1/28/2024 0 Comments Trim 9mm brassNew ammo manufacturers will sometimes do runs like this so you have to look out for these anomalies. 308 Winchester cases that small instead of large rifle primer pockets. Yet I see quite a few Blazer and Federal cases with small pistol primer pockets. I’m starting to find a lot more once-fired brass with the “wrong” primer sizes, so you’ll want to look out for that. You can reload them, you just don’t want to mix them in the same batch as regulars when adding new primers. 45 ACP cases, they have small pistol primer pockets. Keep an eye out for brass with the “wrong” primer sizes like these two on the right. ![]() You’re not hooking up with just a piece of brass, but rather every previous conflagration that brass has had before. You don’t know the history of any given cartridge case. If you’re working with previously fired range brass, be picky. Does the spent primer look flattened around the edges or is the firing pin indentation all flattened around the edges? That might be a sign that the case has been subject to higher than normal pressure. If you plan to load your new cartridges to the maximum pressure and velocity range, you also might look for signs of previous overpressure situations. 40 S&W example, but you might find bulges and significant indentations on any caliber for a variety of reasons. I toss them as I prefer to operate with an overabundance of caution. You’ll have to make your own call as to whether you use or toss these cases. You can purchase push-through dies that reform brass like this, but just know that even when reshaped, that’s still a weak spot as the brass had been overworked. 40 S&W cases fired from guns with partially unsupported chambers can create bulges near the cartridge case base. I also like to look for for abnormal bulges anywhere in the brass. If you see those, toss that case! A few cents isn’t worth the risk of a case rupture when you fire it later. ![]() One of the first steps during inspection is to toss cases that are not made of brass. InspectionĮven with factory new brass, it’s a good idea to look over each piece, even if you do so when picking it up to go into the loading press. Most of it is at least cleaned, but most of what I’ve seen still needs to be resized and trimmed if it’s bottleneck rifle brass. ![]() Some once-fired brass may already have the primers removed and some may not. There’s no telling if some were damaged during its initial use. If you start your process with once-fired brass, you’ll need to inspect each piece. That brass came out of a new box of factory ammunition, was fired on the range, then collected for resale, so it’s in pretty good shape. Enterprising folks out there collect, sort, and clean brass that’s been fired at places like police and military ranges. Speaking of buying brass, you can also buy once-fired brass. Of course, after you load and fire this “new” brass, you’ll need to clean, inspect, resize and maybe trim to get it back to original specifications. The brass vendor should have delivered it clean and sized and shaped to proper specifications. ![]() The first time you load it, you usually don’t have to do anything. You can certainly buy ready-to-load brass that’s never been fired. Sources of Brassĭepending on where you get your brass for reloading, you may have to perform from zero to several steps to prepare it for reloading. The steps you have to take depend on the source of your brass and whether it’s a straight wall or bottleneck cartridge. Now, it’s time to talk about actual brass processing – getting it ready for a new primer, propellant, and projectile. Last time, we discussed ways to clean used brass to get it ready for the actual reloading process. Part 13: Final Inspection and Packaging Tips Part 10: Projectiles: Materials, Weights, and Styles Part 8: Powder, Propellants, and Pressure
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