When do you inspect your brass? Especially those who have progressive presses and crank out lots of ammo. So if you are reloading 500 rounds, do you actually inspect each and every piece of brass?
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How, when do you inspect your brass before reloading?
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I inspect the cases before I clean them for signs of leakage. Then I clean and size looking them over for other signs of stress. So I voted for "Before Cleaning" since I can only vote for one thing. I load for 9mm,40S&W,45 Colt,454 Casull, 460 S&W Mag.
tbury
Member
For me the answer would come close to the first three. I inspect it when removing it from the gun or picking it up. I inspect it after cleaning. Since I do not use a progressive, I inspect it when I hand lube the shell and after resizing. I tend to reload steps in batches. I resize a batch then usually prime with a hand primer while watching the TV. This method give ample chances to catch split or damaged cases before priming and charging.
wheelgun28
Member
I load on a 650 and use lots of pick up brass. I give the jingle test when sorting and saving, also anything that doesn't seem just right, scuffed from sliding on cement, to bent up. The when needed its cleaned, loaded. Then given the final inspection, boxed and tagged.
I load 9, 38, 357, 40, 44, 45auto and 223. 223 gets a different procedure.
Generally I find the most problems with the 38s. I seem to get a few splits per 1k. I am only loading 3g of BE most of the time. I think they are just older brass. I am kinda bummed to find a nice old factory wad cutter brass split.
It seems to work for me...
I load 9, 38, 357, 40, 44, 45auto and 223. 223 gets a different procedure.
Generally I find the most problems with the 38s. I seem to get a few splits per 1k. I am only loading 3g of BE most of the time. I think they are just older brass. I am kinda bummed to find a nice old factory wad cutter brass split.
It seems to work for me...
OP
So you folks that shoot a lot, say in competition and go through hundreds of rounds, pick over each and every piece of brass? I am just wondering how much time that takes considering how fast the progressive machines can load.
I just use a turret press one at a time so I can pretty much look at one piece of brass from start to finish.
I just use a turret press one at a time so I can pretty much look at one piece of brass from start to finish.
duckloads
Member
When I take the cases out of the vibrator, the split cases will have a very distinct sound.
Ahhh grasshopper...listen to duckloads....do not forget to LISTEN to your brass....!!!
If you slowly pour your clean brass...into another container the split cases will make themselves known with their off-pitch....
Same goes if you have inadvertently gotten different calibers mixed together.
Bob
If you slowly pour your clean brass...into another container the split cases will make themselves known with their off-pitch....
Same goes if you have inadvertently gotten different calibers mixed together.
Bob
OP
"when you can walk the rice paper and leave no trace, no one will hear your footsteps...you will have learned."
" I hear the grasshopper"
hamourkiller
Member
I hand tool prime with an RCBS tool. This is when I detail inspect my brass. I look for obvious problems at all stages of the reloading process.
Split / cracked brass sounds different and resizes very easily. Thats my detection inspection. In 30 years of reloading 45 ACP, I have found 1 split case.
I don't inspect pistol brass, but am "aware" of differences during the reloading process. One time I deliberately reloaded six split 38 Spl and 357 mag cases. No problems encountered when they were fired. Another reloading worry put to bed. Semi-auto brass is treated more carefully.
I don't inspect pistol brass, but am "aware" of differences during the reloading process. One time I deliberately reloaded six split 38 Spl and 357 mag cases. No problems encountered when they were fired. Another reloading worry put to bed. Semi-auto brass is treated more carefully.
socal s&w
Member
"Ahhh grasshopper...listen to duckloads....do not forget to LISTEN to your brass....!!!"
Shouldn't that be 'Brasshopper'???
Shouldn't that be 'Brasshopper'???
I deprime all my brass before cleaning, it makes my Dillon run smoother. Any that seem extra easy to deprime get tossed. I cull the really bad stuff out right there. I then clean the brass and reinspect it, some more gets thrown out. All loaded rounds get stood primers up in the loading blocks which allows me to catch the occasional flipped primer, and then all rounds get case gauged.
borealis
Member
Sorry guys, I'm a bit obsessive. I do a rough inspection while I sort my brass (yes, I do that too). Even then, I occasionally find minute case mouth splits and other damage after I've cleaned and tumbled the brass. I still end up with *plenty* of ammo to take to the range and the field with me.
sar4937,
Wow! You do it all....
I check for splits and upside-down primers. I do not de-prime until the brass is on Station 1 (my Dillon 650 does the job without an extra step) and I've never measured a case (pistol brass)...OAL yes, but no other measurements and I've never trimmed a pistol case.
I'm not a Bulls-Eye or Silhouette shooter, thus see no need to be very finicky (beyond safety) with my range fodder.
If I'm reloading my hunting loads which are up towards the top...I measure each charge.
Bob
Wow! You do it all....
I check for splits and upside-down primers. I do not de-prime until the brass is on Station 1 (my Dillon 650 does the job without an extra step) and I've never measured a case (pistol brass)...OAL yes, but no other measurements and I've never trimmed a pistol case.
I'm not a Bulls-Eye or Silhouette shooter, thus see no need to be very finicky (beyond safety) with my range fodder.
If I'm reloading my hunting loads which are up towards the top...I measure each charge.
Bob
I use a Dillon 650 also. It does run a bit smoother with deprimed brass, when I deprime .40 brass I can weed out other calibers that got mixed in with my range brass. Yesterday though I got some brass in the mix that was so bulged it would not drop through the adapter at the bottom of the feed tube, so I guess I need to watch for that better.
campfire
Member
I am a man with plenty of spare time and always looking for an excuse to spend some time in the shed.
My loading is done on a Dillon Square Deal and here's what I do.
I usually tumble about two hundred 357 magnum cases at the time and once they are all nice and shiny I crank up the compressor.
I then take the cases out of the tumbler one at the time tapping them on the top of the bowl to remove any media and then give them a quick shot of compressed air from a fine jet nozzle both inside and out to get rid of any excess particles.
Once I have completed blowing out all the cases I then get a 4" magnifying glass, which I keep with my reloading gear, and check every one for any cracks and then place them in a well sealed plastic container.
The compressor and magnifying glass have proven to be very handy pieces of equipment which I use quite frequently.
Campfire
My loading is done on a Dillon Square Deal and here's what I do.
I usually tumble about two hundred 357 magnum cases at the time and once they are all nice and shiny I crank up the compressor.
I then take the cases out of the tumbler one at the time tapping them on the top of the bowl to remove any media and then give them a quick shot of compressed air from a fine jet nozzle both inside and out to get rid of any excess particles.
Once I have completed blowing out all the cases I then get a 4" magnifying glass, which I keep with my reloading gear, and check every one for any cracks and then place them in a well sealed plastic container.
The compressor and magnifying glass have proven to be very handy pieces of equipment which I use quite frequently.
Campfire
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