Reusing Brass

Ishyid · February 10, 2010, 07:37 PM

Okay, completly newb question.

When I was younger I always remembered picking up brass off the ground in the mountains to give to one of my friends dads friend cause he reuses them. can you actually reuse already fired shells? Go ahead and laugh. I don't know much about reloading, but what I have just read, I think you extract the old primer and put in a new one. Is that correct?

Thanks,
Joshua

Dragon55 · February 10, 2010, 07:40 PM

-clean the brass
-straighten the brass
-put in primer
-put in powder
-put in bullet
-put all in gun
-pull trigger
.....

then repeat 10 - 50 times

gearheadpyro · February 10, 2010, 07:44 PM

That's right Ishyid.

Brass can be reused many times over, how many depends on what caliber, the load, and a host of other factors. I'm up to 7 reloads on some of my .40 S&W brass, and 6 on some of my .308 Winchester brass.

I have a website that I'm working on that will help with the newb type questions (htpp://www.rifles-shooting-reloading.com). You might want to give it a look, and of course ask all the questions you like here on the forums. We're always glad to help.

tom234 · February 10, 2010, 07:49 PM

I thought the term "reloading" was self explanatory.

mrawesome22 · February 10, 2010, 10:07 PM

All except 22-250Rem. You can't reload those. So if you find any, just give me a shout and I'll take 'em off your hands.

tincanhunter · February 10, 2010, 10:39 PM

Dragon55 missed 1.

-Inspect the brass for any cracks/fractures. Especially brass being reloaded for semiauto rifles. Look up incipiant case head separation on google. You don't want this to happen.

Lost Sheep · February 11, 2010, 04:28 AM

Ishyid,

Welcome to the forum.

When I started shooting (and reloading, the same week, about 35 years ago) the guy who sold me most of my gear told me about another fellow who did the same thing I was doing. He had bought a gun, a box of ammo and reloading gear and had some target practice. Then came back for some more ammo. The storekeeper asked him about the cases from the first box. The guy's eyes went wide and he said, "What do you mean?" He had left them out in the Arizona desert somewhere. He spent over an hour trying to find the place where he had been shooting.

(Note: I am not talking about me. My stupid trick was to shoot 6 .357 and 50 38 Specials without hearing protection my first time out. Never again.)

To clarify, most American made ammunition can be reloaded easily. Exceptions are the steel and aluminum cased ammunition. Those metals are not suitable for the metalworking that brass-cased ammunition is just perfect for.

A lot of European ammunition is reloadable, with difficulty, because they use a different design of primer. Berdan primers (named after their inventor, who, by the way was American). Boxer primers were invented in Europe, but are now more widely used in America. Boxer-primed cases are more easily reloadable than Berdan-primed cases. It has mainly to do with primer removal. A simple center punch can push out a Boxer primer because there is one flash hole in the center of the cartridge case. The Berdan-primed cases have two flash holes on either side of the center. More difficult to remove.

I recommend you pick up a copy of "The ABC's of Reloading". It is filled information about reloading and not overwhelming with load data (which you are not interested in yet). And it is an easy read (not like my prose).

You could probably find a copy in your local library or on line or in your local bookstore or gun store.

Good luck (and, for what it's worth, I think most people who shoot probably should reload, with just a few exceptions).

Lost Sheep

Uncle Buck · February 11, 2010, 07:04 AM

Lost sheep summed it up beautifully. He should write the introductions to all all reloading manuals.

NCMountain · February 11, 2010, 07:34 AM

No need for me to comment because your question has been answered. My only additional thing to say is, it is a blast to collect what you shoot and reload. Call it therapy in my book and with a good cold beer at your side it makes for some relaxing moments!

CWPinSC · February 11, 2010, 08:04 AM

Quote:

-clean the brass
-straighten the brass
-put in primer
-put in powder
-put in bullet
-put all in gun
-pull trigger

As Step One, add Pull Old Primer.

SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 · February 11, 2010, 02:57 PM

G'day and welcome.
I'm a little serprised that nobody has mentioned that you can't reload rimfire cases.

