January 3, 2013, 09:03 AM | #1 |
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Brass questions
Beginner here, I have some factory brass that were originally loaded with lead bullets, they have a grove in the case similar to the cannelure. I wondered if I could reload these cases with jacketed bullets or can they be reloaded at all??
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January 3, 2013, 09:18 AM | #2 |
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That is the factory crimp groove. It wont hurt a thing to reload it the same way as anything else.
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January 3, 2013, 09:23 AM | #3 |
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I assume you are talking about the crimp "groove" which would have been under the base of the bullet, or crimped into a crimp groove below the case mouth??? depending on the cartridge ( 357 Magnum for example ) they may have been double crimped to help control bullet jump from recoil... I've reloaded 357 ( for example ) a couple times, & fire formed, & resized the bottom crimp out of the case after several reloadings ( they are definately reloadable, so long as they are brass & boxer primed ) I try not to buy those type of cases for reloading though, as it ends up being a weak point in case, & more often than not, that's the 1st place to crack
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January 3, 2013, 09:31 PM | #4 |
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They were 38 special, Im cheap and hate to throw stuff away, I have a bunch of diffrent jacketed bullets .357 cal and wanted to do something with the brass. Thank you for your answers, its nice to have some help considering that mistakes can be dangerious. Thanks again.
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January 3, 2013, 09:58 PM | #5 |
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They'll be fine as long as you don't seat the base of the bullet past the case cannelure.
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January 3, 2013, 11:53 PM | #6 |
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Use them. After they have been loaded and resized a few times there won't be much constriction left.
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January 4, 2013, 01:00 AM | #7 |
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Once you resize it will seat a bullet properly like any other case. After you shoot it again you probably will not see that crimp line again or it will eventually disappear with firing and resizing.
Treat it like any other .38 case, it's fine. And that is a good reloader instinct to always research before throwing away. Actually, never throw away, at worst put into a recycle bucket to eventually sell as scrap. I put all my brass that has cracked, has loose primer pockets, any other defect, along with old brass pipe fittings, stripped brass screws, and anything brass. But if you are inspecting brass and it has anything you know is wrong or close to it, just recycle it. I probably cull one or two cases every time I reload a batch of 100-200. Whether I recycle one or four cases is nothing in the long run and absolutely foolish to let those couple of marginal cases slip through. When it comes to defects my motto is, "If in doubt, recycle it!" If it is something I have not seen before and not sure if it is a defect then do what you just did, ask around and read up on it.
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Last edited by NWPilgrim; January 4, 2013 at 01:07 AM. |
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