How Many Times Can You Reload

[Mullet]

What are the indicators that its time to discard your brass?  For lets say Winchester Brass (or any good quality brass) how many times could you expect to reload say a 30-06.

[ricciardelli]

That's about like asking how many miles you can drive a car...

[Mullet]

OK, fair enough Mr. Ricciardelli, but what about the first part of the question?  What does your brass show when its time to toss it?
Thanks

[KYODE]

:yeah:  i think that is a really good question. i'd like to hear some answers on that myself.
i guess a cracked neck, crushed case, loose primer pocket,etc would warrant tossing one out. any other reasons to toss them out :?:




                                       :sniper:

[IronKnees]

There are so many variables there, the it is really difficult to say... If you full length resize EVER TIME, and load on the hot side, you may have to discard your brass rather frequently. However, if you do not load all that hot, and either neck only resize, or adjust your full length die back more or less to "fit" your particular rifle, your brass can last for many, many reloads... Very tough question to answer. As indicators, watch your brass length after each firing and see how often you need to trim. Eventually, thinning will occur in the case mouth area. Also, a really good idea is to use a gauge, such as the RCBS Casemaster to watch for thinning in the web area... And of course, primer pocket enlargement etc. As for myself, I load fairly light, and very seldom replace my brass. Probably at least 20 reloads or more on my rifle brass, and my handgun brass only gets replaced when I start seeing cracking around the mouth... I don't know if this helps or not... Dave

[Mullet]

Thanks Ironknees that does help.  I reload for particular rifles (I don't interchage reloads between rifles).  I now neck size only, GB got me started on that, which I guess should extend the case life.  For my single shot rifles, which is what I mostly reload for, I don't worry so much about correct case lenght but I do trim to keep them all the same so that too should extend the case life.  It makes sense that by continually working the brass its got to get thinner somewhere and the neck is about the only place I can check for that.  Thanks again!

[ricciardelli]

http://stevespages.com/diagnosingproblems.html

and

http://stevespages.com/caselife.html

and

http://stevespages.com/cases.html

[Castaway]

One way to monitor the brass is to run a paper clip dwon the inside from the bottom upwards.  If you detect a "depression" around the web area, it's time to discard.  Not a fool-proof method, but you can determine when brass has flowed.[/list]

[IronKnees]

Castaway... You are very right, and that method is effective and far less costly than the gauge I mentioned. However, I would add just a bit to what you said if you don't mind...

A paper clip is very malleable (bendable) and makes it harder to "feel" with. Try to use a stiff wire which can be cut to a usable length, but one which, although can be bent, remains mostly straight and springs back when pressure is applied. Bend the last 1/8th inch to 90 degrees, and then sand or grind the tip to a very sharp point. That very sharp point will detect the first hint of narrowing... (NOTE: Tab back up this thread to my eariler reply and look at the picture of the RCBS gauge that I posted... you can see the "feeler" with it's sharp point in it's stowed position...) The end of a paper clip or flat wire is big enough that it does not easily "feel" the developing bad spot...

Remember, the first signs of weakening inside that case is just a tiny, very thin ring around the circumference of the case, not a big anomaly that can easily be felt in your fingertips as you hold and move the wire around... It takes a sensitive instrument, or at the very least a sensitive touch, to "feel" the ring starting to form.

Now again, I'm not trying to impugn your post, just trying to improve on it. I've seen times, using my RCBS CaseMaster gauge, when the gauge was indicating a thinning area, but, in holding and pulling the cartridge case back and forth, I could not feel it as I pulled the needle past the bad spot... I used this "wire" method of watching for "web area thinning" for YEARS before I took the plunge and got my expensive gauge... Probably had one too many night caps that evening... :-D Just my method and IMHO... Dave

[Selmer]

Another good thing to use for this is a dental pic if you're shooting a larger caliber gun.  Stainless steel and very sharp, easy to feel with, of course you can make almost the same thing iwth a thick coat hanger that's bent and ground down for a much lower price, but for those of you who have to have the very best...myself included sometimes, but not now, buying a houe and having a kid makes money go bye-bye.
Selmer

[Mullet]

Thanks fellas this is the kinda info I was looking for.

[Smokeless Jim]

I have some Win 44-40 brass that has been loaded 14 times with mild cowboy loads,no sign of problems yet.  

                                                       Smokeless Jim

[ReedG]

Hi Mullet:

These guys have given you some great advice. I've got some Winchester .223 cases that have been reloaded 23 times with no apparent signs of quitting yet. I just keep loading them to see what happens. They've been full-length sized twice, and neck-sized only in Lee Collet Die all other times. I expect at some point to see split necks or some signs of separation, but nothing yet. The Lee Collet Dies put so little stress on the cases, that I'm not sure they'll ever give up. Mind you, I check length and neck thickness and trim when necessary.

But I had an Encore in .243 WCF and it was a bear on cases. For one thing, I believe Encore actions do not have a strong locking mechanism and that they are springy. Every time I full-length sized my cases, about 12-14 out of the box would not rechamber after firing and the action would not close to lock without a serious slamming. After three loadings, the cases started splitting about 3/8" up from the web. Traded the rifle, dumped the cases. That was my "Encore experience".

[chk]

Hornady has a nice annealing kit that works quite well. Annealing helps your brass last longer. Dave

[ihookem]

You can trim your cases a total of 50 thousanths of an inch. After that it is time to get rid of them. If you trim .0010 each time you can do it 5 times. after that handloading books say the case gets too thin.  If you start getting split necks after a while there is a trick you can do. Take a propane torch in the dark and heat the neck until it is a dull red. Then simply throw it in a bucket of water. This aneals it and keeps it from getting brittle. Therefore saving the case.  I got this info from www.varmintal.com

[BigEd22]

As mentioned above, you can anneal the case necks to 'soften' them.  However, I would suggest to NOT throw it in a bucket of water, as thay will harden the brass.  Instead, using a propane torch in a dimmed room, heat the necks enough until they start to dimmly glow, then put the cases (standing up) in a shallow water dish, with about half of the case sticking out of the water.  The idea is to prevent the heat from traveling to the case head and the bottom portion of the cartridge, as you do not want those areas to be 'soft'.