when to ditch reloaded brass.

[Exonautic]

My .308 brass is at about it's 4th loading or so, gotta check the book on that, so I've been taking extra care to look over the brass. I haven't seen any noticeably damning things that would incline me to toss it, but is there anything i should be looking for that might not be so obvious? bullets still seat with no extra effort than the first loading. primer pockets are pretty consistent also with the first loading. measurements also seem very consistent. basically just want to know if there's anything i might be missing that would cause my action to blow up in my face.

 

[meketrefe]

I have 308 Lapua brass that I reload up to 50 times.
There is no fix number for the brass and it all depends on several factors...

A) how good the brass is you are starting with.
B) how hot you reload. High pressure rounds will shorten the life, obviously.
C) If you full length size all the time might also shorten the brass life because of the stretching.
D) Annealing from time to time will extend the life and prevent neck splits.
E) As soon as some minimum primer pocket pressure is present the brass is still serviceable and if
hard primers have stretched the pocket still can be reconditioned but it might be wise to start with
the smallest and softest primers and save the largest and/or hardest primers for later.
F) Also after prepping and cleaning the brass check for any signs of splits or stretch marks. This is
where simple neck sizing and annealing helps extend the life.

Bullet tension is totally independent and it is controlled by the dimension of the sizing brass and its thickness
at the mouth. Just make sure you anneal once in a while as explained above.

Measuring the brass at the rim and base is also a good way to see if the brass is within the limits and why
neck sizing helps in case your chamber is on the larger side so you avoid contracting and expanding too
much with every cycle. Once you use the brass that brass is fire formed to your specific chamber
and why it might be wise to just neck size or if you have to FL size don't go all the way and simply
slightly touch the shoulder so the headspace remains the same according to your chamber and unless
you are going to use it in multiple guns in which case it might be wise to FL size all the way.

It seems you are following the process and inspecting the brass so do not worry about blowing up in
your face. Brass, especially a round like the 308 can go for a long time with some care and
consideration.

I hope this helps.

 

[Exonautic]

Thanks Meke, that's more of an answer that i was expecting to get but an extremely helpful one. I think after this brass finally goes I'll invest in some good Lapua brass for my target loads. i do intend to invest in a neck sizing die in the next week or so actually. currently i am full length sizing. I've done some measurements on the brass prior to sizing and it only seems like it expands a thousandth or two.

what do you recommend for annealing when i do get to that point. Currently the brass i have i dont find it to be worth the effort just a mixture of hornady and black hills brass that i bought loaded when i first got the rifle.

 

[meketrefe]

Thanks Meke, that's more of an answer that i was expecting to get but an extremely helpful one. I think after this brass finally goes I'll invest in some good Lapua brass for my target loads. i do intend to invest in a neck sizing die in the next week or so actually. currently i am full length sizing. I've done some measurements on the brass prior to sizing and it only seems like it expands a thousandth or two.

what do you recommend for annealing when i do get to that point. Currently the brass i have i dont find it to be worth the effort just a mixture of hornady and black hills brass that i bought loaded when i first got the rifle.

No problem.

For annealing all you need is a plumbers torch and a tray. No much is needed.Never "quench" in water. Let it cool off naturally.
Lapua is amazing brass but there is also good brass in many brands like hornady, federal, etc...
Just make sure you segregate because not all brass is the same composition nor the same thickness so also for relaoding/pressure and consistency considerations. Some NATO brass that can be found virtually free is great for reloading like federal lake city although unlike 223 that is larger capacity
in the 308 can be lower capacity. It is hard brass so this might require annealing more often.

I think the idea is that if segregate the brass it can do amazing reloads and if you take care of it will last. Black hills also use very decent brass.

In lapua you also have 308 palma brass with the small primer that gives amazing consistency and life.

So do not discard all brass because you might be able to find once fired brass that is very good quality for peanuts and still reload match ammo with it.

 

[Darth]

If there is a shiny white line above the case head, toss it. I also often use a bent paperclip to check for ICHS.

I'm on sets with 7 loadings and no issues.

 

[Exonautic]

If there is a shiny white line above the case head, toss it. I also often use a bent paperclip to check for ICHS.

I'm on sets with 7 loadings and no issues.

This was actually one of the recommendations I found while doing my own research. What am I looking for exactly, a significant divet?

 

[Darth]

This was actually one of the recommendations I found while doing my own research. What am I looking for exactly, a significant divet?

You should see a white line above the head, and when you stick a paperclip in you should feel the bump.



Takes a lot though, and most people say you'll get loose primer pockets first.

 

[Exonautic]

You should see a white line above the head, and when you stick a paperclip in you should feel the bump.