Ishyid · February 11, 2010, 03:06 PM

About the different types of casing's. Right now I am shooting cheap South African ammo for plinking, and was talking to a friend of mine and he was saying that he thinks the South African shells will be able to be reloaded more times then other .308, because the shell is more heavy duty. Is there any truth to that at all?

Second of all, how the hell do you get the primer out? Last night I took a center punch and a hammer and was trying to extract it just for the hell of it. Did not work... Any pointers or suggestions?

Thanks,
Joshua

gearheadpyro · February 11, 2010, 06:59 PM

Look down at the base of your cases on the inside. If you see one hole in the center (boxer primed)then you can reload it, two holes and it is extremely difficult (read-not worth it). The vast majority of over seas sourced brass is berdan primed (it has two holes).

Thicker brass may get more life than others, but it really depends on your load, your gun, and other factors.

To remove the old primer reloaders have a press and a sizing die. The sizing die has two functions:
1. Resize the case back to specs
2. Remove the old primer.

Berdan primed brass can not be run through a normal die as it will break the decapping pin (the part that knocks the old primer out).

If your just trying to get a primer out to see what it looks like then you may be able to use a small punch. The flash hole on .308 boxer primed brass is only .080" or so wide, so you will need a pretty small punch.

mapsjanhere · February 11, 2010, 07:11 PM

Quote:

The vast majority of over seas sourced brass is berdan primed (it has two holes).

Unless you're talking surplus ammo, I haven't seen any Norma, Lapua, RWS etc brass being berdan primed.

gearheadpyro · February 11, 2010, 07:14 PM

I was referring to surplus ammo, as this is what the O.P. sounds like he is using.

Considering the volume of surplus ammo shipped and purchased and the volume of the high dollar brass (which I use), I figure I'm pretty safe to say its a vast majority. I do not have numbers to back that claim though.

Ishyid · February 11, 2010, 07:16 PM

Yep, just what I thought. Two holes...

tes1900 · February 11, 2010, 10:38 PM

As long as the brass is not defective you can reuse it.
You are most likely going to acquire multiple head stamps from the range; but if you don’t mind sorting it all out by head stamps and not looking for the most accurate of ammo them save the bucks and go for it.
Considering that you will be picking up a bunch of rimfire case you can start your brass recycling batch there.
But if you are looking for accuracy I would consider buying new rifle brass, but for plinking or handgun get the reused.
Tom

uncyboo · February 12, 2010, 01:30 AM

Quote:

But if you are looking for accuracy I would consider buying new rifle brass

Why?

gearheadpyro · February 12, 2010, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Quote:
But if you are looking for accuracy I would consider buying new rifle brass

Why?

I bought new brass for my gun so that:

A. I knew what exactly had been done to it
B. I knew how many times it had been fired
C. It was from the same lot
D. Everything was kept as consistent as possible.

Consistency = Accuracy, buying a fresh lot of brass helps when it comes to match grade stuff.

Plinking is a different story altogether... If it loads, it shoots.

zig mag roller · February 12, 2010, 10:21 PM

HEY ISH! Welcome to the forum! I am a visual learner. I can read all the books I want, but until I see or do something myself, it's hard to grab the concept. Go to YOUTUBE and look up videos on "reloading ammunition" I suggest looking at some of the videos by "ammosmith", but there are a lot more as well. The world of reloading is vast, take your time, watch some videos and read as many threads around here as you can. You seem to be off to a good start because you're asking lots of questions, keep it up!

