brass question
is there much demand for 32-20 brass or 10mm brass?
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Just joined tonight and need help on which brass casings are the best to save for reloading. (I haven't reloaded in 23 years and that was only shotgun shells) I am starting to reload pistol and some rifle ammo and have accumlated several different types of once fired brass. Some I have picked up at ranges and some that I have bought, any advise on which is better and which should not be used would be greatly appreciated. Thanks keith 0 -
I reload handgun only, so, the only "brand" brass that I have any issues with is A-MERC...seems alittle brittle, case mouths split after only a few reloads. Always had good results with all the "major" brands. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by vonbama
Just joined tonight and need help on which brass casings are the best to save for reloading. (I haven't reloaded in 23 years and that was only shotgun shells) I am starting to reload pistol and some rifle ammo and have accumlated several different types of once fired brass. Some I have picked up at ranges and some that I have bought, any advise on which is better and which should not be used would be greatly appreciated. Thanks keith
i reload only 5.56mm NATO some folks call it .223 Remington but my AR-15s barrel marking makes its chamber 5.56mm.., sooo, military once fired brass is my favorite, then Winchester, R-P, FC, and Black hills when i find it, about 8 years ago the range i shot at it seemed that no one reloaded just left their brass where it lay, so for two years straight, i picked up every fired .223Rem./5.56mm NATO, after sorting i had a 90% keep ratio to scrap.
in my 50+ years of reloading i have found that the S&B (Sellier & Bellot) is quite possibly the worst brass to reload, i was given 400+ rounds of factory loaded S&B ammo and trust me here, i have saved some of the brass that was "bad", there was about 50+ rounds after firing had what i call a "belt", as in "belted magnum" some had part of the case mouth blown away, it is too soft and in my OPINION not worthy of buying, shooting or reloading.0 -
Over the years I have scrounged brass every time I go to the range, whether it's a caliber I reload or not. Those I don't reload I either give or trade away. In these times, it's money in the bank !!
That being said, I have found that any range pickup that has weathered extensively, has been nicked or damaged upon ejection, or has any obvious flaws is not worth trying to salvage unless it's an exotic or hard to find caliber. I have determined that .380 brass shot in a Ruger LCP tends to be deformed, bent and not worth picking up but can't say that I have noticed any particular brand being worse than others.
Obviously, check for Berdan primed stuff (unless you like to buy a lot of decapping pins), there are a lot of handgun brass out there that look like brass but are steel and others that are Berdan but have to be examined closely to tell. I usually run a magnet through the coffee can of range pickups before putting them in the tumbler.
Dan R0 -
Anecdotal evidence aside; A-Merc brass is pure crap-throw all of it away. Also-look at the space above the case rims. If there's a semi-shiny ring around your brass; discard or use only in an emergency, because that is evidence of a pending case split.
I've loaded thousands of S&B brass in my .40 over the last 12 years, and never experienced a case split, neck cracks, or any other signs of failure with them. Of course, others may push the data from a manual a little too far, and expect no problems; but I always work up to a load, and stop before I get to the max in most cases.
If all the brass you have is scrounged; you have no idea whether it was fired once, or a hundred times, so sort according to "prettyness" of the surface of the case. If it's scratched top-to-bottom; it's a reload.0 -
A-Merc is junk/ case walls to thick //primer pockets impossible//dont even think about using it// 0
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