How do you acquire cases?

I

Itsa Bughunt

New member
What's the best way to get good brass? By best I mean high quality cases that will last through many reloadings? I mean if you pay $1 each for new brass that'll last through 10 reloads, that's 10 cents per use. I'm now just using cases from the ammo I purchase, but I'm thinking there's probably a better way.
 
As an LEO with a department range that is used by other departments, I have unlimited access to most common caliber brass. I've never bought a piece of brass for 38SPL, 9mm, 10mm, 45ACP, 40 S&W, 223 or 308.

As far as the other stuff I reload, I try to buy starline. Graf and Son's is driving distance for me, so that's where I do business.
 
Case life is entirely dependent on the load used, regardless of the brand. Load hot and you reduce case life.
If you pay $1 each you're buying unusual, scarce or 'currently not made' brass. The latter two would be brass like .30-40 Krag that's only made seasonally. Sometimes a buck each is cheap too. Least expensive .338 Lapua brass runs $1.50 each for Prvi. Lapua brand is $2.94 each from Graf's. Midway doesn't eve list it.
Mind you, some brass is pricey due to where it comes from and the brand name. With a bunch of supply and demand thrown in. Lapua stuff is like that.
Anyway, most shooters start by buying factory ammo and keeping the empties. Buying brass or ammo in bulk is possible with some cartridges, but not all.
Gun shows are usually good places for brass. Sometimes reasonable prices too.
 
A reloading manual I have says that full case sizing reduces case life, that neck sizing is sufficient most of the time? So how often should I case size? How many reloads is optimum?
 
Neck sizing is ok but you have to be sure you use that same neck sized ammo in the firearm it came from and from what I hear if you shoot semi auto you should always full length resize. I have many cases with over 10 loadings,I only shoot bolt action. I check for splits at the neck, that is where I have failure mostly. Most shooters suppliers have 308 cases much cheaper than a buck each if you shop around.
 
I used to look for once-fired brass at gun shows and failing that, have purchased once fired .38 Special, 9MM and .357 Magnum from sources I have found on line. For the more common handgun brass, given that I an never going to load any one of those heavier than mild, once fired range brass is good enough. However, if I am seeking to load for something more critical, like a .308 Ruger Target-Competition rifle, I usually buy at least 100 virgin cases for my handloading.
 
NORMA 357

Yeah I was surprised too, I didn't know NORMA made handgun brass, but I found three boxes of 50 virgin 357. $5.00 a box, the lining of my pocket smoked from the speed of my wallet coming out. I've lost three pieces since I bought those boxes 10 years ago. How many reloads? I lost count. Now I'm not shy about loading up near the limits.
 
Over a few years I kept all the brass from the ammo I had bought and when I started loading I had a pretty healthy supply already saved up.

Now I keep picking up what I shoot (marked with a sharpie so I can keep a count of number of loadings per case) and I continue to pick up every other case within reach at the range. I sometimes feel like a scavenger at the range and I know more than once I've spent more time picking up brass than I spent actually shooting. Just this past weekend I shot 100 9mm, 66 .357, and 60 .223 but came home with at least 1000 9mm cases, a few hundred .223 cases, and maybe 100 .357 cases, plus a ton of .40 and .45 that I don't load for yet.

Personally I would never buy top quality brass unless I was competing and needed that extra little bit that quality brass can give you ... and I'd only shoot them at places I'd be able to reliably retrieve them every time.


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Depends on the chambering

38 Special: range brass - mostly years ago when ammo was cheap and wheelguns ruled out at the range. When that brass started getting old, I started using purchased ammo (Winchester White Box - which is the best brass - 130gn FMJ). I bought 2K and still have one unopened case (500 rds) and some change. I also purchased 2K of Starline brass - very good brass too. And once I got all the 38 Spl brass I needed, a guy at the range gave me a 5gal bucked full - close to 5K pcs of GECO - which looks a lot like Winchester.

357 Mag: Purchased ammo; and Starline.

10mm: Some purchased ammo; but mostly Starline.

9mm: Purchased ammo. And a lot of range brass from competitions.

44 Spl: Starline

44 Mag: Purchased ammo (years ago, but I don't shoot it a lot).

45 ACP: Purchased ammo - Winchester White Box by the case - 230 FMJ.

223 Rem: I'm new to this one. So far, purchased ammo.
 
How do you acquire cases?

