Once fired brass????

[abunaitoo]

What's the big deal about once fired brass????
I, almost always, use range pick-up, and reformed brass.
Never really had all that many problems with it.
Even with full power loads and condom's.
When they split, it's time to replace.
I've seen new brass, and factory ammo, split.
I just don't understand why once fired is so important.
And how would you know it's once fired, unless you fired it???

[XDROB]

I'm thinking that new brass is sized and trimmed to the correct length. Once fired could be compromised in some way? I have been using my own brass multiple times no problems. I have enough so don't rely on range pick up anymore.

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[white eagle]

how do you mean?
As far as once fired out of a certain rifle its like gold
correct fit for the chamber it came out of
but once fired in swap and sell
its a almost new claim, of the quality of brass for sale

[JimB..]

I always read “once fired” and “has been fired at least once” unless it has crimped primers in which case I read it as “fired one time.”

[zarrinvz24]

I think we are approaching the days of no more surplus good govt brass. It’s already slim pickings. For me 1x fired means I will have a brass supply for many many years to come.

[B R Shooter]

You take your chance with once fired brass. I bought a couple hundred 308 brass here several years ago. The brass was so oversize, I couldn't get it small enough to chamber even after a small base die. A friend later told me it was likely shot in a machine gun. It's \used stuff, you can't complain.

[GONRA]

Historically, el cheapo GONRA has dealt with "scrap dealer brass" or "range pickup brass".
Trick is to get a BIG ROBUST PRESS (may be PRICY)
to PEPRODUCIBALLY resize these beatjp / swollen fired cases!
>>> You CANNOT cheep out on this! <<<
(.223 - 14.5mm Soviet HMG LSC - "Lacqured Steel Cases".)
Use STP Oil Treatment or Tri-Flo Synthetic Lube (Bike Shops)
for a case lube.

[zarrinvz24]

Redding Big Boss 2, and imperial sizing wax make short work of M240 1x fired Govvie brass. Even some that I happened upon that had been laying out in the desert of Az for 20+ years.

[Walks]

I've always used once(my own gun) fired brass for hunting loads. The way I look at it; tested in my gun. It survived so it's good to depend on.

Once fired is just how old the brass is, how many times it been shot. So you have an idea to start with how many times it been used.
With range pick up, it's a crap shoot.
Pun intended.

[725]

Brass work hardens and multiple firings will harden the brass towards a future split. Also, some of the mongomegawhooper calibers stretch the brass ahead of the web and before long it becomes worthless. Truly once fired is in it's youth and implies many more loadings are good to go.

[Shawlerbrook]

Since brass has a useable life of a certain number of firings then 1x would have the longest useable life( except for new). Yes there are many factors that determine brass life, but 1x will probably outlast 2x, 3x, 4x, etc.

[Idaho45guy]

When I used to shoot in GSSF matches at an indoor range, I would pick up my brass until I had reloaded it around 8 or 9 times. Then I just swept it out of the way. It was picked up and sold by the range. That's sketchy.

But, the same range also sponsored the local police department qualifications, and they had a teen that would collect all the Winchester brass and wet tumble it. It was verified once-fired and he sold 600 of them for $33. I should have bought all he had, but back then, I thought 600 cases was a lifetime supply, lol.

[marlin1895]

once fired brass is misnomer.most of the time it is 3 or 4 or more fired

[farmbif]

if its once fired most brass will reload several times no problem, with annealing even more and lighter loads do not expand brass to extremes. the more the brass is worked or stretched the less times it will reload before developing cracks and splits and the less work hardened the brass will last longer.
as far as good govt surplus brass, you have to know where to look it all gets sold by auction. if I'm not mistaken federal entities or at least the military is required to sell all brass though public auction by federal law or mandate. they also sell off steel ammo boxes to be picked up on military bases, there are several web sites to look though including allsurplus, govdeals and gsaauctions.gov., govliquidation.com

one indication of reloaded brass is marks on outside of case from sizing die, this is not once fired. just something to look for.

[ryanmattes]

With pistol brass, I mostly don't worry about it. Shoot it until it shows signs of wear.

For rifle ammo, where I expect some consistency, I tend to buy new and try to buy multiple boxes of the same lot, keep it together as a set, and mark the box. I put a big x on the box once it's fired the first time, then in the spaces I mark the number of times I've reloaded it, along with ns (neck sized) or fs (full resize). So I have a big box full of 20 round boxes I've kept over the years, like this:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210622/fb004b76c4278e97520d487047f3962c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210622/9fbf0c472d6b1d4c6018a2305e285ed5.jpg

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[376Steyr]

Buying used brass is always an adventure. Military brass with the crimped-in primers is undoubtedly once-fired, after that it gets iffy. I once got a batch of "once-fired" .38 Special from one of the bigger wholesalers. It had some loaded wadcutters, a few cases with the nickle plating almost completely worn off from multiple reloadings, and a couple of primed, belled cases. Range pickups are even more fun. This is why I always wear my safety glasses when handling brass, whatever the stage in the loading process.

