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Posted: 6/12/2014 5:19:57 PM EDT
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Kinda new here, didn't find my question in the search function.
For 223 plinking loads, is it important that I keep the once fired cases separate from the ones I reload and fire? I don't plan on annealing them since I don't have an annealing machine and I can usually pick up plenty of brass from other people that just let it fly. FYI, I am using a mild load and 55 gr. hornady bullets. |
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Quoted:
Kinda new here, didn't find my question in the search function. For 223 plinking loads, is it important that I keep the once fired cases separate from the ones I reload and fire? I don't plan on annealing them since I don't have an annealing machine and I can usually pick up plenty of brass from other people that just let it fly. FYI, I am using a mild load and 55 gr. hornady bullets. It would be step One in learning how long certain brands of brass last/size in general. You might even learn that some brass is better that what you read about. When I have a few brands of brass in a mix, I can feel the difference between makers by sizing and call them right most of the time. Put in some time and learn these differences, it will only help. |
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Quoted: Kinda new here, didn't find my question in the search function. For 223 plinking loads, is it important that I keep the once fired cases separate from the ones I reload and fire? I don't plan on annealing them since I don't have an annealing machine and I can usually pick up plenty of brass from other people that just let it fly. FYI, I am using a mild load and 55 gr. hornady bullets. Welcome to Arfcom and the Reloading Forum.
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Keeping the brass separated by the number of times fired makes it easier to know when to scrap the entire batch. Once split necks and loose primers pockets begin to appear you can decide on recycling the entire lot. Co-mingling all your brass makes it impossible to know how many times each case has been fired. I look at five firings as a reasonable case life for .223, four firings for .308 from an M1-A.
The brass doesn't owe me anything if get that much life fired from a semi-auto rifle. Bolt actions can go twice that distance on occasion but the brass begins to look well worn. The brass is the only thing between you and 55,000 psi, respect it has a life span. |
| I separate once fired from 2+ fired just so I know which ones have had the primer crimp removed. I use a single stage so I handle each piece of brass multiple times throughout the proces (so QC isn't really an issue) I have plenty of chances to cull worn out casings. |
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Thanks for the replies. I will keep sorting them out. I have about 1000 that I have reloaded so I can just keep using them until wore out.
I will keep prepping the range pickups and throwing them in the bucket when they are prepped (resized, primer pocket reamed, trimmed to length, and wet tumbled). I already have approx 1200 done in a five gallon bucket. All on a single stage press. |
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