Brass longevity

[FlySubCompact]

I reload 9mm. When I started doing this I had a notion that you might get to recycle brass for shooting maybe 3-4 times.

I have a few Win brass that I know I've cycled nine times reloading. These few survivors I've kept close observation on using a black magic marker so I can track them at the range and tumble them separately. No signs of damage or over pressure. Don't get me wrong, I have culled a lot of brass, but these few troopers look great.

Most of my loadings are for medium pressure for plinking at the range, but I had no idea you could get that much life out of reloaded shells. Especially a round that is considered "high pressure" like 9mm.

What kind of life could be possible out of 45ACP's (low pressure)? Any of you ever track certain shells like this?

[lamarw]

No, I do not track. I shoot in fields and wood out back and not a range.

I do not recall wearing out brass, but I do tend to loose some as the major form of attrition.

I will also admit to damaging some brass here and there typically small brass like .32 ACP. I also give reloads away to family members from time to time.

[BigJimP]

I shoot at indoor ranges...with concrete floors...so cases bounce all over and I don't necessarily get only my cases back....( and I pick up a lot of range brass)...

but in .45 acp especially, the case is very strong...and I have no doubt you'll get dozens of reloads from one case before it will ever split -- and like you - I have dozens of reloads out of 9mm cases as well.

About the only cases I'm seeing splits on ...are .357 Mag and .44 Mag...or
on .40S&W - but even those seem to go at least 10+ reloads per case.../but I don't really keep track of how many times I reload a case.

[madmo44mag]

Pistol brass shoot till it fails and toss it.
It is that simple.
I have brass that is older than my kids and they have kids now so just keep shooting.

[jell-dog]

^^^^^+1^^^^^
What madmo44mag said!!!

[Nick_C_S]

I think the endurance champ is 38 Special. If you load them light and put a taper crimp on them (like what is common with semi-auto cartridges), you can get countless loadings out of them.

I have 38 Spl brass from 1983.

Both 9mm and 45ACP are usually good for lotza loadings too. Some will suggest flairing minimally as to reduce stress on the case mouth. Me, I don't subscribe to this notion. I flair so I can set the bullet in the mouth with ease and have no chance of shaving. I flair the mouth more than most and it doesn't seem to be an issue. It is my belief that being overly aggressive with the crimp (especially a roll crimp, common with revolvers) is what fatigues the case mouth, not flairing.

[Negative Investment]

I have 308 brass that has 20 firings through my AR-308. I anneal the necks every 5 or so firings though. Bolt guns don't beat up the rim or dent the case, so I'd imagine they last a whole lot longer than if run through a semi. With pistol brass I imagine you lose them at the range before you need to toss them.

[Mike / Tx]

Like I a couple of the others I usually loose mine before I use it all up. I have had necks split on several revolver calibers but I was also loading them pretty toasty too. Between the loads and the crimps I was using they would still last around 8-10 loads.

With my auto's, I loose it well before I can use it up.

[scsov509]

I load pistol brass until it either gets lost or the neck splits, and 99% of the time in 45 it gets lost long before it splits. The only pistol brass I bother to keep track of anymore is brass for my 10mm and 44, both of which get loaded to much higher pressures. But even with those calibers I typically load brass hot 3-4 times and then relegate it to plinking loads until it's lost or it splits.

[tangolima]

At least 50 loads if I don't lose them. If there is split neck or insufficient bullet grip, I will anneal the whole batch.

I usually bring home more than I have brought to the range, except a few calibers. 30 Mauser is notorious, with 4 to 5% attrition rate. They cost almost 30 cents each, so I spend more time looking through grass then actual shooting.

-TL

[mchapman]

Check this link out it's about 9mm, but other straight wall cases should be about the same.

http://headstampfinebrass.blogspot.c...reloading.html

[Road_Clam]

No arguing that brass life data here. I load a ton of rifle, and Win brass is excellent, RP brass is also excellent , LC NATO is tough brass, an honarable mention for great brass newcomer should be Wolf brass, and lastly FC brass is absolute garbage... VERY soft brass and the FC primer pockets are loose after about 2-3 firings.

