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Old October 16, 2001, 10:07 AM   #1
nedfig
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Keeping track of brass age

Do yall have a hundred or so peices of brass that you keep together and know exactly how many times each piece was fired?

Or

Do you have all number of mixed brass and just use them till they show bad signs? And then replace those with a new piece?
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Old October 16, 2001, 10:56 AM   #2
Mikul
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I have mine separated in marked 50 caliber ammunition cans.

If you're diligent about examining your brass, I see nothing wrong with mixing it up.
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Old October 16, 2001, 11:20 AM   #3
griz
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I try to keep up with the number of times fired. I keep fairly good track of rifle brass and it isn’t too hard since it’s usually in smaller batches anyway.
With high volume handgun rounds I am much less diligent. The revolver brass life span seems more dependent on how much you flare the mouth and the auto stuff usually gets lost before it gets old. For that reason the only time I insist on using newer brass for handguns is for max loads on magnums. I feel better with, at most, twice fired brass for those loads.
The one weird situation for me is 223 brass. I load a fair amount of it so it isn’t possible to keep track of all of it. I keep good records on batches that are used for target loads and the high volume plinkers with GI surplus brass are only loosely accounted for. Since brass is so cheap and plentiful I just discard any doubtful ones when inspecting.
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Old October 16, 2001, 12:05 PM   #4
Art Eatman
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It's definitely a Good Thing to at least have a feel for "used a lot" versus "nearly new". Inspection before reloading is still very important, however, since some brass seems to get "tired" more quickly.

At IPSC levels, .45ACP shoots okay even if the case is split. I wouldn't do this with "real" cartridges' pressure levels, though.

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Old October 16, 2001, 04:56 PM   #5
Rokchukrslave
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I separate mine into ziplock bags and number the outside with a marker showing how many times they have been fired. All my brass is fired the same amount of times since new. I shoot .223 and .308 in highpower and palma. Every round counts. When brass work hardens after so many times being reloaded, the "spring back" will be different when sizing. This can lead to different amounts of miniscule neck tension if brass is mixed up. Does'nt show up at the shorter ranges, but you will see it at 1000yds(IMO).
Geez, I sound like a damn benchrester.

Also, if you have a piece go bad on you, you know that the whole lot is ready to be thrown in the trash.
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Old October 16, 2001, 05:18 PM   #6
maxwayne
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I have a lot of unknown brass, however, when I do start with new I keep track of how many times that it has been loaded. I put an old business card in with the brass and keep track of the number of times that it has been used.
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Old October 17, 2001, 10:12 AM   #7
Poodleshooter
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I sort by headstamp. Most of my boxes of reloads use different charges for test purposes, so even brass from the same batch and box, reloaded the same number of times, will not wear identically.

I have a piece of .45ACP brass marked "Peters" (not Remingon-Peters). No clue how many times that it's been fired, but if it is really from the Peters company only, it has to be pretty well used. It's in great condition!
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Old October 21, 2001, 04:00 AM   #8
Jager1
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I have both. All is labeled. Not just hundreds but even thousands.

Anything for serious shooting is tracked diligently and is sorted by headstamp and in some cases, by lot.

I also have hodgepodge brass that gets light loads for target shooting.

I experimented with several hundred mixed 45 ACP cases to determine (realtively) which brands of brass held up under repeated firings. After some 22-23 loadings, it was still functioning flawlessly. Still, I was concerned and tossed it all in the trash. Afterward, other reloaders said it likely would have gone much further. My loss.

Loaded rounds get the same treatment. Minimum information is bullet brand, weight and configuration, charge, OAL, reload number (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc and date. I also keep a log for each batch indicating range results. No primer information as I use one primer brand. Should I switch, that information would be added also.
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Old October 23, 2001, 09:33 PM   #9
Ben Shepherd
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DITTO griz.
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Old October 24, 2001, 09:31 PM   #10
swifter...
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I generally buy brass in lots of at least 500.
What with culls and damaged stuff, this will give me about 4 "batches" of 100 each. These live in their very own MTM box, get prepped, loaded, fireformed, and fired together, ie., I don't load any more on that batch until I have fired them all.
I keep a 3X5 card(s) in a plastic envelope with each box, detailing the history of that batch:
What prep was done;
When annealed; when FL sized;
And, of course, how many times loaded, and the dates...

With pistol stuff, I don't worry.
Tom
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