[1hole]

I get a bit amused when I read some folk say they have difficulty ranging to impossible when trying to FL size that horrible "machine gun" brass; IF that were true there would have never been any wildcats or reformed cases.

I managed to get a good batch of surplus DM '42 brass when I started. I have no clue if it was ever fired in a machine gun but running it into my conventional Lyman .30-06 sizer worked fine. But the real test was later, when I formed some excellent .308 and then .243 and then .22-250 out of the same cases. You don't have to know much 'bout cases to know that was MUCH MORE demanding than simply sizing them back to original specifications.

G.I. 5.56mm cases are much easier to work with than .30-06 so don't sweat about getting machine gun fired cases. After all, they're simply empty brass cases, not solid cast iron, and they WILL restore to specs quite nicely

The "value" of obtaining once fired cases is, if they all are handled the same, we can expect one more firing before it splits. Knowing how to best resize fired cases AND how to rightly anneal them can get much more case life out of anything.

[Dusty Bannister]

Most of the brass that I handle is from an LEO range, shared by several agencies. While none of them reload their ammo, individual officers might introduce some of their personal supply into the mix. If there is visible damage or defect, it goes to the recycler. And on those occasions I offer this brass for sale, I present it as lightly cleaned from an LEO range. That is about as clear as it can be described.

[GhostHawk]

Brass used to be easy, heck people fired it once and left it on the range!

Now when you do find it, it tends to be almost as expensive as new.
In that respect I would rather pay for a new bag of Starline or other good quality brass as buy used of who knows how many firings, condition, etc.

But, in the current situation, brass is where you find it. And if you need it you pay for it. And if you don't you count your blessings for buying as much as you did when it was dirt cheap and available.

[popper]

I got the MG fired 308W LC, just use lots of lube and a strong press - and run the case several times - it springs back.

[rondog]

I've been picking up brass at my club and selling it for years. Vast majority of it is obviously new, right down to the boxes in the trash cans. But I never make the "once-fired" claim because I didn't buy it and shoot it. That's just not honest, IMO.....

[Three44s]

I have been processing a large quantity of commercial and former mil .223 for some time during this season of shortages.

If you look at the case head itself you can tell the very old worn “dogs” pretty quickly. Some have rounded heads. Some have head stamps so battered over the lettering is barely distinguishable.

Three44s

[FISH4BUGS]

I really don't care.
I reload the brass until there is something wrong with the brass then recycle it. I bet some of my 38 special brass has been reloaded 10 times or more. All my handgun brass is like that.
223/308? Same thing. Use it until you can't.
What's the big deal?
Even a case head separation can be dealt with.

[bedbugbilly]

1 X fired? It would be interesting to know just how much "range brass" that gets picked up and sold as 1X fired is actually 1X fired because who really knows.

Probably 95% of all the brass in different calibers has been used and range brass - with the exception of some starling or other and even new brass needs yo be sized and inspected.

A good lesson from was when I started reloading - I have been shooting for over 55 years but didn't start reloading until maybe 25 years ago - have lost track of the time. Like many - wanted to do it right, get the right equipment and so on - and like many, I started with 38 spl. I wanted the "right brass" too - so bought a box of 500 new starling. Then a few guys who knew I was starting out would hand me a big bag of used 38 spl. brass to get started - and it was ? how many times it was fired but it worked just fine. I threw it all in a small tote and along the way i would pick up brass at the range - if it was something I didn't load, I gave it to someone who did. If I ran across used 38 spl at a good price, I picked it up and tossed it in the tote. When it splits, I toss it but I have some I have marked at nd it is still going strong after 18 or so loadings. And - I, too, have handed bags of it to some young fellows getting started.

The original box of 500 Starline 38 spl that I bought? LOL It's still in the box,

[4719dave]

Some of these are very hard to read it even funny ,the best one is range brass is usually fired 3.4.5 times .really how many range guys reloads vs new shooters that's funny ..... I sell reworked brass ,I shoot it all the time with no issues even in machine guns yes sir 20,000 $ guns no problem been at this since I was 16 years old .I have over 3k invested in a commercial roll sizer ,over 5k into my Dillon press and mark 7 drive and case gauges .

