480 Ruger Case Life

[wtfooptimax200]

Does anyone have any idea of the average life span of a piece of 480 Ruger brass with mid range loads?

[rintinglen]

I can't say for certain, since my brass was 45-70 rifle brass, and I didn't keep the gun very long but I would expect it to have been the same as most other revolver brass. I managed 4-5 loadings before I sold the gun and had no brass failures with fairly warm loads. I usually expect at least 8 loadings and once loaded the same box of 38 Special Remington Brass 14 times before I got my first split neck, using a light load of 231 and WC boolits.

[BABore]

Been loading the same Hornady brass, with full house loads, since the 480 came out. Must have 12-15 loading on each case. No case growth at all with 1,250 fps loads. You will likely develope cracking at the case mouth from repeated crimping and flaring before anything else. I have annealed case mouths on case I felt were getting close.

New Hornady brass is actually too soft for max loads. You'll get sticky extraction below max for a loading or two, then it work hardens enough to increase pressure on future loading.

[castblast]

I've got about 8 loadings on my first lot with no problems. Starline brass.