Brass you won't reload?

[SODAPOPMG]

9mm marked AMMO LOAD
this brass has a reinforced base that has a shelf for the bullet to sit on
this reduces the powder chamber so your favorite load is too hot for this brass
also someone else posted that the brass separates where the shelf is after just 1 or 2 loadings

.223 Norinko brass had a "j" on the headstamp old stuff but people are breaking out their long term storage ammo
primers just fall out of it on the first load

[mold maker]

I just went to inspect some a-merc brass, from the last bunch i processed. The flash hole is slightly off center. Thats the only thing I can find wrong with it.
What does that matter? Did ya ever see a primer from the back side? The 3 holes there aren't centered either.
The primer pockets feel right. The primer seated depth is right. They size without undue force. I think folks are just too picky.
From now on they get loaded. The only thing I cull is berdan primed, steel, and damaged.
If I really need to, the steel will get used, as long as the coating is intact.
Folks we need to be more frugal with the once thought of as free resources. I can remember when every hardware store carried lead in 5-25 lb slugs for plumbers. There used to be a lead collar, around every vent pipe. All wheel weights were lead. Primers were available everywhere at $8./K, and a box of 22s were .69
If ya don't want to use them now, you may soon be glad you didn't trash them. It isn't like ya gonna have to park your caddy in the rain because the a-merc brass is taking its place in the garage.

[robertbank]

Amerc is junk plain and simple. Works well in the recycle bin.

S&B has a crimp of sorts. I give my S&B 9MMM brass to a friend who has a Dillon 1050 with the built in primer pocket swagger. I get a lot of S&B 38spl brass and use my manual swagger on the pockets to clean them up. Good brass with very tight primer pockets.

Take care

Bob

[btroj]

That explains why my 550 chokes so much on SB brass.

[Marcduper]

I only keep WIN,FED and REM for pistol. I only reload one type at a time. I find it gets rid of most if not all of my reloading problems. There is a lot of junk out there. I have also had good luck with Blazer 9 MM. They were consistant.

Marc

[45 Zulu]

Tried to load some 9 x 18 Mak brass today that has a MFS head stamp. Wow what a fight to get a primer into that junk. I had to sort all of it out of my brass.

[robertbank]

Tried to load some 9 x 18 Mak brass today that has a MFS head stamp. Wow what a fight to get a primer into that junk. I had to sort all of it out of my brass.

I am guessing the brass has a military crimp. This has to be removed before you attempt to reload the brass. I use a Dillon primer pocket swagger for this purpose. I also use it when I get S&B brass.

Take Care

Bob

[mold maker]

I find the double standard in primer sizes in 45 ACP to be a much larger problem than the A merc brand.
My tired eyes require lots more light and really clean primer pockets to easily see the difference. Even than I keep a short length of heavy wire just under LPP size to make sure.
So far I've found Speer, Winchester, Blazer, and Federal to have both sizes. Have you found others?
I can usually find the crimped pockets by noting the pressure needed to deprime.

[ravelode]

[QUOTE=mold maker;2711947]I find the double standard in primer sizes in 45 ACP to be a much larger problem than the A merc brand.
My tired eyes require lots more light and really clean primer pockets to easily see the difference. Even than I keep a short length of heavy wire just under LPP size to make sure.
So far I've found Speer, Winchester, Blazer, and Federal to have both sizes. Have you found others? QUOTE]

I can usually find the crimped pockets by noting the pressure needed to deprime.[/

Fiocchi USA some of their .45 ACP has small primers which according to the boxes is made in Hungary

[Shiloh]

Worst I've seen, and I won't reload it, is a-merc

Amen!!

Shiloh

[texassako]

I usually load any brand after an inspection. Weird thing is I have 50 .38 Special cases of Amerc that are actually pretty decent and have been loaded many times. I guess even bad brands can have a good day, but normal .38 Special loads are not exactly hard on brass either.

