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Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:53 pm
by Wrenchbender1
Hey guys, I had a quick question. I recently picked up a few bags of "once fired" brass and have come across quite a few pieces that look like the one pictured (Same brass, just rotated 180) below. There's no visible ring on the inside of the case. Could this be caused by an out of round chamber, or is there another issue? Also, do you guys have any recommendations on reloading books for someone just getting started?

Re: Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 5:10 pm
by randy
Been awhile, but IIRC I've seen similar dents coming from FN semi-autos. (or was it H und K? don't remember), but whichever brand, it was a consistent characteristic of spent brass.

Are you talking books about reloading, or reloading manuals?

For reloading manuals I've always kept 2 or 3 to cross reference, particularly when approaching upper limit loads.

Specifically RCBS, Lee and Hornady. I figure if a load checks good across all three, it's good to go.

Re: Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 5:20 pm
by Precision
when I have brass that gets that pinched, it goes in the waste bin. Too much chance of work hardening, pin holes, wall thinning... Brass is cheap

I use the Lyman book and the Speer book as my two go to manuals. Many other books are just as good. With a new load, I always cross check the two for max load for the powder I am using and quite often they are different. I err on the side of the weaker one and work my way up to the stronger one if I am looking for a max load.
I also look up loads on some of the other manufacturer sites if my books don't have the powder or bullet weight I want.
Then load data and other websites.

Last and most dangerous, bubba's secret recipe on a forum.

Re: Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 6:14 pm
by Vonz90
Precision wrote:when I have brass that gets that pinched, it goes in the waste bin. Too much chance of work hardening, pin holes, wall thinning... Brass is cheap
Yep, exactly.

The 7.62x51 I use in my G3 gets quite marred between the flutes in the chamber and the dent from the ejector. I just buy once fired NATO style brass (which is cheap), load/shoot it once and pitch it.

The 308 I use in my bolt guns I use until it shows signs of wear (cracks, whatever).

It is what it is, no point in trying to save a few pennies when your eyes / face are at stake.

Re: Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 6:33 pm
by Wrenchbender1
randy wrote:Are you talking books about reloading, or reloading manuals?
Basically, I'm looking for a good starter book. I've been tossing the idea of reloading around for some time, but never decided to take the plunge until now.

Also, I should probably clarify that the case I was asking about is the upper one. The lower one was crushed so I didn't accidentally put it back into circulation (Cracked neck). The odd thing with the upper one is that the case expanded more to one side than the other.

Re: Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 6:44 pm
by Steamforger
To me, that ring is similar to one created when you full length size a piece of brass.

I'd question if it really was "once-fired."

As long as there aren't excessive dents or puckers or cracks, I'd say keep loading them.

I have 1k "dented" and unfired 5.56 that I'm wondering what to do with. Lots of cracked necks, excessive dents, and is generally in poor condition. I'd got it to make 300BO out of, but I ended up not going in that direction.

I loaded a couple dozen with a 55 grn frangible round and 22 grns of 4895. They shot well enough, but some cases cracked badly, one running nearly the full length from shoulder to recess.

Maybe I can just salvage the primers...

Incidentally, I like the Nosler Reloading Manuals.

Re: Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 7:28 pm
by Netpackrat
An AK will dent brass like that too; it hits the top cover there during ejection. The ring looks like a resizing mark. I have found that when you buy "once fired" brass that really just translates into "shit some guy picked up at the range", some of which may actually be once fired.

Re: Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 8:27 pm
by Wrenchbender1
Would the ring show up after the cartridge was fired? Obviously, I have no idea how many times this brass was reused, but it was delivered with the old primers still in place. As for the definition of "once fired", at the price quoted I could afford to take a gamble. It seems like unless it's .223, .308, or 9mm, finding brass that's truly once fired is a bit of a crapshoot.

Re: Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 9:06 pm
by Gunnuts
Wrenchbender1 wrote:Basically, I'm looking for a good starter book.
When I bought my RCBS starter kit, it included a Speer 11 (now 14) reloading manual.

I also have a couple versions of the Lyman reloading manual, an Accurate and Hornady.

The Lyman has a lot of lead bullet data. They're all specific to their brand of bullets and/or powder.

They all have a lot of good information on good reloading practices.

I reload cases until they split or show signs of impending head separation (especially in rifles).

Re: Question about Brass

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:44 pm
by Jered
Looks like brass that a PTR-91/G-3/CETME ate and shat out.

If they have lines of carbon on the case mouth, that's almost certainly what happened.