How many times can a brass casing be used?

[nova_gjones]

Gentlemen,

First, wishing you all a Happy Holiday to you and yours.

I know there is a NO fixed answer to this. How many times can a brass cartridge be used before you just discard it?

Yes, lots of caveats here and I am just seeking a very general answer. I know military or commercial brass are different. How the brass is loaded (powerful loads or not so powerful loads) over time. But when do you retire brass casings?

Thank you in advance.

Gregg Jones

[smokesahoy]

until it is out of spec and can no longer be returned to it.

in pistol cases some are so low pressure they could probably be used indefinitely, some are high pressure and will split or otherwise cease to meet specifications.

[3006guns]

Quick answer: 5,876 times..........or less.

Realistic answer: There are so many variables that there is no standard "number". In general, straight walled revolver cases such as the .38 special seem to be immortal sometimes. Increase the load's power and suddenly you start seeing brass failure within two to three loads sometimes. Bottle neck cases suffer from "flow", that is, the brass actually stretches and moves forward each time the round is fired. Hot loads speed this process up until you have a case separation, leaving the forward portion in the chamber (don't ask how I learned this).

I probably load my brass, both rifle and pistol, several times more than they should be........but I'm always on the lookout for incipient case separation, neck cracks, etc. As a result, I get a LOT of use out of them before they go to the salvage yard for some cash.

[Calamity Jake]

I've got 45C and ACP brass that has been loaded over 50 times, still going strong, I'll load it till it splits.
30-06 LC68 Match light loaded over 50 times also.
As said above, to many variables.

[paul h]

Way too many factors to give an answer any more definative than, it depends.

I have handgun cases that have been loaded over 20 times and with loads that generate over 40,000 psi so not low pressure loads. The primer pockets are still tight, but eventually the belling and crimping causes the cases to split so they are discarded. I had a 6.5mm wildcat based on the 30-30 in a contender handgun and no matter what I did to fireform the brass, I'd get case head seperation at the third firing so they had to be tossed. 223 is my high mileage rifle chambering and I've had cases that I've loaded upwards of 10 times before the primer pockets get loose or the necks crack. You can anneal case necks to extend the case life but primer pockets will eventually loosen from repeated seating of primers.

The long and the short of it is if the case will no longer firmly hold a primer or the neck is cracked I discard it.

[sundog]

I had a 22 CHeetah MkI that after 3 loadings the brass went in the recycle bin. On the other end of the spectrum, I have 45 acp brass that has been shot so many times the head stamp is gone, peened away. Need more info for a more definitive answer.

[osteodoc08]

Until out of spec or splits or other case issue.

['74 sharps]

I shoot mine until I get a split.

[avogunner]

Another here with .45acp cases that have been loaded "too many times to count". Seriously, I'm loading some cases that were my first reloads over 30 years ago.

[Big Boomer]

Several years ago a writer for the American Rifleman (IIRC) conducted an experiment with different brands of 38Spec. brass with medium level loads. He found out first that he had way too many pieces of brass to work with and reload. The experiment was taking too much time because the brass was not failing as expected. So he dropped the number of pieces he was reloading and focused on just one piece of brass from the major ammo manufacturers. Again, IIRC, those with a cannelure failed first. Then mouth splits. But some were still going strong at 135 or so reloads. If I failed to recall all the specifics correctly, someone who does please chime in and set the details straight.

I have both revolver, pistol, and rifle brass that have lasted far longer than I expected ... meaning that I have amassed a lot of brass that I will never live to use since what I am using is lasting so well. Big Boomer

[Shiloh]

I have .38 brass that is older than me. Loaded many dozens of times by me after I acquired it from a shooter.
LC '06 brass that has been loaded countless times. Gets annealed when the necks get springy.

