Winchester Brass

bkhann · November 25, 2009, 05:31 PM

I picked up some fired Winchester 9mm brass at the range yesterday. There were about 15 cartridges that were so clean they looked like they had not been fired, but they had.

Does anyone have any idea what these are and can we reloaders duplicate what Winchester is apparently offeing?

Randy 1911 · November 25, 2009, 05:43 PM

You will find that condition in just about any factory loaded ammo. They use a type of powder that is blended for their purpose. We can not duplicate it with canister powder available to reloaders.

Malamute · November 25, 2009, 10:25 PM

Winchester has a line of "Win-clean" ammo designed for indoor ranges. I've shot some of it, and as you say, the brass looks really clean after firing it. I don't know if you can duplicate the load or not. You may want to try the winchwster ammo webite and see what they say about it, and perhaps contact them and ask about the details of the load if you want to copy it. I believe the bullets were jacketed with the jacket closed at the back so the lead of the core wasnt exposed to the powder gas, and didnt put lead particulates in the air upon firing. They werent exactly soft points, but sort of looked like they were.

I believe the primers are different also, and the flash holes are larger. A friend that had a commercial reloading operation a few years ago said when they first started seeing that brass, they called Winchester and asked if it was OK to load the larger flash hole brass with standard components. They replied it was fine.

FrankenMauser · November 26, 2009, 01:06 PM

I haven't gotten a good look at the Winchester non-toxic stuff.
However, be sure to give the cases a really good look. Federal has to use a higher copper content alloy for the non-toxic brass. It doesn't do so well with repeated reloadings.

(Read an article about it, after having my own problems. It has to do with the powder and primer they use. Attacks the zinc, or something...) (Also interesting about the Federal NT ammo, is that the primer is seated after the bullet and powder charge are already in the case.)

November 25, 2009, 05:31 PM	#1
bkhann Member Join Date: August 5, 2009 Location: Grand Rapids MI Posts: 98	Winchester Brass I picked up some fired Winchester 9mm brass at the range yesterday. There were about 15 cartridges that were so clean they looked like they had not been fired, but they had. Does anyone have any idea what these are and can we reloaders duplicate what Winchester is apparently offeing?

November 25, 2009, 05:43 PM	#2
Randy 1911 Senior Member Join Date: May 7, 2009 Location: Western Arkansas Posts: 273	You will find that condition in just about any factory loaded ammo. They use a type of powder that is blended for their purpose. We can not duplicate it with canister powder available to reloaders. __________________ Been Reloading 27 Years NRA Member Member Old Fort Gun Club www.ofgc.org

November 25, 2009, 10:25 PM	#3
Malamute Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 2004 Location: Rocky Mts Posts: 859	Winchester has a line of "Win-clean" ammo designed for indoor ranges. I've shot some of it, and as you say, the brass looks really clean after firing it. I don't know if you can duplicate the load or not. You may want to try the winchwster ammo webite and see what they say about it, and perhaps contact them and ask about the details of the load if you want to copy it. I believe the bullets were jacketed with the jacket closed at the back so the lead of the core wasnt exposed to the powder gas, and didnt put lead particulates in the air upon firing. They werent exactly soft points, but sort of looked like they were. I believe the primers are different also, and the flash holes are larger. A friend that had a commercial reloading operation a few years ago said when they first started seeing that brass, they called Winchester and asked if it was OK to load the larger flash hole brass with standard components. They replied it was fine. __________________ "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt-

November 26, 2009, 01:06 PM	#4
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	I haven't gotten a good look at the Winchester non-toxic stuff. However, be sure to give the cases a really good look. Federal has to use a higher copper content alloy for the non-toxic brass. It doesn't do so well with repeated reloadings. (Read an article about it, after having my own problems. It has to do with the powder and primer they use. Attacks the zinc, or something...) (Also interesting about the Federal NT ammo, is that the primer is seated after the bullet and powder charge are already in the case.) __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.