February 10, 2010, 07:37 PM	#1
Ishyid Member Join Date: December 24, 2009 Location: Bonney Lake, Washington Posts: 84	Reusing Brass Okay, completly newb question. When I was younger I always remembered picking up brass off the ground in the mountains to give to one of my friends dads friend cause he reuses them. can you actually reuse already fired shells? Go ahead and laugh. I don't know much about reloading, but what I have just read, I think you extract the old primer and put in a new one. Is that correct? Thanks, Joshua

February 10, 2010, 07:40 PM	#2
Dragon55 Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2009 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 811	Yes -clean the brass -straighten the brass -put in primer -put in powder -put in bullet -put all in gun -pull trigger ..... then repeat 10 - 50 times __________________ sailing ... A way to spend lots of money and go real S L O W

February 10, 2010, 07:44 PM	#3
gearheadpyro Senior Member Join Date: September 3, 2009 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 169	That's right Ishyid. Brass can be reused many times over, how many depends on what caliber, the load, and a host of other factors. I'm up to 7 reloads on some of my .40 S&W brass, and 6 on some of my .308 Winchester brass. I have a website that I'm working on that will help with the newb type questions (htpp://www.rifles-shooting-reloading.com). You might want to give it a look, and of course ask all the questions you like here on the forums. We're always glad to help. __________________ www.southernmarksman.com Owner of & Chief Instructor for The Southern Marksman, LLC NRA Life Member, NRA CRSO, Multi-Discipline NRA Certified Instructor

February 11, 2010, 04:28 AM	#7
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	He's not the only one Ishyid, Welcome to the forum. When I started shooting (and reloading, the same week, about 35 years ago) the guy who sold me most of my gear told me about another fellow who did the same thing I was doing. He had bought a gun, a box of ammo and reloading gear and had some target practice. Then came back for some more ammo. The storekeeper asked him about the cases from the first box. The guy's eyes went wide and he said, "What do you mean?" He had left them out in the Arizona desert somewhere. He spent over an hour trying to find the place where he had been shooting. (Note: I am not talking about me. My stupid trick was to shoot 6 .357 and 50 38 Specials without hearing protection my first time out. Never again.) To clarify, most American made ammunition can be reloaded easily. Exceptions are the steel and aluminum cased ammunition. Those metals are not suitable for the metalworking that brass-cased ammunition is just perfect for. A lot of European ammunition is reloadable, with difficulty, because they use a different design of primer. Berdan primers (named after their inventor, who, by the way was American). Boxer primers were invented in Europe, but are now more widely used in America. Boxer-primed cases are more easily reloadable than Berdan-primed cases. It has mainly to do with primer removal. A simple center punch can push out a Boxer primer because there is one flash hole in the center of the cartridge case. The Berdan-primed cases have two flash holes on either side of the center. More difficult to remove. I recommend you pick up a copy of "The ABC's of Reloading". It is filled information about reloading and not overwhelming with load data (which you are not interested in yet). And it is an easy read (not like my prose). You could probably find a copy in your local library or on line or in your local bookstore or gun store. Good luck (and, for what it's worth, I think most people who shoot probably should reload, with just a few exceptions). Lost Sheep

February 11, 2010, 07:04 AM	#8
Uncle Buck Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: West Central Missouri Posts: 2,592	Lost sheep summed it up beautifully. He should write the introductions to all all reloading manuals. __________________ Inside Every Bright Idea Is The 50% Probability Of A Disaster Waiting To Happen.

February 10, 2010, 07:49 PM	#4
tom234 Senior Member Join Date: February 14, 2008 Location: Kansas Posts: 753	I thought the term "reloading" was self explanatory.

February 10, 2010, 10:07 PM	#5
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	All except 22-250Rem. You can't reload those. So if you find any, just give me a shout and I'll take 'em off your hands.

February 10, 2010, 10:39 PM	#6
tincanhunter Member Join Date: July 3, 2009 Posts: 94	Dragon55 missed 1. -Inspect the brass for any cracks/fractures. Especially brass being reloaded for semiauto rifles. Look up incipiant case head separation on google. You don't want this to happen.

February 11, 2010, 07:34 AM	#9
NCMountain Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Location: western, NC Posts: 121	No need for me to comment because your question has been answered. My only additional thing to say is, it is a blast to collect what you shoot and reload. Call it therapy in my book and with a good cold beer at your side it makes for some relaxing moments! __________________ Ruger GP100 4" SS; Ruger LCP; http://ncmountaingunner.blogspot.com/

February 11, 2010, 02:57 PM	#11
SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2008 Location: Far Nth Wst QLD Australia Posts: 992	G'day and welcome. I'm a little serprised that nobody has mentioned that you can't reload rimfire cases. __________________ If you're not confused, you're not trying hard enough! When you're confused, I'll try to use smaller words!!!

