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Posted: 6/3/2004 3:20:09 AM EDT
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I'm going to have a case of Wolf 62 gr delivered shortly. Usually, I try to save the brass from when I shoot... for future reloading, trading, whatever... Should I bother saving the cases? As I understand it, the cases are steel and shouldn't be reloaded... Opinions please... I don't currently reload, but may in the future, and I'm not shy about picking up my brass... |
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Leave it! You cannot and should not try reload steel cases, period! Go to any public range and pick up all you want for free. Ask others if they want their brass and pick it up when you can whether it be wet, dry, dirty or clean. I accumulated over 4000 cases doing this and most are Q3131A. I'm just getting finished swaging all those bastards, tough work. btw, when you buy the Dillon Super Swage 600 to decrimp your military brass, keep in mind they LIE when they say 'it takes the grunt work out of swaging', that is by far the toughest part of reloading but it only needs to be done once. eta.... I am not saying anything bad about Dillon, I love the company. Dillon Precision is IMO the best company I know of, bar none. No matter whether it be a grocery store, tire store, ISP, Burger King or whatever, Dillon is the best company out there. If they were in Atlanta I would work for them without a doubt. |
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I take the 45 Wolf and load it with lead for use in the Uzi. Seen people who shoot IPSC using it and said it works fine. I also have loaded around 1500 223, about 300 of the green finidh, and 1200 of the new grey. I am having problems with extraction, but I suspect it is from all the soot blown back when using the "Warrior" suppressor, as the rounds in the mag get a dry white/grey sooty look about them. During initial chrono testing, without the suppressor out of the Colt 1x7 barrel, I had no problems at all, only when used with short barrels (7.5 and 11.5" with Warrior) did problems arise. Typically the cases will split the neck on the 2nd or 3 fire. I gave some prepped cases to an in-law a few year ago for load develop in Rem-700, he said he had no problem. |
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Since it was brought up...A question to the reloaders out there. On several occasions I have been asked by the neighboring booth at the range whether or not I save my brass. Usually it is someone else shooting the same caliber as me. I always tell them to help theirself, which they do to their brass, my brass, and any other brass around. How can a reloader know how many times a casing has been used, and whether or not it is still good. Is there a way to tell it is nearing the end of its "life"? Does it no longer resize properly? Is there a case thickness measurement? I just want to be "in the know". Maybe I should start saving my brass for one of the NoVA members. |
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Factory ammo is usually sealed, and it's pretty easy to identify a bunch of once-fired brass when the primers are the same color, have the same amount and color of sealant, and have the same firing pin markings. Most folks who leave obviously new brass on the ground will have some reloader ask for them. Now, as far as brass that's questionable (i.e., obviously reloaded at least once), then reloading it is usually a bad idea, unless it is something like 45 ACP brass, which lasts nearly forever due to the low pressures and straight-walled case. -Troy |
I don't reload yet, but I keep all my brass because I plan to do so in the future. I do however go out every now and again for the express purpose of picking up brass and cleaning up desert ranges. I'm too paranoid to bother reloading brass I didn't shoot when I do start reloading, but scrap prices for brass are pretty good, especially when you clean up after a bunch of MGers. 
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you can use a micrometer... case walls within tolerance, case length within tolerances... My dad used to reload .357 and .38 and .9mm... Sometimes, the 3rd or 4th loading/firing of the .357 brass resulted in split case mouths... He'd neck it down to .38 length load it again, and fire one last time... That was years ago... I don't amass anything worthy of scrapping, but I like to police up my brass... heck I paid for it... I'll keep it for the time I actually get a dillon 550B or 600 progressive reloader... then the fun begins. |
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