Maybe I'm over thinking this, maybe not. I've been looking to buy once fired brass and am wondering, is there questions I should ask the seller before buying? Buying online makes it difficult to inspect the brass, but if buying in person...

What do you look for or at?

How do you really know if its "once fired" or more?

Looking at the head stamp, are there things to watch for?

Manufacturers to avoid?

Buying online, what do you ask?
(I mean, come'on the dude on the other end can say anything)

As always, advice and comments welcomed.

Thanks

You can usually tell if brass has only been fired one time.........
by the "Clean" looking case that is not darkened and stained in the bottom.

If it does not look "Almost New" it may have been fired two times.........

You can also look for sizing marks that is a dead give away sign.

Good luck.

I started re-loading 38/357, 9mm and now .380 so I can only address what my experiences have been. I have purchased "range brass" from a number of fellows (not on this forum though) and have been totally satisfied with what I've received. All of the 38 spl. that I have received (from 3 different fellows) was great. Once fired? Who really knows? But they can be reloaded many, many times and that works for me.

9mm and .380 casings have also been fine. All of the brass I've received have been mixed headstamps - that doesn't matter to me. I'm not shooting competition - just casual range time, plinking and a few critters on the farm. I cast my own bullets and the 9mm has worked well. Out of 1,500 casings - I'll probably have to cull a few - once in a while an off caliber cat ridge casing makes it in. At the price I paid for them - it's no biggie.

I have bought and sold on-line for a number of years - on gun forums and on flea-bay. I treat my customers right and I also expect to be treated the same. If purchasing on-line makes you nervous - then purchase from someone face to face so you can see exactly what you are getting. As far as "on-line" sellers - it will only take a time or two for them to "screw" somebody and their reputation will be noted.

FYI - some of the used brass I've purchased has been de-primed and polished - some as "picked up". Some nickel, some brass - it all works for me. YMMV

Research what used and new brass costs online before making an offer.
For example:
Southernbell Brass offers used 40 S&W brass - $40 / 1000 *ALL BRASS HAS BEEN FIRED AND HAS NOT BEEN PROCESSED

Star Line Brass/ offers new 40 S&W brass - $154.50 / 1000

So for used brass from someone I don't know I would only pay about $30-35 per 1000. That's just me.

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Semper Fi

Regarding handgun brass, the only junk I've seen over the years is A-Merc, and I haven't seen it lately. Also some Chinese handgun brass I've seen is not worth reloading either. The worst offenders are always 9x19.

Rifle brass can be tricky, especially with military cartridges. A lot of foreign brass is inferior, but most of that can be reloaded once before it starts to look like a belted magnum.

If you stick with U.S. made brass, you shouldn't have any problems. Many shooters whine that FC .223 and .308 brass is too soft and the primer pockets expand to much, but I use only CCI rifle primers and I never have any problems.

Dave Sinko

Depending on the caliber, you want to know if it's military brass, or if it has crimped primer pockets. For example, WCC head stamp is mil brass that has crimped primer pockets, which means you'll be doing some kind of swaging of the primer pocket before you can seat a new primer!

TJ Convevera sells some great brass as it's been processed fully: roll sized, primer pockets cleaned & (usually) de-crimped. I've purchased many from him and been pleased. Also had good results from Southern Belle brass.

Local sales are always best as you can inspect it first.

I haven't come across any A-MERC but I had to toss a bunch of CBC cases in .45 ACP--all of them with cracks in the mouth or starting to.

As sellersm posted, a place like tj's is a good place to buy. May not be the absolute cheapest but you will not need to ask any questions.

If they have what you want I recommend them.

In case you missed it They sell Bullets also.

Once-Fired Brass

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Still Running Against the Wind

Some dealers have agency brass, picked up from the range after training sessions where the officers fire new factory ammo. I find that if I find someone selling brass that is all one head stamp it is usually good brass. If brass is mixed I assume it is picked up from the floor of an indoor range and could have been new factory ammo fired once or on it's ninth and last life. Any more I buy new brass if I can or buy processed "once fired" brass at a gun show from one vendor that I have learned to trust. As in they live within 5 minutes drive of where I work, are a nice couple and have consistently not gouged on prices over the last few years.

Auto brass examine case head for impressions & rims for extractor marks . If going for max loads buy new . Now days many people are selling range brass they've scrounged over the years as prices are higher now . As stated above best is off LE ranges .

I have purchased once fired brass from the following site: Pistol Brass (25 Auto - 38 Special)

The Brassman had brass segregated by manufacturer and choices of all brass or all plated. I am extremely satisfied with the brass, since it was everything he advertised and the shipping was prompt. I highly recommend the Brassman as a source for once fired brass.

jboss

I just purchased brass from Colorado Brass and I have no complaints. The price seemed reasonable to me. I bought both .38 and .45. The .38 all required decapping and all looked good. The .45 wasd all decapped when I received with a good portion that looked to me to be new, never fired. I'm by no means an expert but when I see brass (nickel in this case) that's perfectly clean with no primer marks they seem new to me. Great service from the company as well.

Once fired brass saves money, but you do need to do a bit of processing when you get them.
For 9mm and .45 acp, I always look inside each case to make sure it isn't berdan primed - I've broken several decapping pins this way. Which isn't that a big deal, unless you are on a roll and its your last pin. Then, everything comes to a stop.
On 45 acp, check the other end to separate the large primer pocket cases from the small primer cases - this can also cause problems in the middle of loading.
Anytime I see a S&B case, I throw it out. They have extremely tight primer pockets. Their 9mm, 45 acp, and .38 cases are all tight and will throw you off if you are primer seating on your press and not a hand held tool. They aren't worth the repeated aggravation, so I just toss 'em out as soon as I see them.
And when you are sorting through the 9mm, keep an eye out for .380 cases that might have gotten through the sorting process.

stop the presses!!

