Pistol Case Question?

[AJ]

How many reloads do you get out of your pistol cases? When I use to stoke .357 Mag and .44 Mag to their upper limits it was generally no more than 10 loading before I found splits and cracks in the cases. Now that I am old and frail, I do not push the envelope on velocities. Just punching paper is all. I find a split or cracked case once in a while but not very often. No real idea how many loading I am getting as I just put all the brass together (in the same caliber) and take out what I need as I need it. Just curious what others are getting for case life.

 

[max]

One of the magazines did a test years ago on 38 special brass and quit after 50 loadings. I have been loading for almost 50 years and still have most of the 38 brass I started with. 45acp doesn't last as long as I figure I loose about 10% every time I shoot outside.

If you keep your loads below maximum, brass will last a very long time.

 

[BB57]

Straight wall cases don’t have the same stretch and trimming issues as bottlenecked cases and don’t have the head separation issues.

From that perspective they potentially last a long time.

I reload .45 ACP cases until the mouth eventually splits. How long they last until that happens depends on how much you bell the case mouth. If you shoot jacketed or plated bullets you need minimal belling of the case, the brass gets works less and lasts longer before the case mouth cracks and splits. If you shoot cast bullets you’ll need to bell the case mouth more, itl work harden more and the brass won’t last as long.

Cases like the .38 Special can last a very long time as well, provided you don’t get carried away with the belling, and provided you crimp very little - just enough to straighten the bell back out.

Once you start roll crimping into a crimp groove, you start working the brass a lot more and case life suffers. Most .38 Special loads don’t require a roll crimp, but a lot of handloaders think they do and do it anyway.

Unless the bullets are backing out under recoil, or the SD in velocity is excessively high (due to the powder not properly igniting before it starts to scatter out of the case), you don’t need a roll crimp. And if you need one, use the absolute minimum required. A little goes a long way.

Another killer of .38 special brass will be spider cracks in the middle of the case body. That happens more often in generously cut chambers where the brass expands more. It’s also a bigger issue in Victory models originally chambered in .38 S&W or the British .38/200 equivalent and then rechambered for .38 Special. The wider bit shorter original chamber works the brass much harder in the area where the chamber is wider than .38 Special.


Cases like .357 Magnum run at higher pressure and often actually need a crimp and or need more crimp, and that tends to shorten the case life.

.45 Colt is also short lived as while the case is parallel walled the chamber is tapered .007” from mouth to base, so the case expands more near the base. The higher the pressure the, more expansion you get in the tapered chamber and the shorter the case life. Spider cracks in the case wall are what ends their useful life.

9mm cases? I lose them before I wear them out.

 

[robertrwalsh]

I have some .45 acp brass that you can't read the head stamp on any more without magnification that are still kicking along just fine.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I had a plastic box of 38 nickel cases, that were so old that the nickel was wearing off and the brass of the case was showing up on the side walls.

They were just used for light target loads with different powders, that I tested out, over the years.

I stopped logging the times used after 15, since anything more was just a bonus.
They sure were Ugly, but kept on ticking with a few light splits at the mouth, starting, with the 148gr HBwc bullet use.

 

[GypsmJim]

I bought used 38 and 45 colt brass when I started reloading in 1971. (not once fired...used)

I'm still reloading that brass. Its all simply target grade loads.

I am reloading Ruger Only loads for 45 colt and they last 10 times or so.

The only splits I get are 357 and they are over 40 years old.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have a lot of 1,200 Remington .38 Special cases I shot from factory ammo that have at least 40 reloads on them. Since I use them for target ammo the primer pockets are still good and no cracks in the mouth yet. I have some .357 Magnum cases with 12 or more reloads on them, still good. 38 S&W cases have an unknown number of loads on the but being a low pressure cartridge I doubt they will be needing replacement any time soon.

Plenty of 45 Auto cases with no cracks either. I will lose them before they are junk lol.

9mm cases get lost well before there are too many reloads on them. Where I shoot, unfortunately, there is grass mixed into the gravel and heavy cover at the corners so they don't last too long. It's a good thing I have at lease 3,000 or more in reserve. I kinda wish I didn't sell off several thousand 9mm cases years ago since the public ranger here force shooters to police their brass and targets and than them with them. No barrels to throw them in.

 

[Cdog]

I rarely have straight wall brass wear out. I have had bad experiences with nickeled brass cracks with as little as two loadings.

As others have posted, I have .45 ACP brass that looks awful. No way to read the head stamp, but it loads and shoots fine.

I roll crimp all my revolver rounds with no ill effects. I tend to think most .38 special and similar brass is over worked from over zealous case mouth expansion.

The vast majority of new handloaders that I’ve worked with expand the case way beyond what’s necessary to get the projectiles started in cleanly. Then they try to compensate by over crimping.