[FISH4BUGS]

Some of these are very hard to read it even funny ,the best one is range brass is usually fired 3.4.5 times .really how many range guys reloads vs new shooters that's funny ..... I sell reworked brass ,I shoot it all the time with no issues even in machine guns yes sir 20,000 $ guns no problem been at this since I was 16 years old .I have over 3k invested in a commercial roll sizer ,over 5k into my Dillon press and mark 7 drive and case gauges .

As do I. I don't roll size but the Dillon has probably a half million rounds through it. My customer number at Dillon is 19XX.
I pick up brass and use them in the MG's and don't worry about it. Split neck? Scrap.
My worry is not the brass - it is a double charge. You will never guess how i learned THAT lesson!

[gwpercle]

I've always been a brass scavenger . Early on Sunday mornings , about daylight , I would drive to the local public outdoor range with broom and dust pan to clean up . Very few people reloaded in 1967 and fired brass was everywhere . Some lying on the pavement and lots put back in factory box and dropped in trash barrel ... I would take everything reloadable , no rimfire and no berdan if I could help it .
It has been 50 years and only recently have I bought any new brass ...Starline 357 Magnum , 100 cases . I did buy some 9mm luger but that was range brass from local indoor shooting range .
I did buy some 284 Winchester cases in 1968 to form into 7.5 Swiss for reloading but they were also once fired .
Seems like most everything I've loaded has been with once fired brass ... besides , after you shoot it that first time ... it's once fired brass !
I still have several 5 gallon buckets of fired brass I'll never load .. but I'm glad to have them if I do need it .
Gary

[.429&H110]

I have found in my .44 that if I load to max (!) I will split some necks. 95% of max and I can shoot them for 30 cycles or more, I retire them at 30 and the walls mike fine I haven't lost a casehead (yet). A box of 50 makes 1500. I sort by case length and crimp to length on a rockchucker. Seems like the brass stops stretching after a point. After a dozen cycles the primer pockets need to be uniformed again, easy enough.

Thank you for this forum!
glad I met the guy who taught me
"The future of shooting is learning reloading"

An optimist says the glass is half full
pessimist: half empty
reloader says, fill it up again.

[abunaitoo]

I could care less how many times it's been fired.
When it splits, it goes into the recycle bucket.
I do try and save the 7.5x55, 7.7x58, 8mm, 6.5 anything, but annealing the necks.
They do get hardened.
When I sell brass, it's listed as range pick-up.
I'm sure most of it is once fired, but how would I know????
Those who ask for once fired only, are just asking for problems.
Get em, clean em, inspect em, sort em, and reload em.
Been working for me all these years.

[tankgunner59]

Like you I use my once fired brass. I also use range brass that I and others have policed. I figure the same way, that I'll scrap it when the signs of age show up. As for the fascination with once fired I believe it's that "certified" once fired can be fired several more times with proper care, on average. :grin:

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I got 500 primed 7.62 NATO brass from Everglades just before this covid nonsense hit. Loaded it up with cast boolits and 2400. It looked kind of tarnished and there was about 40 pieces with folds on the case mouth which is why it was pulled down most likely. It all goes boom. It tumbles clean and reloads nicely. At the rate I shoot it, it will keep me in .308 brass till the end.

Also got 500 once fired 30-30 brass from a different outfit that was in fine shape.

[bakerjw]

In another post, I spoke of being an RSO at our club. I scarf up all of the bras that I can find. If someone is shooting and doesn't reload, I tell them to leave it and I'll get it. If someone does reload, they are usually very picky about getting it back and I help them.
Had an Aussie and his New Zealand wife shooting one day. All IMI in 308 and 5.56. Now that was a good day to be an RSO.

God forbid I ever score several thousand SRPs as I will then put some of this brass to good use.

[Three44s]

In another post, I spoke of being an RSO at our club. I scarf up all of the bras that I can find. If someone is shooting and doesn't reload, I tell them to leave it and I'll get it. If someone does reload, they are usually very picky about getting it back and I help them.
Had an Aussie and his New Zealand wife shooting one day. All IMI in 308 and 5.56. Now that was a good day to be an RSO.

God forbid I ever score several thousand SRPs as I will then put some of this brass to good use.

I know it’s a typo but can’t resist ..... You must have some women libers there if you are scooping up “bras”!

What’s your wife say when you drag them home. Mine would beat the tar out of me .......

:kidding:

Three44s

[FISH4BUGS]

I know it’s a typo but can’t resist ..... You must have some women libers there if you are scooping up “bras”!

What’s your wife say when you drag them home. Mine would beat the tar out of me .......

:kidding:

Three44s

I had to chuckle at the typo also....just the scene would be very funny.
A bunch of women's libbers making a DOUBLE political statement....removing their bras and shooting. :)