Shiloh

[fredj338]

As noted, it all depends. Low pressure handgun can be loaded 20X easily, full high pressure loads, certainly less. High pressure rifle, depends on how it's resized, headspace of the rifle, etc, but 10X is a reasonable average, more if you neck size &/or anneal. YMMV

[oldpapps]

A bunch to a few.

I have .45 ACP brass that was nickle plated but the nickle has worn off. Been loading it sense the late 70s.

I load for 2 S.M.L.E.s in 303 Brit. Both are well used and I have to full length size. I feel luck to get two reloads after the initial factory firing. (If I shot either of them much, I would segregate the brass and neck size for each weapon.)

My loads for .300 AAC Blackout are running over 20 times and that is with recycles .223/5.56 brass that was retired because it had neck/mouth problems. How many reloads? No idea.

Pressures, chamber size and degree of re-sizing all come together. Some do well, others not so well.

Enjoy,

OSOK

[Ben]

I once read of a single once fired Federal 38 Spec. case that was loaded over and over again with 2.7 grs. of B'eye with a 148 gr. W/C bullet.

That single case was loaded and fired 72 times. It split down the side on # 73.

[462]

I used to have some new Remington .45 Auto Rim brass that would split upon the first firing.

[oldpapps]

"new Remington .45 Auto Rim brass that would split upon the first firing."

Yea, that is a total pain in the.....
Some years ago I bought 100 new un-primed WW 44 mag brass and loaded them all up with my favored loading with a jacketed bullet and put them all in those red plastic storage boxes and stored them.
Less than a year ago I happened to be digging around and opened the two boxes of 50. 80+% of the brass had split.... Just sitting there in plastic storage boxes, in green GI ammo cans, in my heated/cooled humidity controlled storage area. I was not please!

I broke them all down to reclaim the bullets and primers (everything was labeled), I new the powder but burned it for the grand kids anyway.

So, that's '0' time fired, '0' times reloaded. But this was an exception. I have some other brass, also .44 mag, that I have been shooting and reloading for years and years. It's a bite when that stuff happens.

Enjoy,

OSOK

[Texantothecore]

Straight wall cases, if neck sized only, will last for a very long time. Shouldered cases probably much less.

My own straight wall cases are 8 years old and show no signs of wear or fatigue.

[geargnasher]

I'm not sure that .45 ACP brass loaded with boolits and target loads ever does wear out if you don't count the headstamp being obliterated by the ejector after the first couple dozen firings. .38 Special needs a trim every once in a while when the mouths start getting wongo. Bottle-neck rifle chamberings with excessively large chamber necks split the necks sometimes on the first factory firing. I have .30-30 brass I've been reloading for over 20 years with cast boolits and all it ever needs is an occasional trim.

Gear

[WallyM3]

Only one hard and fast rule do I follow. Four times through a Garand or M1a, it gets tossed in the recycle (as in scrap) bucket. These are presently my only 30-06s and 308s.

[Texantothecore]

A rule of thumb is shouldered cases with high pressure rounds and full length sizing will go 5 reloads, straight wall cases will go 10.
If you use low pressure rounds in straight walled casings, neck sizing the casings with occasional annealing you may pass those cases on to your kids.
I have about two hundred casings but I only use about 100 or so. The second 100 have been shot once only. My supply appears to be a lifetime supply.

[Lead Fred]

In 2001 I bought 6 boxes (of 20) 30-06 Remy Cor-Loks. Ive shot them over and over again.
I still have 71 of them, and when I saw primer pocket bulges, I retired them.

[upnorthwis]

I run'em till they die except for the 06 Garand. The rims get dinged during extraction and I'm working on a tool to fix that too.

[Dale in Louisiana]

When I used to shoot highpower rifle matches I had some LC-whatever .30-06 brass with ten loads of full-bore 4895 in them.