I still load .357, .41, .45 Colt high pressure and .454 Casull using a full dose of H110/W296 with excellent brass life. I’ve got some .41 Mag and .45 Colt brass that I’ve loaded countless times over 35 plus years. As stated before, nickeled stuff is the only ones I recall having repeated issues with. The nickeled stuff I have is “show brass.” I keep my cartridge belts loaded with it. Silver cast bullets too!

 

[gwpercle]

Hot 357 Magnum Loads - (MAX from the Speer #8 Manual) -
... 3 - reloads . then the primers started falling out the expanded primer pockets ! ... TOO HOT !

Standard pressure 357 , new manual data , NOT max loads -
10 to 12 reloads . Data is midrange 357 magnum .

38 Special +P loads - heavy 38 Special - 12 to 15 reloads

38 Special - mid-range loads , standard pressure - 18 to 25 reloads

38 Special Target -148 gr WC - 2.7 grs Bullseye - +25 reloads
These seem to last forever . flaring and crimping leads to mouth cracks ... anneal them and get at least 50 reloads .

Now some brands last longer than others ...I use a lot of mixed range brass ... but if you start with a few hundred new Star-Line cases , you will get more reloadings ... my numbers are average for mixed range brass .

Gary

 

[AJ]

Thanks for the replies. When I first started reloading in 1973, I was told to only reload the cases about 5 times. Since I was in the position that I was sparse for funds, I ignored that and checked the brass for cracks. As time went along I stopped checking so closely and kept reloading the same cases. When I was loading "hot" .357 Mag. & .44 Mag, I noticed the case life was going down. Since all I do now is punch paper I keep the powder levels lower. Nowadays I tend to find the crack/split cases in the reloading process. Some I see or feel by touch, a lot I find in the belling process. When next to no force is need in the belling die, I look at the case mouth. It is about 50/50 that the case mouth is cracked. Thanks again, was curious as to what every one else is doing.

 

[Skeet 028]

I have 45 auto cases that I have loaded for so long some headstamps can hardly be read anymore. Some 44 spec cases I've shot for a long time. Some are balloon head type cases...Rem-UMC brand...so maybe 35-40 loads. I did quit shooting the really old 44 Russian cases

 

[BB57]

I had a plastic box of 38 nickel cases, that were so old that the nickel was wearing off and the brass of the case was showing up on the side walls.

They were just used for light target loads with different powders, that I tested out, over the years.

I have a fair bit of .38 Special brass like that as well. I’d been told decades ago that nickel plated brass is more brittle and cracks sooner as a result of the plating process. But if that’s the case there isn’t enough difference to make a difference.

 

[AJ]

Once I see the nickeled brass in for sizing/depriming, I separate them out. I have separate containers for all of my nickeled brass (.45 ACP. .45 Colt, & .38/,357). Someday I will figure out what I want to do with them, probably just make pretty ones (copper jacketed bullets on the nickeled cases).

 

[TexasViking]

The vast majority of new handloaders that I’ve worked with expand the case way beyond what’s necessary to get the projectiles started in cleanly. Then they try to compensate by over crimping.

I still load .357, .41, .45 Colt high pressure and .454 Casull using a full dose of H110/W296 with excellent brass life. I’ve got some .41 Mag and .45 Colt brass that I’ve loaded countless times over 35 plus years. As stated before, nickeled stuff is the only ones I recall having repeated issues with. The nickeled stuff I have is “show brass.” I keep my cartridge belts loaded with it. Silver cast bullets too!

I believe we can thank the internet for that. I find it rather surprising that so few handloaders these days have completely read and understood their handload manuals.
For me, this is an issue directly attributable to the pressure of your loads, particularly magnum handgun cartridges that will, with enough pressure, eventually require trimming. The 9 x 19mm is kind of unique as a 35,000 PSI cartridge in how little it stretches, but on average between thick and thin cases - WIN cases are my barometer - thickness within 1mm of the case-mouth runs around .011" which likely helps. Brass fatigue is certainly a potentiality and how we get splits. Otherwise, I don't believe that a prediction can be made in regard to the number of times cases can be reloaded. Keeping track of the number of times they have been reloaded is a necessity, as is examining case-necks for potential splitting issues which is possible with any handgun cartridge I've ever loaded.

 

[gwpercle]

I have 45 auto cases that I have loaded for so long some headstamps can hardly be read anymore. Some 44 spec cases I've shot for a long time. Some are balloon head type cases...Rem-UMC brand...so maybe 35-40 loads. I did quit shooting the really old 44 Russian cases

Same results here also ... the 45 acp being a low pressure round , I usually loose them before a split or crack develops ...
and so true about the headstamps ...just a blur on there after enough reloadings !
Gary

 

[Racer X]

Once I see the nickeled brass in for sizing/depriming, I separate them out. I have separate containers for all of my nickeled brass (.45 ACP. .45 Colt, & .38/,357). Someday I will figure out what I want to do with them, probably just make pretty ones (copper jacketed bullets on the nickeled cases).

