How many loads can I get from my brass?

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dahermit

New member
A common question from new handloaders that is too often given too much of an optimistic response. While it is true that cases like the 9MM and the .45 ACP will last a long time, some of the other common straight-walled cases do not last as often stated, "...until you loose them...". As an example, here are some of my cases that have split due to use in the .357 Magnum chambering. All are R-P save for one Winchester in this picture, but I am sure if I sorted my scrap-brass bucket, I can come up with a few more Winchesters.

The load was very mild (120 grain bullet over 3.0 Bullseye), with almost zero crimp...so it was not over crimping or hot loads that caused their demise. It was being shot many, many times.

So, when someone asks that question, a little more discretion may be proper before you attribute eternal life to all brass casings for handguns.
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I'm shooting 158 gr. LSWC at as close to factory as I can get using tite-group and unique . I'm getting around 8 times from nickle and 12 to 15 from my brass .
 
Case life is entirely dependant on the load used. Repeated loading will cause brittleness. Nobody really attributes eternal life, just long life.
However, how old is that brass? 3.0 of Bullseye is the start load for a cast 121 in my old Lyman book.
 
Not Entirely

While I certainly agree that the load used is the MAIN factor in case life, it absolutely is not the ONLY factor. Other significant issues include improper reloading technique or oversize chambers that cause excess working of the brass and mishandling of the brass. Another major cause of different case life is just crappy brass - R&P pistol brass is a major example of this in my opinion - seems much thinner/weaker than all other brands I have ever loaded (when loading mixed brass, I can instantly tell when I hit one from R&P by how little resistance it gives to resizing and bullet seating), and it just does not hold up as well.

Those cases in the picture seem to show a lot of copper color instead of just brass. That could simply be an artifact of the picture and mean nothing, or it could be a sign that the brass was improperly cleaned with compounds that attacked the brass. Finally, I have a couple of books that postulate that nickle plated brass never lasts as long as plain brass cases.
 
I totally agree but what is in your own words is “It was being shot many, many times.” And I'm not trying to be a jerk.
I don’t keep track of how many times I reload 44 special but I would use the same description that you did. I have 44 special cases that are over 30 years old and I have never had a split case. Primer pockets getting loose is about it.
I have considered marking a few cases now and then but I reload so much I don’t have the time to look for marks.
It would be interesting if someone would make this a test and maybe someone has.
As for auto rounds, it’s the cracks that kill them for me.
 
How many times have they been reloaded?. I have really never seen a split neck on pistol Brass before. As one stated-Primer Pockets getting loose is about it. I have Pistol brass that has been loaded over 30 times now- Still going strong, no split necks.
 
If you want to know how many times you can load a case. The acer is very simple. Count
Some last longer than others. It is as simple as that.
 
I shoot pistol cases till the neck splits. And I don't count reloads on pistol brass.
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I just had one of my old Winchester .357mag cases split on me just last Sunday. This brass is over 25 years old and I been shooting then at the rate of once a week mostly.
I go through spells where I only shoot once every 3 weeks but they have been shot a lot.
They are loaded to midrange to max load and I have a lot of them so they get cycled but still I would hate to guess how many times they've been reloaded.

I loose maybe one a year to splitting. I can live with that.
 
I've had 1 357 case split in 20 years. Most of my plain brass Winchester 357 cases have seen dozens & dozens of loadings.

I've never liked RP brass.

Over crimping can be a problem, but over flaring is worse IMO.
 
When I said I used the brass many many times, I was mostly talking about 38 Special brass. I have some that date from the 1980's, and every now and then I'll get a split neck on one. Doesn't happen often, but that's what retires my revolver brass. My 357 brass is newer and has been reloaded less.

So...how much is "many many". I don't know, call it less than 30 but more than 20. It's a guess.

As for 9mm, I think I've had only one split neck.

I have some brass with rather loose primer pockets, but I just keep reloading em. I don't load anything real hot. Just moderate loads.
 
In all of my life I have never seen brass split so drastically.

I'm not really worried about how long I get. I work them until the pocket gets loose or I find a crack. I've usually only found tiny splits no longer than 1/8 inch up at the crimp, some really well used stuff, especially nickel, will split down to the area where the bullet shank sits. Never had anything split much farther than 1/4".
 
btw, the biggest concerns are how thin the brass is, and the circumference of the case. Those two things determine a lot of how badly stressed that sheet brass is when it is worked. People who shoot the 17 hmr rounds split at the nedk, but they shouldn't be. paper thin brass, expanding into a throat/chamber at high pressure, it splits rather than stretching. Just like a piece of wire, or any substance, the weaker it is the less malleable it will be.
 
When I first got into Bullseye competition in 1997 (or there about), a guy gave me 100 pieces of .45acp brass head stamped 1968. He had no idea how many times he had reloaded them, he just said a whole bunch. I too have no idea how many times I've reloaded them, but still have a few left. Admittedly, they are looking real real bad. Lost some, some split, but the few remaining are hanging in there somehow.
 
One thing I will add, when I had a Thompson Contender in 44 mag I used to load some VERY hot loads. I kept the brass separated from all other loads and it’s been some time but somewhere around 3 or 4 firings at the pressure point of the case (my guess) which was about 1/3 from the rim of the case the brass would take on a crystalline look (Hard to describe). It no longer looked shinny after cleaning. When they did this I scrapped them.
 
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