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brickeyee · May 21, 2006, 08:46 PM

Regretfully there is no way to tell by a visual examination if brass is nearing the end of its useful life. Most of the time it has simply work hardened to the point were it splits (and sometimes not even right away).
With rifle brass you can try and anneal the necks, but most pistol brass is to short to heat the neck without softening the case head. the cost of most pistol brass is also low enough it is rarely worth the work.You do not need a chron or trimmer to get started. Most new brass is well below max length, and a chrono is not required of you are looking for less than full power loading. Very few can shoot a handgun accurately enouigh to ever bother with a chrono.
For .45 ACP the pressures are relatively low and the cartridge very forgiving.
Get a load that cycles the action reliably and start practicing. When you get good enough to notice the shots are not consistent, work on the load (or the gun).

May 21, 2006, 08:46 PM	#14
brickeyee Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2004 Posts: 3,351	Regretfully there is no way to tell by a visual examination if brass is nearing the end of its useful life. Most of the time it has simply work hardened to the point were it splits (and sometimes not even right away). With rifle brass you can try and anneal the necks, but most pistol brass is to short to heat the neck without softening the case head. the cost of most pistol brass is also low enough it is rarely worth the work.You do not need a chron or trimmer to get started. Most new brass is well below max length, and a chrono is not required of you are looking for less than full power loading. Very few can shoot a handgun accurately enouigh to ever bother with a chrono. For .45 ACP the pressures are relatively low and the cartridge very forgiving. Get a load that cycles the action reliably and start practicing. When you get good enough to notice the shots are not consistent, work on the load (or the gun).