New brass vs once fired

[Deederswy]

Hey everyone,

Im still pretty new when it comes to reloading. Ive done quite a bit of loading but i just recently got a tumbler and i have kept all my old brass. I have been spending alot of time prepping my old brass but i also still have new brass as well. Should i keep them seperate or could i mix them without any worries about accuracy differences? Also, whats the max number of times you shoot your brass before throwing it out? Im loading for a 7mm mag and a 270WSM, mid 60's for my powder charges and no signs of pressure.....

 

[MudRunner2005]

I used to not worry about it, but after some brass started cracking in weird places, I decided to start keeping track of it, and keeping it in seperate lots. And also keeping up with how many times I have reloaded each lot.

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Always good to segrate by lots, and keep brass together so that you know how many firings it has on it at any given time. Also good to know what rifle it was fired in, what reloading process was used (F/L, N/S, trimmed, annealed, etc.) the last couple go-rounds.

As far a s brass life goes, there is no real answer here for most guns. It depends on the size of the chamber, how tight your dies are, how much the neck is being worked, how much shoulder set-back your dealing with and a host of other things as well. Add in the intensity of your loads (mild or wild, it makes a big difference!) and the original quality of the brass itself, and you get the idea. Might be three firings, might be thirty-three, it just depends. Essentially, when you see sings of cracks developing, either ahead of the extractor groove, or on the case neck, the case is done. When the primer pocket becomes noticabley looser, the case is done. When you've seen things like this that concern you in a couple cases, that entire lot is done. This is why we like to keep them separated into lots. Hope this helps.

 

[Deederswy]

I appreciate the info greatly, i have everything sorted out right now, i have new brass and once fired brass. Just getting a tumbler i havent had the chance to shoot any of my brass more than once yet. It is all winchester brass and all fired from my rifle. No mixed brass from other rifles

 

[Rbreb13]

I keep all mine sorted and labeled. Which rifle (if needed), lot #, how many firings, type of sizing (FL or Neck), etc. More information is better than less if you start to see problems. It can also effect accuracy, some cases vary in capacity slightly in brands but not so much in lots.

 

[tomestone]

I have never turn away brass some day I may need them, clean them,put them in the recycle pail,rest put in ziplock bags mark them Win,Rem, or what ever.Their may be a time when the recyle pail will make one more round,or melt them down for a fishing weight,ect Cal. does not matter,Someday,Someone watching my back may need that Cal. I pray I never go there.

 

[Phil3]

I always keep new brass separate from the old. Dimensional changes on fired brass (after sizing) can be markedly different than new brass.

223 Remington necks on load ammo may run around .248" and fired may be .255 and could be sized for a better fit in your chamber. The neck on new brass may not be concentric to the case body, whereas it should be (in my opinion), if fired in the gun (assuming the chamber is straight and concentric). Shoulder to case head dimensions are often quite generous on new brass, something you can often reduce to an appropriate clearance when sizing. There is a reason all the benchrest guys fireform new brass.

I try to create reloaded rounds as consistent with one another as possible, but then I am a stickler for this kind of thing and best accuracy.

Phil

 

[Greyfox]

Always good to segrate by lots, and keep brass together so that you know how many firings it has on it at any given time. Also good to know what rifle it was fired in, what reloading process was used (F/L, N/S, trimmed, annealed, etc.) the last couple go-rounds.

As far a s brass life goes, there is no real answer here for most guns. It depends on the size of the chamber, how tight your dies are, how much the neck is being worked, how much shoulder set-back your dealing with and a host of other things as well. Add in the intensity of your loads (mild or wild, it makes a big difference!) and the original quality of the brass itself, and you get the idea. Might be three firings, might be thirty-three, it just depends. Essentially, when you see sings of cracks developing, either ahead of the extractor groove, or on the case neck, the case is done. When the primer pocket becomes noticabley looser, the case is done. When you've seen things like this that concern you in a couple cases, that entire lot is done. This is why we like to keep them separated into lots. Hope this helps.

I agree with this . During my load development process I will compare the unfired new brass results to my fired brass results. This includes cold bore accuracy, velocity, ES, etc. While it's usually not the case, I have had rifles that could use either new or used with a particular lot, or brand of brass without showing a material difference. This has generally occured with new brass that is very close in size to my chamber dimensions. Also, I usually get the longest case life when this happens. I will always trim and adjust the neck size of new brass to my reload specs.

 

[Bart B]

I've not seen any big difference in the accuracy new rimless bottleneck brass produces compared to what properly full length sized once fired cases produces. As long as the case neck's well centered on the case shoulder, they all center perfectly in the chamber when fired. Both new cases and full length sized ones. Doesn't matter how much clearance there is around the case body when the round's chamberd. And a good full length sizing die without an expander ball centers the case neck better on the case shoulder; the case body's held in place as its neck gets sized down.

Same for belted cases. Belted cases have one other issue; the ridge that appears right in front of the belt after firing a new case has to be sized down to the rest of the case body diameter else it'll interfere with the chamber at that point. Conventional full length sizing dies don't size it down; a special body die has to be used. Innovative Technologies - Reloading Equipment has a collet die that works fine. But full length size belted cases so they headspace in your chamber on their shoulder, not the belt and best accuracy will be at hand. Otherwise, new belted cases can shoot just as accurate.

The back end of a round's never centered in the chamber anyway; it's pushed against the chamber wall by the extractor in virtually all rifles. So it's a thousandth or so off center when fired. Up front on cases headspacing on their shoulder, they'll automatically center perfectly in the chamber (their shoulder's a good match for the chamber shoulder, isn't it?) as the firing pin drives them there; clearance around the body's not an issue.

If all this weren't reality, then the benchresters would not have switched over to full length sizing their fired cases a few years ago. The size of their smallest groups didn't get any better. But the size of their largest ones are now smaller. Overall accuracy improved quite a bit.