Reloading Handgun Cases

[Martowski]

How many times can these be reloaded and do you typically toss them out after a certain number? And, what happens if they go beyond their life? I'm familiar with rifle cases; had a number split at the case neck and simply toss them out; no harm, no foul. But I see all these pictures of ruptured case heads in handgun loads that result in "kabooms" in handguns and certainly don't want anything associated with this.

So, how does one know when a case has been loaded too many times and what happens when that time comes?

[lpspinner]

I don't always load to the max, so I have cases that have been loaded more times then I can remember. I usually end up losing them before I see any type of degradation.

[zxcvbob]

Revolver or autoloader? It makes a big difference. Load revolver brass until it fails or the primers get loose. It doesn't hurt anything even if they do blow out.

With semiautos you have to be more careful, but you'll usually lose the brass before you wear it out.

[Jammer Six]

I reload .45 ACP until they split (extremely rare) or I lose them. (Almost all of them.)

[Martowski]

Talking about auto brass. I've heard the "reload till I lose them" and that makes sense, but I do try to save my brass and take great care to collect it when I'm shooting at my place.

[MarkDozier]

Holy Bullets. I agree with Jammer.
Which is why I am always scoring once fired brass when i can.

[Misssissippi Dave]

I normally load them until they split. I load to mid range and the cases seem to last longer then I can keep from loosing them. Max loads will probably reduce how long the cases will last. I give them a quick look over after tumbling then load them again. If the primer pockets seem loose then they will get tossed. That doesn't happen often.

[Martowski]

So basically keep shooting till they split and I'll be okay? No safety issues?

[howlnmad]

Not a lot to worry about, just be sure to inspect them.

As was said, you'll most likely lose them, but shoot them til the mouths split or the primer pocket becomes to loose to hold a primer.

[zxcvbob]

So basically keep shooting till they split and I'll be okay? No safety issues?

That's going too far unless you're shooting a revolver. Examine the brass for obvious defects. Be suspicious of any brass you pick up that is bulged at the base like a pregnant guppy (you used to find 9mm like this, now it's mostly .40S&W, and that is becoming less common)

Even with a revolver you don't want to shoot any brass with a bright ring around the base signalling an impending case head separation -- it won't be dangerous in a revolver but it's not easy to get the broken case extracted afterwards.

[Tuzo]

I shoot revolvers more than semi autos. Some of my revolver brass is on the 10th or so reload. This includes 38 spl to 44 mag. A few split cases but nothing to worry about. Tried to solder the splits but the melted solder really screws up the cylinder.

Semi auto is nearly in the same ballpark. To be safe with range pickup brass I pass 40 S&W and 45 ACP through a Lee Bulge buster to smooth out Glock bulges from partially supported chambers. No problems with any semi auto range pickup brass.

[Jim243]

How many times can these be reloaded and do you typically toss them out after a certain number?

Good question, but I am not sure there is a good answer. You need to look at how the brass was obtained.

I shoot public ranges all the time, so almost all my brass is range pick-up (pistol). When I started reloading, all my brass was purchased new (500 cases per caliber) or from commercial ammo purchases and I recycled my own brass (no problem).

I even tried to keep track of how many times the cases being reloaded were used. Well since most reloading was done on rifle cases that wasn't too hard. But I would reload 50 cases and shot maybe 20 rounds so I would end up with 20 two time used cases and 30 one time used cases (still loaded). As time went on that was a pain to keep all the cases segregated and I stopped keeping track of the use of each case. It is also extreemly difficult to keep track of 223 cases and their use since I use so many of them.

Most of the rifle range brass I pick up are once fired cases, most of the people I shoot next to do not reload, so they are shooting commercial ammo and do not pick up their cases (I do.) Reloaders will pick up their own brass so that does not become an issue on how many times it has been used.

Now pistol brass, that is a horse of a different color. How do you tell what is your brass and someone else's. Unless, you color code your reloads with a magic marker on the base it is impossible with all the cases lying on the floor. So I don't even try, I just pick-up all that I can. It is after tumbling and cleaning them that I then check each case for wear and condition. Any case that seems to have seen better days is tossed without question. Do I toss a lot of usable brass, maybe but I don't worry aboult any failures (not worth using something that might require me to buy a new gun.)

As many others here have said, you need to check your brass for wear and tear. You should get at least 5 uses out of each case if not more as long as you do not load to max pressures. Excersize caution whene picking your brass to be reloaded and you will not have any problems, if the brass looks like it is 50 years old and been through two wars, it probable is and needs to be retired.

Jim

[Martowski]

Thanks all. Just wanted to make sure I have my bases covered here.

[rclark]

All I shoot is revolvers. My cases 'die' when they finally 'split'. Then they are tossed. Give each case a quick glance before it go into the resizing die and after the mouth expander die. Size splits are more 'obvious' than mouth splits of course.... Usually you notice the case split right away as they are usually harder to eject from chamber. Note this is for general shooting. I am sure if someone is in competition bulls eyes shooting, cases are retired 'early' to keep consistency up.

[jepp2]

You might find this study helpful. For 9mm (yeah the sample size was small in number of cases per headstamp involved) case life ran from 10 to over 70 loads per case.

brass life study

Look about half way down.

[Martowski]

Thanks! That brass study is very interesting; appreciate the link!

[sc928porsche]

You can increase your case life from splits by belling just enough to start the bullet and crimping just enough to remove the bell. On heavy crimp like the 44 mag. Anneal the case about every 5th time.

I have a small fortune tied up in reloading equipment since I started 50+ years ago........Loaders, dies, tumblers, trimmers, pocket swedgers, primer tools, molds, melters, sizer, sizer dies, and more. Its all "paid for" by now in "savings" but anything I can do to reduce the cost of materials helps. What started out as a cost saving item has turned into a runaway hobby. Much like my gunsmithing equipment.

[454PB]

I use my .44 magnum brass until it begins splitting at the case mouth, then I trim it back to .44 special and start over. Mouth splits usually start at 15 to 20 loadings. After it's trimmed, the clock starts over.