Soft brass?

[Brick85]

I was expanding some .45 ACP range pick-up brass just now, after having vibrated it clean and sized/deprimed. I noticed some cases were expanding very, very easily, much more easily than the norm. These all turned out to be R-P headstamped (plus one Aguila, but I think the Aguilas are probably not in the same class). The force required to expand these Remington cases was less than the force required to run another case through the expander a second time without taking it out of the shell holder.

My thought is that these are not once-fired cases; probably many-fired. They don't show any obvious signs of wear--not a lot of dings from extractors (though they have one, as many of these once-fired cases do), no cracks or anything that looks like a weak spot. The writing on the headstamp might be a bit more worn-looking, but I'm not entirely sure.

Should I avoid using these cases?

[Tom W.]

If the primers seat too easily,seemingly loose, I'd can them, but other than that, with no cracks , I'd use them.....

[mroliver77]

The more times they are loaded the harder they become. Some .45 acp brass is much thinner than others. I bet that is what is going on.
J

[Echo]

R-P .45ACP brass is well-known for it's thinness. I don't use it, in reloading - my dies are such that, when seated, the boolit is still loose. No problem to just give them away...

[armyrat1970]

Brass from different manufactures is all different. Some softer and some harder or stiffer. That's why most recommend using the same headstamp cases for the most consistant loads. If you use Rem. for a workable load you may need to change your charge weight a little when using Win. or Federal cases. They all vary somewhat.

[BD]

Different lots of brass can vary a good bit in "hardness", even from the same manufacturer over time. Chamber dimensions can vary a good bit between firearms as well. And, brass does work harden.

Unless you know that the brass was all fired in the same chamber, a difference in "feel" while sizing or expanding isn't telling you very much. On the bright side, at 21,000 psi you're not asking much of the brass. IMHO: If the primer stays in, and the mouth isn't split, it's good to go in the .45 acp.
BD

[dubber123]

R-P .45ACP brass is well-known for it's thinness. I don't use it, in reloading - my dies are such that, when seated, the boolit is still loose. No problem to just give them away...

I agree, I shoot a very mixed bunch of brass in my .45's, and when seating, once in a while one will seat VERY easily. Check the headstamp, 90% of the time it will say R-P. Chuck it in the revolver pile for later discard.

When you take one of these "easy seaters", you can shove the boolit into the case by hand pressure. Not a desireable trait for auto loader ammo.

[S.R.Custom]

Hey guys, don't throw away that brass. Send it to me... I use it to seat bullets that measure 'fat' at .453". Accuracywise, some guns seem to prefer fatter bullets, particularly with the softer alloys.

[Brick85]

Well I only have about a dozen of these. I have a friend with a .45 ACP / LC convertable, maybe I can load these up for him in exchange for a few factory rounds or something.

Thanks, folks.

[JIMinPHX]

Also, brass fired in a tight chamber will resize more easily than brass fired from a loose chamber.