View attachment 21788

Takes a lot though, and most people say you'll get loose primer pockets first.

I'd guess That's where the cartridge meets the end of the chamber?

 

[Darth]

I'd guess That's where the cartridge meets the end of the chamber?

It's further in than that. It's caused by brass flowing from that spot on up during FL resizing.

 

[Exonautic]

It's further in than that. It's caused by brass flowing from that spot on up during FL resizing.

Yet another reason I seriously need to get a neck resizing die.

 

[Darth]

Yet another reason I seriously need to get a neck resizing die.

I always FL sized until my last batch. Cracking a neck still kills the brass. The brass has a long life either way though.

 

[Exonautic]

I always FL sized until my last batch. The brass has a long life.

That's what I've been doing, but all of the little benefits of it are adding up I favor of I.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

Yet another reason I seriously need to get a neck resizing die.

What are you using the rounds in. Neck sizing dies are for bolt actions.

 

[Exonautic]

What are you using the rounds in. Neck sizing dies are for bolt actions.

Yeah i know. Its just one bolt action that i own. Ive been meaning to get one for a while but money keeps dissappearing into other outlets.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

Yeah i know. Its just one bolt action that i own. Ive been meaning to get one for a while but money keeps dissappearing into other outlets.

Ah ok. The charge also has to be taken into consideration. The hotter the load the more expansion and stress to the brass. Then resizing stresses the brass even more. So if you are the type to load to max all the time you should expect a shorter life span of the brass. I keep a dedicated batch of brass for my 308 and 300 black out for sub sonic loads. Those batches should last close to forever. I keep forgetting to check and see if the casings will still chamber after being fired. I bet it would be close.

 

[meketrefe]

I'd guess That's where the cartridge meets the end of the chamber?

Not necessarily. It is most likely at the end of the web where the bras goes thicker to thinner and it also depends on what type
of brass and the actual dimensions and grit of the chamber. Soft brass lasts less time but also it takes more stretching to
rupture vs. hard/harder brass that can last longer but separate sooner.
In any case not all lines mean there is potential separation but at some point int he life of the brass is a good idea to take
a hard steel pick to feel inside the case or just cut a couple of them if in doubt.
That is why it is a good idea to segregate brass by head-stamp/year and keep a count as the effects of brass wear will happen
pretty consistently across the batch used to shoot the same loads and used in same reloading cycles.

Like I explained above the first thing is to reload according to your head-space and use neck sizing too so you minimize
over stretching the brass unnecessarily. Also if you have a polished chamber that is a mistake you might want to run an emery
cloth to make sure it has the proper grit for the brass to avoid excessive thrust. Also always shoot with a bone dry chamber and bore.

 

[meketrefe]

BTW the bent clip is better than nothing but to get a good feeling get something that is very rigid that fits
inside the case like a dental pic or something of that nature of hardened steel. This will give you better tactile feedback.
The whole process of inspecting brass is to take some time to observe and feel with your fingers and also keep
a log of the brass batches and measures that don't have to be all the cases but enough to give you a piece of mind.
Same thing with the reloading process like a progressive press you might take a round every few and make sure
charges weights and COAL is consistent.
It is all about repetition. ...same a QC guy is going to do on an assembly line.

If you don't load hot and control head-space to avoid overstretching half of the battle against short brass life is won right there.
The annealing is hard to say, it depends on the brass brand and composition too. 308 is pretty thought because the smaller
case volume to bore ratio. ..vs. lets say 243 where those necks get torched pretty bad so they need more frequent annealing.
Think of it as the ration of a rocket nozzle but inverted. The more constriction the hotter it gets.

 

[HighlandLofts]

On one of the forums I'm on some one posted all types of cartridges and how many times the were loaded until they were used up.

Should of saved that information, I'll probably never find it again.

 

[Exonautic]

On one of the forums I'm on some one posted all types of cartridges and how many times the were loaded until they were used up.

Should of saved that information, I'll probably never find it again.

Thank you for reminding me what dissappointment feels like.
That eould be a nice rezource if you are able to dig it up though.

 

[meketrefe]

On one of the forums I'm on some one posted all types of cartridges and how many times the were loaded until they were used up.

Should of saved that information, I'll probably never find it again.

I would not be too worry. The brass life depends on so many factors that it can be quite arbitrary.
There is no substitute for using mild loads, only neck sizing when possible and annealing as needed
and also knowing what to look for. Better than trusting someones random numbers IMO.

 

[Robin]

Mek, I know brass work hardens and annealing will make it soft and malleable, I do it all the time in the making of furniture for ML's . Do you anneal just the neck and shoulder? Do you just line them up and run a torch down the line? Do you have an Idea as to how much extra life it might give a cartridge?
Robin