Inspect your cases and keep them in lots. When one in a lot starts looking questionable, dump the whole lot and start over.

dale in Louisiana

[Digital Dan]

'Tis a question with no definitive answer I think. Failing a case with over pressure is uncommon. Causing a failure due to work hardening of the brass is a more likely culprit. A chamber on the large side of spec's and a sizing die on the smaller end of things is a recipe for short case life. I've had a lot of brass last for years and many, many cycles. Have also had brass that lasted only 3-4 reloadings.

[MtGun44]

I have lots of .45 ACP brass with the headstamp beaten flat from hitting the
ejector of a 1911 so many times.

Bill

[mac60]

When I used to shoot highpower rifle matches I had some LC-whatever .30-06 brass with ten loads of full-bore 4895 in them.

Inspect your cases and keep them in lots. When one in a lot starts looking questionable, dump the whole lot and start over.

dale in Louisiana

I used to take that same approach. Anymore, I just scrap the bad one and move on with the rest of 'em. Brass has just gotten so damned expensive.

[h8dirt]

I used to have some new Remington .45 Auto Rim brass that would split upon the first firing.
I got a batch of Hornady 45 Colt (started as factory loads) that split within the first three reloads -- all with light, cast boolit reloads. Sometimes it's just a **** shoot.

[Bullshop Junior]

I load them till they bust. I have 45 Colt brass that is probably older then I am.

[Bullshop Junior]

Way too many factors to give an answer any more definative than, it depends.

I have handgun cases that have been loaded over 20 times and with loads that generate over 40,000 psi so not low pressure loads. The primer pockets are still tight, but eventually the belling and crimping causes the cases to split so they are discarded. I had a 6.5mm wildcat based on the 30-30 in a contender handgun and no matter what I did to fireform the brass, I'd get case head seperation at the third firing so they had to be tossed. 223 is my high mileage rifle chambering and I've had cases that I've loaded upwards of 10 times before the primer pockets get loose or the necks crack. You can anneal case necks to extend the case life but primer pockets will eventually loosen from repeated seating of primers.

The long and the short of it is if the case will no longer firmly hold a primer or the neck is cracked I discard it.

Primer pocket stretching is actually from over loading and high pressure.

[Bullshop Junior]

I used to have some new Remington .45 Auto Rim brass that would split upon the first firing.

I bought some brand new Winchester 454 ammo to shoot up for the brass, and half of them seperated on the first shot. You talk about pissed off...

[btroj]

I load them till they bust. I have 45 Colt brass that is probably older then I am.

Yep. They last however long they last.

[Petrol & Powder]

............ "wongo".............

Is that like Wonky? or am I mixing my engineering terms? :grin:

[btroj]

Is that like Wonky? or am I mixing my engineering terms? :grin:

Might be the scotch talking........

[tygar]

until it is out of spec and can no longer be returned to it.

in pistol cases some are so low pressure they could probably be used indefinitely, some are high pressure and will split or otherwise cease to meet specifications.

I literally have 45acp brass from when I shot it in the Marines in the 60s. With straight wall cases for practice/plinking I just dump a large coffee can into my Dillon 650 I load. No checks except when handling or on inspection after loading before use. If its match stuff, it's closely inspected, headstamp matched & OAL checked.

On rifle used for match, target etc. new brass, all matched, weighed, sized, OAL, all are batched in 1/2 gr batches & only used with that batch. They are shot once to see that they perform properly with that load, any that don't shoot within the group are tossed into the "junk" stuff. The 2nd time it is fired is for "score". If it again performed good, it will be used a 3rd & usually 4th time; no more than 4. It is then annealed & used for match practice. This is with non-magnum bolts. With the mags, all the same but sometimes less firings. All these are neck sized only after "new" FL sizing so stretch is minimized. After "match-target" use I use an X die to maintain length which I have found makes the brass last a little longer. Belted mags are checked for case separation just above the belt with a home made prick. Any sign & they go to scrap bin.

