Marking brass technique

[Savage 12BVSS]

All methods work as mentioned, I use plastic cartridge boxes and keep a paper piece in them that notes each new loading and how sized. Mine loosen primer pockets at 8-10 loadings and get discarded to the brass basket at that point.

 

[redneckdan]

I use 50 or 100ct MTM boxes with a sticky label to keep lots sorted. Load data is on the label. I mark if the brass was annealed, necked, bumped or full length sized. The 1-10 numbers for tracking times reloaded are usually enough to outlast the brass. On .223 practice ammo I usually circle all 10 then go back and cross them off til I reach 20 times reloaded and then chuck it. With 5- 100 rounds lots loaded 20 times, that barrel is usually toast by the time the brass is done.

When I load, I do everything by the box. In the case of .25-06; 50 cases get tumbled, 50 cases get prepped, 50 cases get loaded. Then I start on the next box.

 

[jrock]

I stopped worrying about this when I decided to anneal every other firing. Now I just sort them in their 50 round containers and shoot through them sequentially. Keeps things simple.

 

[ButterBean]

All methods work as mentioned, I use plastic cartridge boxes and keep a paper piece in them that notes each new loading and how sized. Mine loosen primer pockets at 8-10 loadings and get discarded to the brass basket at that point.
[/Q
I concur, they all work but over the years I've got to where i just load them until they lose the primer pocket or i feel a separation line and I toss them, I just got lazy I guess and it really didn't matter how many times it was loaded, when it was done, it was done

 

[MuleyhunterNM]

Sorting the brass by number of times fired does nothing for case life.

The case is either suitable to reload, or not. It cannot be marginally suitable.

Neither does it work for accuracy. Cases sorted by weight and volume, certainly, but not by number of firings.

Therefore, I don't need to count how many times each piece of brass was used. It is either suitable, or it's scrap.

I agree with "fiftybmg", there are several dynamics associated brass, various manufactures, high vs low pressure ect. Inspecting brass prior to and after reloading is best practice. Brass can be junk after two firings or twenty, it doesn't matter how many times its fired, if its junk its junk!

 

[fguffey]

There is no point for me to track more than three uses, once it's annealed the count is zero again.

I can only guess you are one of the reloaders that have concave-d and convex-ed case heads. Seems they have managed to build a case that reduces the diameter of the primer pocket when fired. I do not have cases that have the ability to reduce the diameter of the primer pocket when fired so it is most difficult for me to start over by zeroing the count.

We should accept the ideal all rifles are not alike.

F. Guffey

 

[redneckdan]

On a totally unrelated note, primer pocket life is one of the reasons I'm stoked to see how this 277 fury thing works out.

 

[rooster740]

I start every April with 300 new 6mm Creedmoor cases, Which will all be used in at least 2 barrels. I shoot about 150 round of new brass per Match week. I shoot the entire lot Of 300 then case prep.
For practice, hunting and my kids matches I use last years brass that I mark in the extractor groove with a red sharpie while it is spinning on the rcbs case prep deal.
I shoot all of that years new and practice brass in complete lots but keep the lots of new brass vs practice brass separate lots. Then I prep and stage all 300 new cases and 200ish practice brass.
i anneal and check trim length on all cases every 3firings And check case wall thickness on practice brass every firing.
Talk about a ton to keep track of and no doubt get a small amount of error.
I loose or damage 35% of new brass per year and 50%ish per year on the practice brass with hunting and case wall thinning.
This year I went to large primer new brass and if it goes well, I will switch back and forth every year when I buy new brass, and toss or only hunt with 2 year old brass.
I would love to learn a more efficient way.

 

[fiftybmg]

I can only guess you are one of the reloaders that have concave-d and convex-ed case heads.

I have no idea what the shape is, but I always load to the low end of the spec. For a primer pocket to stretch means the web is expanding, which it can't do at moderate pressure. Wether concave or convex, if you load hot the brass ruins quicker. If the web expands the brass is scrap.

It's the fashion to launch bigger bullets faster than anyone else with the same caliber. I'm not a fan.

My son was a big fan of that. When he got his own rifles, I helped him with the load development, but the numbers in the book were bigger than his, and he coveted those numbers. After I explained why it was a bad idea, he went ahead. His cure was taking a hit to the pocket having to replace his entire batch of match brass after two firings, costing him a match on the other side of the country because his rifle started leaking primers.

I've reloaded the same batch of 308 Norma brass for some time. I don't count the total uses, only the uses between anneals, but total is around 10. Other than losing a case to improper lube, I still don't have any worn out brass. No cracked necks, no internal signs yet of case head separation. The brass is looking to outlast the barrel.

I been doing the same for big bores with the same result on the brass.

Instead of trying to push the limit of velocity and bullet weight, I have a bigger caliber that can do more at the low end of it's spec.

 

[fguffey]

I have no idea what the shape is, but I always load to the low end of the spec. For a primer pocket to stretch means the web is expanding, which it can't do at moderate pressure. Wether concave or convex, if you load hot the brass ruins quicker. If the web expands the brass is scrap.

There was this famous reloader that claimed he fired a 308W case 43 times with max loads without having any effect on the case. I asked about the weight of the case when he started and the weight when of the case when he finished; he did not have a clue. You are annealing and then starting over but now I find you are using minimum loads. And then there is the shooter that claimed his primer pocket diameter reduces when fired; he claimed it was possible because of the convex and or concave in the case head.

I have case heads that expanded in diameter by .010" with one firing. I could have measured the primer pocket, I could have measured the diameter of the flash hole and I could have measured the thickness of the case head; but it does not take me that long to look at it.

F. Guffey

 

[Russ661]

I don't shoot competition so I don't bother keeping super precise records. I mark the face of each piece of brass with an automatic center punch each time it is reloaded. If I detect a recurring problem with a particular brand of brass I simply cull the ones of that brand that have the same number of cycles and move on. Loose primer pockets are my #1 reason for scrapping brass.

 

[RWE]

I know that you asked about brass markings but I don't mark the brass. I have load data stickers in the boxes that I printed up. Each has #1 - 10 on the bottom and the number of firings is crossed out when all rounds in the box are fired. I have two (or more) 50 round boxes going for most loads. Couple 100 round boxes too. Got the idea from MTM or one of those box makers. Hope this helps.