Ok, so apparently I need to learn yet more before starting. 'Berdan'? I'll be looking that one up.

On 45acp there's large and small primers? I'll be looking that one up as well.

S&B?? I hope that's a manufacturer, but I'll be looking it up.

.380, check, that one I know!

Thanks raytsmith

S&B is Seller and Beloit, a Czech company, I don't have any problem loading it but that's a personal choice. (I throw away Ammoload brass, but some reload it with no problem)

Berdan primered ammo has no central flash hole but has two (or more) non centered flash holes. This is commonly found on European ammo (especially military). The problem is that a normal decapping die will not pop the primer out. (there is a way to do it but not worth the hassle IMO), there are instances where a rare cartridge case is Berdan primed but that's not an issue to most shooters.

The ammo with the central flash hole is called Boxer primed.

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Minimize the variables

I really don't know if any of the "once fired" brass I've purchased is truly once fired, except military brass that has the primer crimp in place. I just consider it "used". I normally look at every case I purchase before any processing and have found Berdan primed, steel and aluminum, and Amerc in with the other and discarded those. Of course a look to see the condition of the case mouth and if bottle necked brass, look for a tell-tale shiny ring at the case head (I haven't found any yet, 'cause the rifle stuff is 99% military and fired once). Some won't use once fired brass, but I use a lot in 5.56, 30-06, 9mm, 45 ACP, and some .38 Special.

I'm just the opposite. I find S&B brass to be consistantly good in 38 spec. I've never found any particular brand of brass that has unusually tight or loose primer pockets. But I find S&B and Herters to be heavier, I think thicker brass around the web.

Everybody is a little different in reloading. That's why I always say "YOU (the reloader) should figure out what works well for your style, your machines, your calibers, your personal needs and quirks".


Sgt Lumpy

I would like to second Colorado Brass on their once fired. I was running low as I haven't been shooting enough so I was looking to buy 1000 O/F .40. Their price was so good I ordered 2000. $79 shipped to my door. That will keep me going for awhile

Lot's of good responses above, I'll only add one thing; I generally like to buy from the guy that calls his stuff "range brass", he's @ least making an attempt to be honest. Most of the "once-fired" brass is just range pick ups, though RonS is correct there are some dealers w/agency brass. Expect to pay a premium for that or anyone who bothers to sort by headstamp.

-Klaus

Not trying to steal your thread, however a few days hanging out and shooting at our Outdoor Range results in being able to come home with a ton of Brass. Believe it or not.......... there are still PLENTY of guys and Gals that do NOT reload and are more than happy to let YOU clean up their spent Brass.

One of the Club Mebers who just got into reloading a year ago scored BIG TIME when I was out there two weeks ago. We have a few steel "garbage pails" where unwanted Brass is thrown and he spent an hour or so sorting through it and walking away with (estimate) well over 500 rounds of once fired brass. Some guys even are nice enough to put the spent cases back into the boxes before chucking them.

Heck...... I AM a Reloader and will give away or throw out my once fired LCA .30-06 Brass from my Garand when I shoot it. I have enough .30-06 surplus Military ammo (from the CMP) that I should be good for many many years and don't intend on reloading that caliber. Whoever is with me that day when I shoot the Garand is a happy camper!

I've been buying brass recently from an indoor range, and most of their brass is(from my judgement) truly "once fired." In general, I think that range pick-ups tend to be primarily once fired, as most folks who reload take their brass with them and most who leave it are shooting factory ammo.

Probably the worst was 500 or so pieces of "once fired" 38 special brass I bought from a local gun store. They didn't let me look at it too closely before buying(should have been a red flag) but a bunch of cases had live primers, and several had been flared so much that they mouths crumpled when I ran them through the sizing die. Several other cases had been reloaded so much the nickel plating remained only on the head. There were a bunch headstamps in that lot that in that lot that I don't think have been made for 30 or more years, including Super Vel, S&W, Western, W.R.A., and others. The only redeeming quality of that particular lot was that I got about 200 pieces of wadcutter brass out of it.

Even with the problems with the one above lot, brass for low pressure rounds like 38 special seems to last forever. All of the above(or at least all that didn't get culled for split mouths or other issues) went into my rotation and I've reloaded some of it two or three additional times. Wadcutters and other really low pressure loads don't stress the brass very much.

I haven't really ever had a problem with any particular headstamp. Mainly, make sure the brass isn't cracked or frail or Berdan primed and you can still read the headstamp and you should be ok. Brass really is pretty tough. If you plan on tumbling your brass then buy uncleaned brass, it is much cheaper. After tumbling, always inspect closely. Never run dirty brass into your dies. As far as knowing if the brass is once fired, I am not sure anyone can do that 100% of the time. Good luck and have fun!

Just as a follow up:

I've made a few purchases from individuals. Two of them admitted the brass was off the floor of ranges, so no guarantee on "once fired". Both tumbled the brass, but being rather particular about how shiny it looks I tumbled it some more. The third guy was LEO and sold me a 5 gallon bucket of 40s&w from a LE practice range. I will admit it is really dirty stuff and most likely from Glocks. So I purchased the Lee Bulge Buster to use on this bucket of 40s.

I have looked at the various websites people listed and while I appreciate the websites, I find it hard to pass up the cheaper prices I get from local sellers. Perhaps one day I will buy from an online source when I want some really shiny brass!!

I don't care for nickle cases as flaking can stay in the dies and scratch the next case. Nickle seems to split easier as well. Used brass comes in all flavors, I will spend much more time cleaning up 32 long brass than I want to with 223. Availability of brass and your time will dictate what you need to know.

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Front sight and squeeze