Once fired brass

[fatelk]

I was helping a friend look for pricing for some brass on line, and found something funny. One website listed prices for "Once Fired Brass", but at the bottom in the fine print, they say this:


"Once fired brass" is an industry term that describes used brass cases. We do not guarantee that all brass cases we sell for reloading have only been fired once.

I just thought some of you all might get a kick out of that. On a totally unrelated note, I have a NIB Colt Python for sale, cheap.

Note: "NIB" is an industry term that describes something for sale. We do not guarantee that anything we sell is actually new in box. Also "Colt Python" is an industry term that describes any handgun. We do not guarantee that our handguns are actually Colt Pythons, as they may in fact be High Point or Crossman.


(By the way, I don't really have a Python for sale) :)

[Dieselhorses]

I was helping a friend look for pricing for some brass on line, and found something funny. One website listed prices for "Once Fired Brass", but at the bottom in the fine print, they say this:


I just thought some of you all might get a kick out of that. On a totally unrelated note, I have a NIB Colt Python for sale, cheap.

Note: "NIB" is an industry term that describes something for sale. We do not guarantee that anything we sell is actually new in box. Also "Colt Python" is an industry term that describes any handgun. We do not guarantee that our handguns are actually Colt Pythons, as they may in fact be High Point or Crossman.


(By the way, I don't really have a Python for sale) :)

Reminds me about 4 or 5 years I was looking in the classifieds (free paper) and ran across a colt python. I had to look twice because it was listed for 400.00! I immediately called and the fellow said he sold it the day the paper came out-YA THINK? He admitted to finding out what it was worth after the fact. I felt bad for him.

[Hick]

The statement about once fired brass is actually pretty reasonable. How the heck can you expect range pickup brass to be guaranteed once fired?? Do we expect the used brass companies to question everyone who shoots about the source of their brass? I don't.

[RogerDat]

Some ranges only allow new cartridges, no reloads. I would think brass from those would be primarily 1x fired but even then only way to have know 1x fired is to buy it from a member who has access to that range or is organized enough to track his own purchased brass firing and whom you trust to report honestly. Or military brass that still has the primer staked in, that is a good bet to be once fired. With wet tumble with stainless steel pins on can often get brass clean enough to look new so even visual appearance won't provide a reliable indicator of how many times it was fired.

Bottom line for me is I wouldn't expect for sure and certain I was getting 1x fired, nor tell someone I had 1x fired unless I pulled the trigger or saw the new cartridge fired. One can sometimes tell the primer is after market and that is certainly not 1x fired.

[fatelk]

I understand sometimes it’s nearly impossible to tell; I just thought it was funny that the label at the top was “Once Fired”, then in fine print it said not really, that’s just an “industry term”.

Personally I think “once fired” is a bit over rated anyhow. I’ve seen truly once fired brass that is junk (7.62 NATO from an M60 comes to mind, and some .303 British I once bought that was separated). On the other hand, on rare occasion I sell some extra brass I’ve accumulated. I have a bunch of 9mm brass my boys picked up from the range. I have no way of knowing how many times it may or may not have been fired, but I sorted through it and scrapped any that looked at all questionable to me. Most of what I scrapped would probably load fine, but I don’t want to take any chances.

[nicholst55]

The correct term for unknown number of times fired brass is 'range pickups,' NOT once-fired.

[Land Owner]

Certainly EVERY piece of formerly loaded brass that is now unloaded in the "normal" way has been fired (at least) once.

[Lloyd Smale]

easy localy. I know everyone who reloads in town and im the only one that shoots where I shoot that reloads. On line can be sketchy but I trust a guy on here that's been here for a time to be honest and I trust reputable companys that sell it. Would I go to the scrap yard and buy a barrel of brass? Probably not. Shook my head the other day. Went to shoot and when I got to my spot there was brass everywhere. 9mm 40, 45acp and 223. All obiviously fired new ammo. There must have been a 1000 rounds total. I had to shake my head and wonder who could even afford to shoot that much factory ammo in a day. Bottom line is I shoot a lot and if I had to buy new brass instead of once fired it would cut into my budget way to deep so ill take a chance. Same reason I cast bullets. So I can shoot the mostest for the leastest

[lightman]

Over the years I have noticed that the term "once fired" has slowly evolved to become "range brass". Which is more truthful in my opinion. I have sold and given away some once fired brass but only if I know for sure. Most of my shooting is done with range brass except for my hunting and match loads. I hunt with my handholds but it is loaded from new brass or from brass that I bought and fired myself. Match loads start off as new Lapua.

[RogerDat]

..... There must have been a 1000 rounds total. I had to shake my head and wonder who could even afford to shoot that much factory ammo in a day. Bottom line is I shoot a lot and if I had to buy new brass instead of once fired it would cut into my budget way to deep so ill take a chance. Same reason I cast bullets. So I can shoot the mostest for the leastest

Or who would leave all that scrap brass at $1 a pound just lying there. When my coffee can of primers & defective cases I have crushed gets full I take it in for money! Which I promptly spend on lead :-) Left the house with a coffee can inside a bucket come back with the bucket. All looks the same from dear wife's viewpoint.