I load all the hot loads in nickeled cases. Easier to tell at a glance. Not like I load/shoot that many anyway.

 

[rockquarry]

I load all the hot loads in nickeled cases. Easier to tell at a glance. Not like I load/shoot that many anyway.

I haven't counted how many times you can load a case, but I'd guess even nickel handgun brass can be loaded about five times before neck splits occur.

 

[austintexas]

split cases

The only split cases I have run into are old (I picked them up on the base range at Rota, Spain) GI .45 APC. This ammo was old when I picked it up in '69. I think the Marines were just using up old GI ammo. I got a 5 gallon bucket full, still using it. Occasionally I get a full length split after firing. I Don't think it is from too many reloads or pressure. Just old brittle brass.
SWCA 892

 

[DWalt]

I occasionally get a fired case with a sidewall split. .32-20 cases seem to be the most prone to that. I remember some years ago getting a fair number of splits with .44 Special cases. Only a few ever in all other calibers.

 

[AJ]

The only split cases I have run into are old (I picked them up on the base range at Rota, Spain) GI .45 APC. This ammo was old when I picked it up in '69. I think the Marines were just using up old GI ammo. I got a 5 gallon bucket full, still using it. Occasionally I get a full length split after firing. I Don't think it is from too many reloads or pressure. Just old brittle brass.
SWCA 892

TransLanted through Rota a couple of times with our aircraft. Have not thought of Rota in a while.

 

[SMSgt]

The only split cases I have run into are old (I picked them up on the base range at Rota, Spain) GI .45 APC. This ammo was old when I picked it up in '69. I think the Marines were just using up old GI ammo. I got a 5 gallon bucket full, still using it. Occasionally I get a full length split after firing. I Don't think it is from too many reloads or pressure. Just old brittle brass.
SWCA 892

I've had a few .45 ACP cases--CBC stamped--that split, but other than that, mostly old GI (.30-06) brass that split the necks.

 

[H Richard]

I find handgun brass lasts so long you can forget about it. As long as you don't "magnumize" it. I had one batch of 1000 .45 acp brass (TZZ) that split frequently. Other than that it was so seldom I don't worry about it. Rifle brass is a different story. and is dependent on how hot loaded but usually in the 6-10 times it will fail.

 

[AJ]

I find handgun brass lasts so long you can forget about it. As long as you don't "magnumize" it. I had one batch of 1000 .45 acp brass (TZZ) that split frequently. Other than that it was so seldom I don't worry about it. Rifle brass is a different story. and is dependent on how hot loaded but usually in the 6-10 times it will fail.

In the mid 1980's there were problems with TZZ headstamped ammo in the 9 MM's. All of it .45 ACP and 9 MM was pulled and destroyed. I was stationed on a Naval Weapons Station at the time. Whenever we drove by the incinerator all you could hear was the popping of the ammo in it.

 

[Model19man]

I have had 45 Colt cases that became too long and had to be trimmed. I occasionally find a cracked case, it seems to me it's more of an anomaly than something caused by excessive use. Some of my 45 Colt cases are above 10 times being reloaded. Some of my 38 Special cases are nearly double that.

 

[cmj8591]

A lot of case longevity depends on what they are being fired in. If the gun has a sloppy chamber, the case will expand more and require more movement in the sizing process to bring it back to spec which accelerates work hardening. I don't do much of anything to my handgun brass other than tumble it. I never trim it even if it's stretched a bit. There's just not enough increase in performance to justify putting the time into trimming. I'm able to do this because I got away from roll crimping and went to either taper crimp or Lee factory crimp. They are not as fussy with case length as roll crimping. Like some of the other posters, I have handgun brass that I've been loading for 45 years. I use it until it can't hold a bullet.

 

[mtgianni]

I have 32 special brass with 25 + loadings that have a tight primer pocket. I have loaded 44 magnums in a blackhawk that did not after 5 loadings.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I like shooting a .357 Magnum, just that is really a "Specialty" type ammo, for either SD use or hunting , which means that I don't get to shoot a lot of it, unless I get a deer tag.

I did the "Magnum" loads when I was wet behind the ears and young
that be "Smok'n" , when I first received my first M19-5.
I got from 4-6 reloads before the brass cases gave out and some at only three !

Case life with "Full loads" depended a lot on the fps and the types of powder used
as well as if you shot JHP or lead bullets, where a heavy crimp helped, "Kill" a copper case.

In my earlier days I shot a lot of "Steel" at 100 yards but found out that
only moderate loads would do the job, that were a lot easier on the revolver and my hands.

Today, I kill paper most of the time at the range unless I let the kids try out
a few rounds of the "Real Deal", just for giggles, just to see the looks on their face.
My D&L, smiled, looked at me and said, "Cool" .

I did tell to hold on tight and don't drop it, though.