 

[Legionnaire]

I've bought some new brass, but mostly shoot once-fired. I'll even buy the latter, as it's much cheaper for good brass. When I do the latter, I typically pay a bit more to make sure it's all the same headstamp. Just bought 200 once-fired Winchester brass cases in .243 -- all good brass that cleaned up very nicely.

 

[jimg11]

I started reloading in 1962. The only place I ever got brass was to buy a box of very expensive factory rounds shoot them then reload them. When I would buy a rifle the deal usually included a Lee Bang em in, bang em out reloading tool. Remington and Winchester listed primed brass and I inquired as to the price-- 3/4 the price of factory ammo and you still had to add the bullet and powder. I don't think I would consider that. I have bought some new brass if the price was really right but I would not consider buying it at retail. I have reloaded and shot many thousands of rounds in fired cases and once fired is not not a worry to me.

 

[Buscadero]

I started reloading in 1962. The only place I ever got brass was to buy a box of very expensive factory rounds shoot them then reload them. When I would buy a rifle the deal usually included a Lee Bang em in, bang em out reloading tool. Remington and Winchester listed primed brass and I inquired as to the price-- 3/4 the price of factory ammo and you still had to add the bullet and powder. I don't think I would consider that. I have bought some new brass if the price was really right but I would not consider buying it at retail. I have reloaded and shot many thousands of rounds in fired cases and once fired is not not a worry to me.

Hi,
I read your post and must say that I could have written it word for word, I started loading around 1962 and used a Lee seat the primer with a hammer(LOL) loading setup, have the same thoughts on brass also. Must be something in the water.
Jim
Western Maine

 

[jimg11]

Hi,
I read your post and must say that I could have written it word for word, I started loading around 1962 and used a Lee seat the primer with a hammer(LOL) loading setup, have the same thoughts on brass also. Must be something in the water.
Jim
Western Maine

Hi Buscadero
Didn't you just hate it when you were hammering in the primer and the foolish thing went BANG and shake you up. I was so glad when Lee came up with the priming tool.