[Shawlerbrook]

Only guarantee is if you bought the new ammo, fired it and picked up the “ once fired” brass.

[KCSO]

My brother teaches C/C classes and gets to pick up the brass at the end of class. Students must shoot factory fresh ammo so all he picks up are ONCE fired. We keep this separated and if it goes out once fired we know it is for sure. BTW we had a fellow who shot his c/c class with a Desert Eagle 50 that was some brass 100 rounds of that in a day would kill me.

[popper]

7.62 NATO from an M60 comes to mind Works fine but is hard to resize. Still have most of the 1k I bought in the bag on the shelf. Ones I've used have probably 5 re-loads. Doubt I'll ever get through all of it. A can of 223 and most 9mm are once fired, from the boxes in the trash from the range. Too cheap for most to reload.

[HABCAN]

re: Lloyd's post #8.............had exactly the same occurrence here last month. Musta been the RCMP 'practicing' with our tax $$, LOL.

[fatelk]

Sorry, I didn't mean to condemn all M60 brass. I once bought a bucket full of definitely once-fired USGI 7.62 NATO brass that I was told was M60 brass. It must have been fired in a gun with a worn out chamber or bad headspace. A lot of it was internally separating at the base. The whole bucket went for scrap. That and a bag of .303 brass in the same condition were the only times I really had trouble like that.

Nowadays I don't buy brass at all. I don't shoot much, and pick up more than I need. I suppose I could be like a friend of mine. He turns up his nose at any brass that he didn't buy new and "once fire" himself: dangerous, you know!

There's also the story of the guy at the range who picked up his brass as he was leaving, carefully dented the neck of each piece against the table, and tossed them into the garbage. When asked what he was doing, he said it's what he's always done, his dad taught him to do that when he was young. Be sure to crush your brass and throw it away because otherwise someone might come along and try to reload it, and that's dangerous!

[frankenfab]

I guess it depends on what the meaning of "once" is [smilie=1:

[FISH4BUGS]

Who cares?
I sort my brass and inspect all my brass numerous times during the reloading process. If it looks the least bit squirrely, it goes in the scrap bucket.
I have shot reloaded brass in machine guns until there is no head stamp left....they still go bang!

[Dieselhorses]

There is a way to distinguish "once-fired" from "reloaded cases"- look closely at rim around neck, if smooth it's more than likely been reloaded, if serrated slightly it's probably once-fired.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

when I describe brass I am selling or giving away, I use these terms.
NEW.
1x (known/confirmed once fired)
Used (unknown reloadings).
Range (which may be tarnished, dirty, unsorted, with unknown reloadings, and may include some culls).


...As to 1x ...There are clues that will tell if brass has been reloaded, even if it's been wet tumbled in pins and super cleaned.


I wish others used similar terminology.

[Dieselhorses]

when I describe brass I am selling or giving away, I use these terms.
NEW.
1x (known/confirmed once fired)
Used (unknown reloadings).
Range (which may be tarnished, dirty, unsorted, with unknown reloadings, and may include some culls).


...As to 1x ...There are clues that will tell if brass has been reloaded, even if it's been wet tumbled in pins and super cleaned.


I wish others used similar terminology.

You're right, everyone needs to stay on same page.

[samari46]

I also had a buddy who taught cww classes. He really got tired of sweeping up all the once fired brass. I just happened to ask him if I could have some of the 38 special brass. He cheerfully handed me the broom and dust pan and said it's all yours. Safe to say I have a 40mm ammo can so won't run out anytime soon and that was some years back. A lot of it has the cannelure on the case so safe to assume it's wadcutter brass. The rest is mostly Remington with no ring. gave up scrounging brass long ago, my back is reminding me of how much I've picked up and inspected then tumbled. Frank

[FISH4BUGS]

I also had a buddy who taught cww classes. He really got tired of sweeping up all the once fired brass. I just happened to ask him if I could have some of the 38 special brass. He cheerfully handed me the broom and dust pan and said it's all yours. Safe to say I have a 40mm ammo can so won't run out anytime soon and that was some years back. A lot of it has the cannelure on the case so safe to assume it's wadcutter brass. The rest is mostly Remington with no ring. gave up scrounging brass long ago, my back is reminding me of how much I've picked up and inspected then tumbled. Frank
I have 5 gallon buckets of 38, 9mm, 380, 44 mag, 357, 223 (3 of those) and 308 brass.
I STILL pick through the brass buckets at the range and pick up loose brass.
I am a hopeless brass junkie.
My name is Donald and I am a hoarder.

[Lloyd Smale]

I guess if I didn't reload id leave it myself. To old and my back is to bad to pick up brass that's worth a buck a lb. That's lots of bending over to buy a candy bar.
Or who would leave all that scrap brass at $1 a pound just lying there. When my coffee can of primers & defective cases I have crushed gets full I take it in for money! Which I promptly spend on lead :-) Left the house with a coffee can inside a bucket come back with the bucket. All looks the same from dear wife's viewpoint.

