Range Brass For The Beginning Reloader

[ageingstudent]

When I pick up pistol brass at the range it gets looked at once when decapping, a second time after wet tumbling, a third time after a quick polishing in cobb and walnut, and a final time before it goes on the press. I'm just looking for issues as i prep so at each stage a diminishing few get recycled and it is just part of the flow so to speak. Bottleneck stuff gets an extra inspection as it goes on the trimmer so it really gets looked at. If there's even a hint of a problem I just chuck it in the scrap bucket. There's just so much once fired brass in certain calibers laying around I hate to see it go unused. Sometimes it's good for trading stock.

I treat my known brass the same way so I feel pretty comfortable with the status of my brass. I don't often load at maximums. If I do I use only my brass.

I just wish more folks would leave more revolver brass laying around.

 

[LostintheOzone]

Most of my range brass is once fired. My neighbor and I shoot together and he gives me all of his brass as he isn't a reloader. He just started shooting about 2 years ago so I advised him to buy guns that use the same cartridges that I shoot. He followed along real well until he bought a few rifles. The one he shoots the most, an AR-15, works well for me now because I just bought a .223. What else was I supposed to do? I start inspecting the brass before it goes into the press to size and decap. One thing I just learned is worn out pistol brass won't show any resistance when flared. I just chuck those right there because the neck tension won't hold a bullet. I also own 2 sets of 38 dies. I got tired of adjusting my dies for 38 spl and 357. They are now dedicated for one or the other. I probably throw away 10% of my brass during every reloading session. I don't separate it, if it looks good and feels good in the press I load it.

I'm setting on a very large pile of free .223, 45 ACP, 9 MM, 357, 38 spl. and 30 carbine brass. Life is good.

 

[AveragEd]

I also own 2 sets of 38 dies. I got tired of adjusting my dies for 38 spl and 357. They are now dedicated for one or the other.

RCBS die sets for .38 SPL/.357 MAG and .44 SPL/MAG come with a spacer to install under the dies when loading the longer cartridge so no readjusting or second set of dies is needed.

Ed

 

[Alk8944]

Federali,

Going back to your original post, RCBS makes 2 different shellholders for 9mm to account for the differences sometimes found, #16 and, unfortunately, I don't recall the other. They used to list both on the die box, but my current set only shows #16. The Lee shellholder #19 takes the place of both RCBS numbers. While I like RCBS products, and used to work for them a long time ago, sometimes they hold tolerances too tight, and this is one example.

And other posters:

"Generally, you're still dealing with second-rate material for handloading when you use range pickup brass." What an asinine remark! Does that mean you are dealing with "second rate material" when you reload your own brass?

I have posted this before about range pick-ups. There are two kinds of shooters, reloaders and non-reloaders. Reloaders don't leave their brass behind! Non-reloaders do. There are basically two types of brass (Forget Aluminum, steel, etc, not part of the discussion!), Once-fired and previously commercially reloaded. These are usually easy to tell apart. The once fired will have no previous sizing marks, primer will match the case brand, etc. Much commercially reloaded ammunition will have primer pockets that have been reamed to remove a crimp, whether it was originally crimped or not! The primer pocket will look like a funnel on much of these cases! I have seen many calibers with reamed pockets, not just 9mm! These are easy to cull out.

Reloaders are supposed to have at least a modicum of intelligence and common sense. Note that we are not talking about bench rest shooters, mostly advanced plinkers with handguns. To refuse to use range pick-ups just because they were fired by someone else at some time isn't merely being cautious, it is demonstrating paranoia! Someone made the remark about his guns being too valuable to use range pick-ups! Can he, or anyone else, give an even relatively cogent example of how loading previously fired cases that have been thoroughly inspected and cleaned can cause damage to a firearm?????? And don't say body splits, neck cracks etc! If you think these can damage a chamber you do not understand the dynamics of firearms at all!

 

[mtgianni]

I find that my groups are best with sorted brass. I tend to keep it all in lots. Some cartridges I don't mind picking up if scrap at the range but others i just won't bother with.
I smile when some worry about once fired or not, I have 32 long cases that have seen over 20 reloads and primer pockets are still tight. Pressure is what kills a case along with wear of resizing.

 

[AveragEd]

Alk8944, I get and respect your position with regard to this issue but remain firmly opposed to 1)the littering of ranges by leaving discarded shell casings on the ground and 2)using brass discarded by those litterers.

Sure, you can inspect it to your heart's content and fondle it in every way possible to make sure it's okay to use. OR you could just buy new ammunition for the cases or new cases and know exactly what you have. It's a free country.

But on its very basis, this thread is a little scary. It has to do with beginning reloaders using discarded brass - do those people actually know how to carry out all those inspections that have been mentioned throughout this thread?

Non-reloaders are not the only people who discard their brass. I see lots of casings that had been reloaded who-knows-how-many times when I clean up after other members. Should we be telling new reloaders that it's okay to litter our clubs with their garbage too? I think your club officers and directors may frown upon that; their insurance company certainly would. Most clubs have a container on each range for unwanted brass; why not encourage new members to use them instead of littering?

And finally, while used brass usually doesn't pose a safety concern, you might be able to afford to take that chance for the few bucks saved by scrounging someone else's garbage. For the safety of myself, my firearms and the shooters around me at my club, I choose not to.

Ed

 

[hdwhit]

It’s best to not even try to reload rifle brass with foreign military headstamps. If you recover a bunch of unknown brass, sacrifice one and cut the back end off to ascertain whether it’s Berdan primed.

You can often shine a flashlight down the neck of a case and see the two berdan flash holes, so it's not always necessary to cut up a case.