[TimSr]

Taper crimp stuff last longer then roll crimp. You'll lose 9mm long before you ever wear them out. I've got some .38s that started splitting after a dozen or so loads. I have some WW Super .44 mag that did the same. I have PMC .44 with more and still going strong. I have some Freedom Arms .454 Casull brass that I truly believe is indestructible.

[Brotherbadger]

I don't worry about pistol brass. I'll lose that long before it breaks. My hunting brass, I do keep a count.

[jeffabuck]

Here is an awesome article about the science behind annealing brass: http://bisonballistics.com/articles/...rass-annealing

[603Country]

I have 38 Sp brass that's 30+ years old. I shoot it till I get neck splits. Never annealed pistol brass.

[salvadore]

I'm pretty sure I have some military 45 brass from the '70s.

[boondocker385]

I have lots of 38 special that have 10+ reloads through them.

@jeffabauk - good article on brass annealing!

[Mike / Tx]

I have some 41 cases that I have been loading since the mid 80's, and some 38 cases that my pop loaded starting back in the late 60's or early 70's. Like mentioned I also load until they split or until I loose them while out hunting. Auto loaders, well I loose the brass for them WAY before they get tired.

[Nodak1858]

I don't track any of my brass, pistol of rifle. I just keep using it until it splits, or other bad signs, or I just end up losing it. I think too much decent brass get tossed because it has "X" amounts of reloads. I don't think people should use questionable brass but no reason to not use it for the usable life of it.

[T. O'Heir]

Case life depends entirely on the load used. Your "low pressure" .45's can last literally forever. Load hot and they won't.

[Paul B.]

The only way I have any attrition with .45 ACP brass is if the neck cracks. I have some that have been run through one .45 so many times the head stamps are almost illegible.
Paul B.

[lee n. field]

What kind of life could be possible out of 45ACP's (low pressure)? Any of you ever track certain shells like this?

You'll lose it before you wear it out.

I think the endurance champ is 38 Special. If you load them light and put a taper crimp on them (like what is common with semi-auto cartridges), you can get countless loadings out of them.

.38 Special is the only thing (of what I reload for) that I see regular case failure (splits) with.

Outside of .38, I've had a grand total of one case failure, a .40 S&M case that split.

[Unclenick]

I tracked a bulk lot of Winchester .45 ACP brass through 50 reload cycles. By then I had probably lost about half to the range grass and about a third of the remaining half had split, so I was down to the last third. These were mostly loaded with target loads. The headstamp letters had gradually peened over and were disappearing.

The most interesting thing was these cases were all about 0.025" shorter than when they started, losing about half a thousandth per load cycle. That happens when pressures aren't high enough to make brass stick to the chamber wall and the chamber is tapered. So instead of stretching, the whole case just backs up to the breech, where it expands shorter and fatter to fill the tapered chamber. The sizing operation never quite fully returns it to length.

I'll add that the reloading for that lot was all on my Dillon Square Deal. That matters because the Dillon dies are small base or at least smaller base than my other .45 Auto dies. That forces all brass to work. For example, the Remington brass that used to work harden to the point it was so springy my Lyman carbide sizing die could not make it small enough to hold onto a bullet, works fine in the Dillon. So the splits were partly the result of the brass being worked a bit more at each sizing cycle than was strictly required.

The annealing has a lot of variations. The stuff I've seen written by metallurgists seems to me to be in general agreement with the linked article. I'll add to it that a general symptom that tells if you are overheating during annealing is that the necks get weak enough to start splitting in as few as three reloads afterward. If you are annealing every few shots for consistency, that's one thing, but if the necks actually start splitting again in three to six reloads instead of in twelve to twenty or so, then you are getting the brass too hot.

Dropping annealed cases into water isn't to help the annealing process. It so you can more quickly pick the cases up without getting burned. It started with the old method of setting cases in water deep enough to keep the head from annealing, then getting the neck red hot (too hot, as it turns out) and then knocking the cases over into the water tray. This let you pick them out with your fingers and move on the next set without waiting. If you stick to reasonable temperatures in a short enough time, you can leave the cases sitting where it is until it is cool enough to handle. If you have enough work space, why not?