Buying Used Brass

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eddiememphis

eddiememphis

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I found some .357 online but am hesitant to purchase it, fearing a lot of junk.

Obviously each case will need careful inspection. How much waste can I expect to find in a bag of 250?
 
JMHO- that's something every loader
has to decide for themselves. I don't
devote much time to a piece of questionable brass like I would 20 years ago. You'll
just have to spread a sheet of newspaper
or an old towel or something in a brightly
lit area and sit down with a magnifying
glass and look every case over inside and
out and be prepared to smush the bad
ones with no remorse.
Those little brass doodads contain a
potentially lethal explosion next to
your irreplaceable body parts, so don't
be afraid to junk whatever doesn't pass
muster
Good Luck
 
Ask the seller how many times it's been fired and if they'll either replace the bad ones or take the whole lot back.

You can also ask what condition the brass is in, the dies will fix pretty much any dents and dings. If it's crushed, those are headed for the recycle bin.
 
If the seller posts pictures of that particular batch look at it closely. Most that sell used brass will answer any questions and offer some kind of replacment or return. Check with them. I have never had a problem buying used brass but there's always a first time. If it is stated once fired that is what lasts the longest if it truly is.
 
Have had used brass donated My way and have also bought some. I look it over and discard what I think is trash. Use Your own judgment on what to reuse or trash. Pay accordingly
 
I’ve bought thousands of cases used. It’s been my experience that I will usually get a few lemons that get pitched right away, a few that go one, two or maaaybe three reloadings then split a case mouth, and the rest get loaded time and time again with no issues.

Stay safe.
 
I pick up 45acp and 9mm brass off the ground at outdoor ranges and dig it out of trash cans at indoor ranges. Done so for years. I haven't had any problems. I'm a lot more picky about rifle brass. The last batch of 9mm brass I bought was once fired brass from the local indoor range. It was very nice brass and got it a lot cheaper than buying online. Hardly anyone that shoots at indoor ranges reloads.
 
The key is finding out if it's 'once fired' brass, which is usually range pickup brass, or 'used' brass... which is something else entirely. Ask questions... if they hem-haw around, or won't answer your questions... leave it.

I've sold brass meself... including .38's and .357's. Having to look at myself in the mirror every day, I sold it as reloaded brass, not specifically 'once fired,' because I know I'd reloaded it all at least once before, and priced it accordingly.

Handgun brass is very different than bottleneck rifle brass... it is a very rare occasion that I would buy someone else's used rifle brass, even if it's once fired.
 
The last used brass I bought was disappointing. 500 cases on the nose and a number that needed to be scrapped, plus about 3% were the wrong cases. Around 450 cases ended up being usable. YMMV
 
From my own experience with straight wall pistol brass in 38 or 357 caliber.
No much can be wrong with it beyond simply worn out from repeated loading. Dents, out of round or similar damage can be addressed by the dies and or ironed out when fired. Split case mouths can’t be dealt with but usually only occur after many cycles of loading. Those 357’s headspace on the rim, so IMO not much concern with case length. Old, many time fired would be your biggest concern.

A question only you can address is just how far up the pressure curve you intend to reload at. Target velocity or holy crap loads.
 
I have 1k (2 packets of 500/ea) of used nickel'd .38spc brass being delivered by USPS today. I expect that they have actually shipped a few more than 1000, as many used-brass vendors do, and that will more than make up for the 4 or 5 that I may have to discard.

In the past ~15 years I have purchased many thousands of "once-fired" (maybe) brass from various online vendors and have yet to get burned in such a transaction.

Uh Oh! :uhoh: I wrote that and have not yet received my newest order. Dooooooomed, I am, to a 1000 stretched, ringed and stepped-on .38spc brass. :)
 
I expect to cull 5-10%. Hornady or ppu will likely be short, if you have enough to be worth trimming it and segregating it, it's okay. If you have a bad feeling about a piece of brass, discard it.

For revolver brass I generally don't use mixed brass. But I do for an automatic sometimes.
 
I recently bought 2 500 lots of 1xF 45ACP SPP brass that was short 75 cases. Immediately upon notification the vendor (a business, not an individual) refunded me for more than the value of the missing cases. Other than one LPP case, it was otherwise excellent quality with no culls.
 
When i process brass for me or to sell. Inspect each casing. Cull out the bad. Then i do a pre clean tumble before de-capping. Then i inspect each casing again. All that are good. Get de-capped and a final tumble. I always throw extras in too. In-case i missed something. When i need to buy any if i don't buy new. I look for sellers who also hand process and inspect.
 
I've bought some from JOJO on this forum. Maybe 5k worth of 9mm. Bought some from gunbroker way before the current insanity. Also some from Everglades also easy before the insanity.

All was of good quality. Even was able to order the 45acp with either lpp or spp pre sorted
 
I have a sold well over a ton of range brass in lots of rifle * pistol calibers since last October with out any complaints.
A local guy did want a couple hundred pieces of 8mm brass. I sold him 200 pieces of 8mm Mauser brass. A week later he pm'ed me starting he wanted 8mm Remington. So I refunded his money and got the brass back.
The next guy was happy to get it.
Most reloading guys will not screw you.
 
eddiememphis said:
I found some .357 online but am hesitant to purchase it, fearing a lot of junk.

Obviously each case will need careful inspection. How much waste can I expect to find in a bag of 250?
Click to expand...
You can expect at least one that doesn’t pass inspection up to the full 250 being no good. If the seller has a good reputation, the odds are strongly in your favor. If not, look elsewhere. Best advice I can give.
 
My own experience has been that straight wall cases fair very well over the long haul. Lower pressure and no bottleneck. Bottleneck rifle cases such as the 220 Swift are prime examples of brass that can only be reloaded a limited number of times. The energy and the opening being so small hardens the neck and they split even with annealing. I used to get about 5 reloadings with the Swift and had to retire brass after that. I am still using 45 ACP brass from the nineties as I have 2000 rounds of brass all picked up at the range and then tuned by me. I have, in my later years, deferred to straight wall cases as my choice for general shooting ie. 357 mag, 375 Win, 45 ACP, 32 ACP,45-70 Govt. with the notable exception of my 223 Wylde, 300 AAC BLK and 32 Win Spl. I also get split necks with the 223 from time to time. Just my 2 cents.
 
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