February 11, 2010, 03:06 PM	#12
Ishyid Member Join Date: December 24, 2009 Location: Bonney Lake, Washington Posts: 84	About the different types of casing's. Right now I am shooting cheap South African ammo for plinking, and was talking to a friend of mine and he was saying that he thinks the South African shells will be able to be reloaded more times then other .308, because the shell is more heavy duty. Is there any truth to that at all? Second of all, how the hell do you get the primer out? Last night I took a center punch and a hammer and was trying to extract it just for the hell of it. Did not work... Any pointers or suggestions? Thanks, Joshua

February 11, 2010, 06:59 PM	#13
gearheadpyro Senior Member Join Date: September 3, 2009 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 169	Look down at the base of your cases on the inside. If you see one hole in the center (boxer primed)then you can reload it, two holes and it is extremely difficult (read-not worth it). The vast majority of over seas sourced brass is berdan primed (it has two holes). Thicker brass may get more life than others, but it really depends on your load, your gun, and other factors. To remove the old primer reloaders have a press and a sizing die. The sizing die has two functions: 1. Resize the case back to specs 2. Remove the old primer. Berdan primed brass can not be run through a normal die as it will break the decapping pin (the part that knocks the old primer out). If your just trying to get a primer out to see what it looks like then you may be able to use a small punch. The flash hole on .308 boxer primed brass is only .080" or so wide, so you will need a pretty small punch. __________________ www.southernmarksman.com Owner of & Chief Instructor for The Southern Marksman, LLC NRA Life Member, NRA CRSO, Multi-Discipline NRA Certified Instructor

February 11, 2010, 07:14 PM	#15
gearheadpyro Senior Member Join Date: September 3, 2009 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 169	I was referring to surplus ammo, as this is what the O.P. sounds like he is using. Considering the volume of surplus ammo shipped and purchased and the volume of the high dollar brass (which I use), I figure I'm pretty safe to say its a vast majority. I do not have numbers to back that claim though. __________________ www.southernmarksman.com Owner of & Chief Instructor for The Southern Marksman, LLC NRA Life Member, NRA CRSO, Multi-Discipline NRA Certified Instructor

February 11, 2010, 07:16 PM	#16
Ishyid Member Join Date: December 24, 2009 Location: Bonney Lake, Washington Posts: 84	Yep, just what I thought. Two holes...

February 11, 2010, 10:38 PM	#17
tes1900 Member Join Date: November 8, 2009 Location: Gardnerville Nevada...Free America Posts: 35	Depending... As long as the brass is not defective you can reuse it. You are most likely going to acquire multiple head stamps from the range; but if you don’t mind sorting it all out by head stamps and not looking for the most accurate of ammo them save the bucks and go for it. Considering that you will be picking up a bunch of rimfire case you can start your brass recycling batch there. But if you are looking for accuracy I would consider buying new rifle brass, but for plinking or handgun get the reused. Tom __________________ Amendment 28…Congress shall not be exempt form any legislation imposed on the rest of America. Patriotism has no expiration dates but too many politicians do! Clinton ruined a dress…Obama ruined a nation!

February 12, 2010, 10:21 PM	#20
zig mag roller Member Join Date: January 19, 2010 Location: Utah County, Utah Posts: 23	The whole world resides on YOUTUBE! HEY ISH! Welcome to the forum! I am a visual learner. I can read all the books I want, but until I see or do something myself, it's hard to grab the concept. Go to YOUTUBE and look up videos on "reloading ammunition" I suggest looking at some of the videos by "ammosmith", but there are a lot more as well. The world of reloading is vast, take your time, watch some videos and read as many threads around here as you can. You seem to be off to a good start because you're asking lots of questions, keep it up!