With M1, M14, the brass is prepped as above but they get beat up so how many times a particular piece is used is dependent on damage. With M14s for testing/practice I close the plug so they are not extracted & do so manually so don't have the damage to the brass. Seldom get 4 firings out of auto brass due to this damage. Then it goes into the plinking stage after annealing. I only use LC (practice/plinking) LCM (match). After 4 firings/annealing I will use LCM for some bolt applications due to it's thicker brass & changes in pressure.

Like a lot of guys here on pistol we have so much brass there is no way to know how many firings a particular case has.

Like 3006 says 5,876 or less.

[rintinglen]

I loaded a W-W 30-06 case 10 times with 22.0 grains of 2400 and a 311-467 before it split. And it had been fired before, at least once. I loaded a 38 case 51 times with a 148 grain wadcutter and 3.1 grains of WW-231 before I lost track of it.
However, I bought 500 new starline 9mm Largo cases and had over half split on the first firing. I had a similar result with some CCI-Speer 38 special cases. Good brass lasts, bad brass doesn't.

[Bullshop Junior]

I loaded a W-W 30-06 case 10 times with 22.0 grains of 2400 and a 311-467 before it split. And it had been fired before, at least once. I loaded a 38 case 51 times with a 148 grain wadcutter and 3.1 grains of WW-231 before I lost track of it.
However, I bought 500 new starline 9mm Largo cases and had over half split on the first firing. I had a similar result with some CCI-Speer 38 special cases. Good brass lasts, bad brass doesn't.

Starline prides their work, and f you call them and tell them that, they will probably send you more brass.

[tygar]

Starline prides their work, and f you call them and tell them that, they will probably send you more brass.

Yes, I have some Starline also, in .44, .454 & .500 & I load pretty hot & have had good use from their brass.

[williamwaco]

I have some .38 special cases that are almost 50 years old
They have been loaded around 50 times.
Each time I reload them about 1/100 splits.

I have several boxes of NEW .38 special cases of S&B and Remington brand bought as factory loads.
After six loads, 40% of them have split.

I have NEVER seen a .45 ACP reload split.
I suspect that is because case life in auto pistols is much more dependent on loss rather than times loaded.

My biggest disappointment has been StarLine .38-55 brass. These were used with cast bullets with 10 grains Unique. Very low pressure.
I expected these to be very high quality.
They started splitting after 3 loads ( NO crimp )
After five loads I annealed them and now I am losing one or two out each box of 20 every time I load them.

[Walter Laich]

I annealed mine and found that the cases now obturate much better in the chamber. Annealing also reduced the number of splits that I was getting from avg 8% down to 1 or 2 per hundred.
That being said I figure I'll be loading some of this brass for years to come
.
left out that I'm talking about 45 Colt used in SASS matches

[jonp]

Yes, I have some Starline also, in .44, .454 & .500 & I load pretty hot & have had good use from their brass.
I have some 45 colt Starline and it is very nice stuff. If 1/2 split first loading I would check the loading and firearm first off. Even with old brass I have never gotten a 50% failure rate.

[MtGun44]

Never had a single complaint about Starline brass, always excellent results.

Billl

[dkf]

Never had a single complaint about Starline brass, always excellent results.

Billl

I have one complaint about it. I want to find more of it at the range or in the lots of once fired brass I buy.:wink:

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Yup, lots of variables for this question , I keep my brass segregated and watch for problems , load until it gives up....

[David2011]

A buddy claimed to shoot his .40 S&W until it cracked and then load it one more time. Most of the time .40 splits in the body rather than at the mouth and nothing bad happens when .40 splits. I've relegated many .40 cases to the scrap box that were split so plenty of experience to rely on. I mark my competition brass so I get mine back so I know it split in my gun. You can shoot .45 ACP for a very long time. The headstamps on many of mine are battered beyond recognition but they still hold up fine without annealing.

Low pressure pistol brass has a very long life expectancy in just about any caliber. I think reloading rifle brass is worse for it that shooting it. Polish the xpander balls to increase the life of bottlenecked cases.

David