[bigblockbill]

Well after 4 pages someone finally mentiond Ammo-Load, for my reason of reduced capisity. Although I have never delt with a-merc.

[Garyshome]

A-Merc.

[woodbutcher]

The only milsurp brass that I have ever used was 30-06 and 45 acp.The 06 was ALL 66 LC match that I got from a friend that shot on the NG rifle team.What sweet stuff.IIRC,the 45 was also gotten from the NG team also.so am guessing that it was also NM stuff too.Also IIRC,got some 38 special milsurp also,that also worked great.I don`t think that any of it was crimped.Wound up with almost 5K of each.And the price was right too.FREE.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Bjornb]

I just ran into an issue I haven't had to deal with before. I recently acquired a Remington Model of 1934 in 7X57, built on the 1917 action. I had a stash of about 200 rounds of factory S&B ammo, 2011 manufacture. Now fired once, not a single one of these cases will fit in the appropriate shell holder (tried Lyman, RCBS and Lee); the brass has expanded and pinched part of the extractor groove past specs. They would not chamber in the rifle after sizing either. After grinding down a shell holder in order to run the die lower on the case I was able to return the cases to a chamber fit, and the extractor will pull the case back out. I have relegated these cases to back-up duty and put S&B ammo on my "do not buy" list.

[fred2892]

In my experience, S&B brass is totally worthless for reloading. Neck annealing is always insufficient and is prone to splitting. My most extreme experience was with S&B .303. Out of 100 new cases I lost over 20 on the first reload another 40+ next time and only 4 cases lasted 3 reloads. I know of the same with their 7.62x54r which also had over softened bases where the rims would bend and peel off whilst reloading.
And don't forget they head stamp their brass for other companies too. Winchester for one.

[ROGER4314]

For many years, I sorted all of my pistol cases by brand but had to change due to the economics of it. I have a class of loads that are my range loads. I use any brand of case on those. If special loads are required, I still sort my brand.

Rifle brass is different. If I'm going to burn all of that power to throw a .30 cent bullet, I'll clean primer pockets and do a first class job of hand sorting components.

In .45acp, I do NOT load small primer brass. I cull those and save them just in case.

Today, I ordered 500 .45 acp Starline brass cases and I've had very good luck with those in the past.

Flash

[Swede 45]

I see that S&B brass gets alot of negative here.. I´m wondering if the S&B that sells in the US are different from the S&B brass available here in europe?
I use S&B brass in 9mm,40s&w,38spl,357mag and some for 45acp for my competition ammo.. never had any problem with any! And I reload 1000´s and 1000´s of them!
Primer seats just fine (lee pro1000), cases holds up just fine without cracking.. I have some 38spl S&B that are on the 12th run through the process.. some of my 9mm brass are so worn that you hardly can read the headstamp.. lost track of how many times I´ve run them?!

My crappiest brass are nickel Winchester in 38spl.. cracks after 2-3 reloads of moderate charges! Uses them only for "lost brass" matches..

Riflebrass.. well, I use S&B 7x57R to form my rare 6.5x57R without any trouble.. 6.5x55,308win,22Savage HP and 30-06 brass goes straight in the box in the corner.. just because Norma and Lapua brass are available in a neverending supply!
Swedish military cases in 9mm, 6.5x55 and 7.62x51 goes into the recyclingbin as they are berdan.. no use for those!

[robertbank]

Swede 45, the problem I have with S&B brass is it has a crimp on the primer. The brass we get up here does anyway. I only use S&B 38spl brass and I use my Dillon primer pocket swager to swage out the crimp. Takes time and even then the pockets are overly tight. If I wasn't so cheap I probably would not bother. I also wil take the time to swage out .45acp cases as well. 8MM brass goes straight to the recycle bin.

Bob

[Swede 45]

Bob, then I guess there is a difference!
None of the S&B brass I´ve used had crimped primers or tight pockets.
Primers come out just fine and new ones goes in smooth and nice.. used Magtech, Federal, CCI and Remington primers without any trouble or extra work.