case life

needforspeed

April 06, 2006 17:21

Roughly how many reloads do you guys find you get on a higher velocity round, such as .223?

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  needforspeed

  April 06, 2006 17:21

  Read an article recently wherein the author claimed that high pressure rifle cases were only good for 3 loadings after the initial firing.
  
  What?
  
  I've reloaded some rifle cases in the non magnum class 5-6 times with full length sizing and more than that with neck sizing.
  
  3 times seems low, even assuming full length sizing and magnum pressures.
  
  Or am I just crazy?

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  JustC

  April 06, 2006 18:05

  loading hot or close to max loads leads to decreased case life and can loosen a primer pocket in 1 firing. YUou can get quite a few loads (6-20rnds) depending on the pressure levels and chambers used.

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  jonk

  April 06, 2006 20:53

  I have loaded some rifle cases 10 times no problem; other times, after 1 the primer is loose. Depends on caliber, pressure, brass hardness, etc.
  
  Bottom line is if the primer seats tightly (not loose that is), there are no neck or body cracks, and the case isn't streched so far that a shiny band appears just above the head, which would indicate imminent seperation, you're good to go.

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  haroldchrismeyer

  April 06, 2006 22:02

  A lot of case life depends on how much you size the brass. If you full length size it every time, and you have a loose chamber, then the brass will not live long. If you neck size and watch your loads then many loadings are possible. Keep a check on overall length, and trim as needed, but remember that brass you are trimming is coming from somewhere.

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  gunnut505

  April 07, 2006 04:49

  If you choose quality brass (Norma, Sako, Lapua), you'll pay a little more for the extended life of your brass.
  If you load 'em hot; you might get 3-4 out of your .223-.243; expect shorter lives for .22-250, and you might get 4-5 out of your .308s.
  I use premium brass for my .300WM, load 'em to where they hit what I want, and still only get about 5-6 loads before I sell 'em for scrap.
  Some lots of .357Mag brass have had over 25 loads in 'em; but I load for silhouette in that caliber, and don't really "hot" 'em up much.

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  jonk

  April 10, 2006 21:31

  Incidentally, I have a few guns I shoot blackpowder in, where the bullets are tight enough in the neck where I don't need to size at all; some of these are on their 40th reload and still apparently fine.

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