Safe way to use mixed brass?

[DoesItGoBang]

Relativity new to hand loading (45 Colt and 45 ACP over the last year)

Christmas was good and I now have all tools/component for 380 ACP reloading.
Loading for a TCP for general range plinking (yes I like to shoot the little thing)
Components: Win SP primers, Unique Powder, 90 grain XTP bullets, Mixed brass (100 total brass count)
All brass length is .667” to .673” (under .680” max)

The mixed brass is the question mark! It contains five different head stamps. Five of each was weighed on a 505 scale
Federal: 49.8
Remington: 41.8
S&B: 49.9
Speer (Nickel Plated): 50.1
Winchester: 46.4

Planing on using Lee starting load and go from there. Thinking of using S&B brass to work up a load to mid-range then load the remaining with load. (heaviest case => lowest case capacity) Are there any pitfalls other than lower accuracy?

Thanks,
DoesItGoBang

[mikejonestkd]

I stopped sorting brass for plinking ammo about 3 months after I started reloading. I did not find any difference between headstamps when shooting, so it wasn't worth the bother to sort it.

Don't worry about case weight either, as long as the brass is in good shape and all at the correct length just load it up and shoot it.

[g.willikers]

The thickness of the brass from one manufacturer to another might be the reason why the weights vary.
It can affect the crimp, but rarely enough to be of concern.

[Slamfire]

For pistols, just use midrange loads and bang away with mixed brass. For my autoloaders, 45 ACP and 9mm, I have shot same headspace over the chronograph and at the target, and I can't tell a nickel of difference between the velocities or the accuracy of mixed brass. But, we are talking about pistols, and if you can hold, offhand, four inches at 25 yards, you are a darn good pistol shot. And if you can hold four inches at 50 yards, you are an amazing pistol shot.

If you can’t shoot under four inches with a rifle at 100 yards, you are not a very good rifle shot.

For rifle ammunition, I have seen that mixed ammunition does not shoot as well as same headstamp and same times fired. For pistols, aiming error exceeds ammunition error by orders of magnitude.

[jcwit]

Load em, shoot em.

No need to load max.

[pathdoc]

If you're using starting loads, safety shouldn't be an issue.

Whether you batch for later use or not depends on how many of each of the five types you have. Anything you have at least 20 of is probably worth while. Below ten? Not sure.

[Sarge]

I've used range pick-up for years in 40 S&W and 45 ACP. Use medium-slow powders, don't crowd the redline and you'll be fine. I also run a firm taper crimp to avoid setback, which can spike pressures.

[jonathon1289]

I sort by headstamp and load in batches of the same HS. But I have mixed HS in a batch if I run out. For starting to even mid loads I have not had an issue.
I do not load to max but if I did I would be a lot more picky with my brass selection.

[FloridaGuy]

I load all brass for a specific caliber the same no need to separate it. The only time I may separate head stamps is if I am going to a range that inspects my ammo. A lot of the local ranges are starting to not allow reloads of any kind.

[MarkGlazer]

I have thousands of rounds from the range and like others on the board do not sort by head stamp. Please be advised that not every case is the same length. (sort a few and measure to validate). The differences are fractional, but they will affect your OAL. I have read numerous posts by members stating that they do sort by head stamp and load accordingly. That guarantees consistency, obviously, but it is a time consumer.

When I first began loading early last year I was terribly concerned with having a consistent OAL. After reading multiple posts and asking questions I changed my approach. I always load to the median grain weight and as a rule of thumb, stay within a range of the length, with a factory round as my measurement tool for my maximum and the Load Datas' Minimum OAL as my floor. Note: the factory round is always under the maximum OAL as depicted in my data. You may also need to adjust for your chamber size depending on the brand you own.

Last point, if you purchase cast lead bullets you will see inconsistency in length. That provided the biggest frustration point during the learning curve. I used to sort by size of the bullet. It took me a while and many questions to the board to come to the conclusion I stated above. I can't speak to consistency as it pertains to people who cast their own bullets nor to those purchasing jacketed rounds. Thus far I have stuck to lead cast for the range and factory for home defense.

Keeping your powder measurement and your OAL within a safe range will yield quick results and afford you less worry when you are on the firing line. That should give you a good base and confidence to start making adjustments as time passes.

Ask as many questions as you can. The people on this board have a very deep knowledge of their craft.

Have fun. Good luck.

[Sarge]

I can generally get my lead bullet pistol loads to within about 0.003" by seating them conventionally with a single-stage press. If I'm shooting for say, 1.250" (my standard 45 ACP/200 LSWC OAL) I don't mind if they run 1.248" because my taper crimp die often stretches the finished OAL by about 0.002".

Don't know why that is. It just is. It's one of those little oddities you plan around and we soon learn that 'perfect' ammo doesn't exist. If my lead bullet 45 ACP loads function like hardball and stay under 4" for 5 shots at 50 yards, I am happy as a clam.

[Nick_C_S]

380 is a small cartridge with little internal space. So that would compel one to sort by headstamp, but. . .

. . . as long as you're loading mid-range general purpose shooting rounds, it's not necessary. You measured the brass to ensure they're not too long, and that was important. Load away.

We've reached a consensus