Brass processing

[Wayne02]

Curious how you manage your brass relative to the processing and reloading sequence. Do you save up the range brass for awhile and then process it in batches, and then store it again until you feel like reloading it. Or process it to the point of installing the primer and then store it until ready to complete the reloading process. Or process it and finish reloading all at once?

Maybe it differs a bit if you are using a single stage vs. progressive press?

How does it differ between pistol brass and rifle brass?

Thanks

 

[Faulkner]

I bring my brass in from the range and poor it into a 5 gallon bucket at home. When I get time I sort it out by caliber into 2 liter soda bottles, which is the same volume my tumbler holds. I try to keep a .30 caliber ammo can full of polished brass of each caliber I reload.

 

[john traveler]

When I figured out that keeping stored fired brass, powder, and bullets was taking up lots of room, I gravitated toward the following system:

1. tumble clean in batches after firing. sort by caliber, headstamp, and type.
2. decap, size, neck expand, and tumble again.
3. Gage and trim to specs if needed.
4. prime and store in cartridge boxes labeled with intended load & data.
5. powder charge, load, and store in cartridge boxes in batches.

Interim storage of brass in large zip-lock plastic bags and metal ammo cans.

LOTS more pistol brass than rifle brass. Rifle brass should be kept in dedicated cartridge boxes labeled with number of reloadings and trim data.

Single-stage or progressive loader makes no difference in storage of brass in stages, but it does impact the reloading or output rate.

 

[socal s&w]

Since I load several handgun calibers, I have dirty bins and clean bins, both are frosty plastic bins with different color lids (makes it easier to know which is which) for each caliber. They are all labeled.

Usually I drop the freshly fired brass into my tumbler until it is full enough to run a load. Once that's done, I put the clean brass into a clean bin, all sorted for caliber.

The dirty stuff is what is awaiting the tumbler from range brass pick ups or not needing to clean that caliber fired brass just yet.

I only load Winchester brass-brass, no other brand or nickle plated, so separating headstamp is not necessary.

When I anticipate going to the range, which is most weekends, I load a few 100 round boxes up during the the week in the evening/s while the loader is set up for that caliber.The loaded rounds are stored in MTM hinged-lid ammo boxes.

The following week, I switch to another gun/caliber and the process starts anew.

 

[max]

I usually tumble the brass when I return from the range. It then goes into baggies until loaded.

 

[dg101win]

I reload handgun only,38,357,44spec,44mag,45acp,45colt,the only rifle I have is a rimfire.
At the range the brass is dumped into a bag made of 2 empty 25lb shot bags opened up and sewn together. Each caliber into its own bag.
At home the brass is dumped into 30 cal. ammo cans caliber specific.

When I have enough of one caliber to make it worth while running the tumbler I do one caliber at a time. I dislike sorting 38's and 357's or 44spec and 44mag from the tumbler. Clean brass goes into a 30 or 50 cal ammo can again caliber specific.

I like to keep several hundred rounds of each caliber loaded at all times. So usually when one gets down to about 200 rounds I will load for that caliber.
I just finished loading 45 colt last week and the next one up is the 300 empties of 44 spec.

I am using a dillon 550 for all calibers. When I load 38 or 45acp I will do a large batch of each at least a 1,000.

 

[Emerson]

I keep my fired brass from the range in big ziplock bags sorted by caliber until I get at least 500 rounds accumulated. Then I tumble and put them into a different ziplock bag until I load them.

 

[largecaliberman]

I usually dump all of my shells into a five gallon bucket and keep it sealed with a moisture absorber. Once the bucket is filled, I would take the whole bucket and dump all the shells into a cement mixer and run it for atleast two hours with corncob media with 50/50 Nufinish/paint thinner. First dump the media, then the shells (this usually prevents the smaller cases going into the large cases) then after a few minutes, pour in the 50/50 mixture and let it run for about two hours. After that, I would sift it through my shell sorter (from Midway). This is my biggest time saver, the shell sorter will seperate my 500 S&W, 44's, and 45's then the 357's and 38's into another and finally the 9mms.

My next step is to deprime and run the shells in corncob media to take off the sizing lube then store the seperated shells in GI ammo cans. I would prime and load the cases one caliber at a time.

Instead of loading right away, I would end up shooting them up my next trip to the range. I feel by doing "bulk" reloading will make my brass last longer and would enable me to keep my rounds "fresh". It would also enable me to keep track of them if they're once, twice, etc... fired

 

[Andy Griffith]

First thing I do, is take it out of the the buckets and run it through my brass separator outside to shake out any and all loose powder and debris- there is usually a cup or two of junk that I get out of a five gallon bucket of brass.

Anyway, then I separate them into baggies according to caliber- whether it is one that I shoot or not, and the pistol caliber stuff I will deprime and then tumble, inspect and resack.

When I get ready to load, I'll resize and prime at that time.
I am certain that this way saves a lot of wear and tear on the dies.

 

[Lubbock Louie]

OP from wayne02

Curious how you manage your brass relative to the processing and reloading sequence. Do you save up the range brass for awhile and then process it in batches, and then store it again until you feel like reloading it. Or process it to the point of installing the primer and then store it until ready to complete the reloading process. Or process it and finish reloading all at once?

Yes, all of the above at one time or another. I bet most of us have done the same.

ZipLock Baggies are my favorite accessory.

Cary /Lubbock Louie

 

[Sgt Preston]

Sgt Preston here. I keep my brass separated by caliber. I have lots of brass, 4-5K of each caliber. I have (4) 1 gallon clear plactic containers for each caliber. The first container is marked dirty brass. The 2nd container is marked: Clean, needs inspection, The 3rd & 4th containers are marked Ready for reloading. I don't pay any attention to how many times my brass has been reloaded or shot. In truth, I don't know. Some of it was given to me by older shooters who intended to reload, but never did. I bought used brass at flea markets & have picked some of it up off the range floor. I purposely only load to near the mid point of the load range, so my internal pressures are reasonable. I never clean different calibers in the same batch because of "nesting" issues. I VISUALLY INSPECT EACH PIECE OF BRASS UNDER A LIGHTED MAGNIFYING GLASS BEFORE RELOADING. I discard any that have "split ends" or show signs of excess pressure. When in doubt: throw it out. Hope this helps. Sgt Preston USMC LLA.

 

[hopperb]

I bring it in from the range in a brass pouch that came with my range bag, dump it in the tumbler, run it for an hour or so in a 50/50 mix of corncob and walnut media juiced with a little Frankford Arsenal Polish, pull it out, run it through my my separator, pull apart any that got seated inside a larger caliber, sort it into three drawer organizers bought at Walmart for $8 each by caliber inspecting as I go, wait til I have enough of each and the components to reload a batch (500/1000) and then inspect the brass again as I load in my 550. I don't worry about the headstamps.