Depends, cases of beer I rely on my local super market. :)

Ammunition cases for my reloading generally come from purchased ammunition. I generally don't pick brass up at the range(s). Handgun like 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 45 Colt, 45 ACP, 38 Super and others I get quite a few loads out of and when I see good quality ammunition on sale I buy it.

Rifle I do similar but lately I have been shooting quite a bit of .223 Remington and .308 Winchester. I have made quite good accurate ammunition using military surplus brass some of which I buy from a forum member in another forum and some of which I have bought from Brass Bombers. I have also bought new brass made by Lapua when I get a good price.

I am the same way with other reloading components. When I see something I use on sale, I buy what I can and the stuff adds up. Never been bit by any shortage.

Ron
 
You mentioned .40.
Most ranges have plenty of once fired pistol brass, including .40 brass for free pickup.
Unless the range owner claims it, there's probably little reason to ever buy that caliber brass.
Many revolver shooters also reload.
But plenty of them don't, so there's a good chance to get plenty of .38 brass for free, too.
The same for 9mm and .45acp.
It's pretty easy to tell newly once fired brass from the tired old stuff.
 
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I pick up a lot of brass at ranges. Public ranges in cities pick up the brass that is not wanted recycle it, or sell it as range brass to those who want it. I am a member of a local gun club, and the rule is that if any brass is laying on the ground and you pick it up, it's yours. I am surprised how much good, one fired brass that people laying.
As I travel around the out state areas and I see a ranges that public accesssble, I stop and check it out and again there is plenty to pickup. I take it home and inspect it and sort it to caliber and headstanp and it isn't long until I have plenty of brass.
I have brass that has been loaded numerous times and experienced only the occasional cracked neck when resizing and a few loose primers. I only shoot 38 special, 357 mag and 9mm. The 40's, 10 mm, 380 and 45 ACP are traded for other reloading components, all brass that is scrap is saved for scrap metal sale. That money buys reloading components also. One time when I visited a range, some one was there and had a 41 mag and left over 100 new casings laying on the ground. Those sold for $40. I would say I don't have an investment in brass. Matter of fact, my collection of brass has financed other facets of my reloading hobby.
 
What Lucas McCain said, and

Here's how I get mine. Outdoor Range for rifle brass. Indoor Range for pistol. Just ask either's manager. Quite often the managers will sort and sell first fire brass much cheaper than store bought new. Or many times Rifle brass left laying about at the Benchrest lanes? is free to those who bother to pick it up. Same applies to Indoor Pistol shooting lanes. Check em out in your local.
 
The local outdoor range I joined recently must be far from the norm. At the orientation the instructor told us to pick up our brass and leave the range cleaner than you found it. In the last two weeks I've pulled over 300 lbs of mostly handgun brass from it. The range officer is very grateful to see me coming. And always thanks me for cleaning the place up.
 
How many reloads is optimum?
Click to expand...

As many as you can safely get?

It depends upon the cartridge in question, how hot you are loading, and sizing mentods ....

I have have 45ACP cases from the first boxes of UMC 230gr fmj I bought in the 90's ..... where the headstamp is getting hard to read..... but it's a fairly low pressure round and uses a mild taper crimp ..... I've only had a few of those have the neck split ..... conversely, I've had dozens of nickel .357 cases split- hot loads and heavy rill crimps will do that ....



The mild .270WIN prairie dog loads that I use a Lee neck sizing die on have lasted at least a dozen loadings ...... while I have had a case head separatation after just 5 firings with a 30/30 - max loads and full length sizing did that.
 
If you have rare cartridges that you reload then the best is to buy as much as you think you need when it's there. I like Norma brass for 6.5 jap but it can be a bit pricey so I also buy privi. I think I bought 300 rounds just to keep me in supply.

30-40 krag is a pain to find so when I do I grab it. It's not a gun that I hunt with much but I like to take the Remington Lee to the range. To keep from running out of brass I load a medium charge.

As for the common stuff it comes from new rounds, friends and family. Still need to hunt up a 50-100 pieces of 30-06. $1 a loaded new loaded round is nice compared to $2-3.
 
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