I use an otoscope to inspect the insides of cases (where needed). They can be purchased from Amazone or eBay for under $10.

 

[rwsmith]

Did I mention.....

Did I mention what I call 'one shot' brass. It's new brass that you find on the range that isn't fit for reloading after one shot. They are often cracked. If cracked crosswise they ring with a really high pitched 'ting' because they are so thin.

 

[rwsmith]

I get really good brass......

I find really good name brand brass. I also find a lot of real crud and everything in between those two. It's not hard to throw out the stuff that is at all questionable.

 

[LostintheOzone]

RCBS die sets for .38 SPL/.357 MAG and .44 SPL/MAG come with a spacer to install under the dies when loading the longer cartridge so no readjusting or second set of dies is needed.

Ed

So that's what that thing is. I've been scratching my head about that piece.

Maybe I'll read the instructions next time.

 

[Sclays]

After a twenty plus year break from reloading a very wise scholarly mentor recommended buying fresh new brass from Starline.
His counsel was sound.

 

[carpriver]

for those men that find it hard to bend over I found the Brass Wizard Cartridge Case Pick Up Tool. from uniquetek.com, Product code T1310. Got one for Christmas last year works well on small and larger brass. Works indoors or out. Almost as good as a shopvac.

 

[29aholic]

This will get to some of you
Years ago when I was shooting IPSC we took turns hosting matches at different clubs. One club refused to let us pick up our brass stating time constraints, safety, etc. It was all BS because we knew for a fact they just wanted free brass.
A partner of mine and I figured out you could punch through the bottom of a CCI Blazer aluminum case with a good decapping die and a standard primer would work in them. We could find those cases everywhere and would load them to use specifically at that particular club. They all worked fine and we never had a case split, separate at the head or any other malady. We actually loaded a handful of them about 15 times as an experiment with no issues at all. If it wasn't such a PITA to do the initial prep we might have stuck with them, but we had plenty of good brass to mess with it. We just didn't want to give it away.

 

[Fishslayer]

I bet my 9mm Para brass converted to 9mm Mak would push some of you over the edge.

Only when you leave it on the floor for me to pick up...

 

[LostintheOzone]

Alk8944, I get and respect your position with regard to this issue but remain firmly opposed to 1)the littering of ranges by leaving discarded shell casings on the ground and 2)using brass discarded by those litterers.

This has never been an issue where I shoot. It's a private range and people are expected to clean up after themselves. If they don't want their brass they still clean it up, even .22 brass. Five gallon buckets are there for brass and steel cases. We have cameras on every range.

I've been reloading range brass for 3 years now. I started out with range brass as a new reloader. Yes, more issues than with new brass but not insurmountable. With any new process there is going to be a learning curve. If I didn't enjoy the challenge I wouldn't reload. All I can say is I'm glad that most shooters don't reload.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Hey, Nevada Ed:

Years back the kids would forget to bring the store bought brass and cases home after an outing.

I picked up range brass but also placed it base down and picked out the "Bright" once fired cases and then did a second inspection on the type of primers.

Today my pistol cases that fly every where when fired are in good numbers.
Nice when the kids and in-laws remember to pick up their brass
and bring it to me.
I too am getting to the point that I would rather buy the cases, than bend over and go through the hassle of finding good cases.

However I do have one old "Tank" that I feed any thing too, in cases, bullet types and any powder! I mean ANY !!
Just too bad IMR 4227 stove pipes now and them. Bummer.

(ATTEMPT #2) Please advise: What is "Tank"?

 

[fredj338]

Reloading comes with a disease know as brass scroungingitis. It afflicts all of us at some point. I have even been know to pick up once fired brass for calibers I do not load for, just to save it from the scrap bin. Someone might need it. My first reloads for my 6.8 were cases I found at the range about 3yrs ago. One of the clubs I shoot at is a LEA practice range as well as public range. There is always tons of brass on the ground. I try to control myself & only get what I shoot, but then you find the occasional handful of 44mag or 10mm, gotta take those.

 

[e3mrk]

The Range I shoot at lets Me pick all the Brass I want, After depriming and cleaning I check each one for any defects,I dont mind throwing away any Brass I feel is iffy.
Nickle Plated seems to be the worst as the plating can hide small cracks that would show in unplated Brass so I don't bother with it.
One trick I do is to spin the Case with a Finger Nail in the Mouth so I can feel any cracks not visible to the Eye.

 

[feelinlucky]

...I’ve picked up 9mm Winchester and “WCC” (Western Cartridge Co.) whose extractor groove is too shallow to enter a standard RCBS #16 shell holder. My case preparation begins on a single-stage RCBS Rockchucker. I can only wonder why these cases apparently don’t conform to SAAMI specs...

You might recall that I said I was skeptical of this. Famous last words. In all my years of reloading, that's never once happened to me... until just this week.

I was decapping a batch of 40 s&w brass I scrounged at the range, and sure enough, I found a case that wouldn't go into the holder. It was garden variety Federal brass... one of maybe a hundred I picked up, all clearly from the same shooting session. I examined it under the magnifier with calipers. The extractor groove was not cut deep enough.

**** happens.

 

[glenwolde]

I bet my 9mm Para brass converted to 9mm Mak would push some of you over the edge.

I do the same, and try not to leave any laying around but sometimes it just disappears. I've read posts in other reloading forums where it was apparent that the poster had run into some of this. Yet another thing to watch for with 9mm range brass...short Luger cases.

I also load the other two 9's...Luger and the .380. To keep things straight I only load the Mak conversion in nickel 9mm Luger cases and don't load the others in nickel.