[Lloyd Smale]

Only way to really say without ANY doubt its once fired is if you bought it yourself and fired it. That said I feel pretty safe buying it of someone here. Even if its been fired twice and looks good its no big deal. Just look it over for signs of neck splitting or case head separation and load it and go shooting. I have much more problem trying to stretch the absolute last bit of life out of my brass then I have with buying once fired. Some of the calibers like the 7stw, 300 ultra 8mag and the weatherbys are hard to find and expensive and its tough for me to toss them when there might be one more firing in them. Handgun brass I don't even worry about. Pretty much in my experience is if your gun wont shoot out of battery and you don't use something that looks like a guppy growing by the base the case will split from expanding the neck well before it will give out at the base.

[mold maker]

If not factory fresh new, it's just brass. Since chambers vary greatly when new and some are worn from many years service, none of it is equal after the first firing. Inspect it and load at your own risk, period.

[redhawk0]

"Once" upon a time...it was fired.

redhawk

[higgins]

In my considerable scavenging experience, reloaded rifle brass is often shinier than once-fired commercial brass, so one cannot go by shine alone. Crimped primers and primer seal are reliable indicators of being once-fired, but most of the time once-fired brass just "looks right" to the experienced eye; visible annealing, etc. Finding several of the same headstamp further convinces me - reloaders don't leave it on the ground. As it's not as easy to pick up brass as it used to be, I'm more selective now. I don't pick up 9mm, .40, .223 much any more.

I've noticed that some indoor ranges sell commercially reloaded handgun ammunition, but I guess in their mind that constitutes factory loaded.

[jimlj]

[QUOTE=fatelk;4448321]

On a totally unrelated note, I have a NIB Colt Python for sale, cheap.



I have several hundred pounds of "once fired brass" I'd trade for that NIB Colt Python.

[RogerDat]

I guess it depends on what the meaning of "once" is [smilie=1: Or it could depend on what you mean by "is" :-)

I hit the brass bucket after law enforcement practice once pulled out two 5 gallon buckets worth. Recovered pile of .38's pile of .223 which I could use and a bunch of 9mm and 40 S&W which I don't use. Did that stop me? No it did NOT! I have at least a couple of coffee cans in many common caliber brass size. Doesn't take up much room, a used set of dies can be had for $20 or even less. It may be that some family member or friend will purchase something in those calibers, heck I might and brass and a couple of dies doesn't take up much room or spoil. Never know when a few hundred .308 cases will be just the thing needed.

I sometimes sell good finds. It is all range pickup I will note stuff that I believe is clearly reloaded, primer crimp gone, silver primer where brass is expected, etc. I will note that it appears primer crimp is intact. My goal is to have the buyer know as much as I know about the brass from inspecting so they can make an informed decision. There are people here I would accept 1x claims for brass, they are the same folks that specify unknown firings or known more than 1x etc. which is why I buy most of what I buy used from here.

[RED BEAR]

It is almost impossible to know for sure it is once fired unless the range requires only new ammo to be used.

[lightman]

It is almost impossible to know for sure it is once fired unless the range requires only new ammo to be used.

I'm not sure that you know even then, for sure! About the best we can do is look at the clues and make an assumption. If the brass looks shiney and is near a factory box without load data written on it, its probably once fired. Military brass with the brass primer intact and the crimp in place is pretty certain to be once fired. Most reloaders won't leave their brass unless its a match where you can't recover it.

Some reloaders have a habit of leaving their brass when they consider the usefull life has been used up. This is a practice that I like to see discontinued.

[owejia]

I have some 38 spl nickel that has been reloaded so many times the nickel is almost wore off. Straight wall cartridges never worry me unless the primers are loose.

[RogerDat]

....

Some reloaders have a habit of leaving their brass when they consider the usefull life has been used up. This is a practice that I like to see discontinued. + 100% on this. Smash the bad brass case mouth, then sell them as scrap. You get money for the scrap and no one accidentally or through lack of experience ends up hurt from brass you know is worn out.

Not everyone will know what to look as far as worn brass and even those that do may miss something you already know is on its last legs when you fired it. When I'm going through a scrap bucket I'm paying for the brass, in exchange I get calibers I sort out to keep. Finding wore out brass is a bummer and forces me to do extra checking on that caliber as I sort out what I'm going to buy, but worse is the stretched cases that I can't detect as easily until I get it home with strong light and a bent wire pick. By then I'm already out the money.

If you know the case is bad it is a touch of class and courtesy
to make sure no one will use it or mistake it as good case.

[Livin_cincy]

" Once fired... Twice Shot "

[RED BEAR]

i buy once fired all the time can't really afford new brass. i use lee lube and inspect every round as i lube it and at every stage of reloading.

[dale2242]

I normally sell range pickup brass.
I state that in my ad.
How do I know how many times it`s been shot.
I try to keep my prices low enough to make up for any bad brass...dale