In general, what's the longevity of pistol brass?

[CQB45ACP]

I

As Ballman suggests, you can range your load up and down a little to see if you can fix that, but you can also fix it by tweaking the extractor, or replacing it.

My first .45 was a Springfield stainless government, it flung brass straight back at my face... I called it The Wretch. In fact, I have a burn mark in my right eyebrow where a piece of brass wedged between my melon and my shooting glasses. I sold it to my brother, who never had that problem. He still has it, as a matter of fact. Knowing now what I didn't know then, all I would have had to do was change the extractor...

And that ladies and germs is what they call brotherly love in McKinney, Texas.

 

[CraigC]

If it's good brass, a long, long time. I've been reloading about 25yrs. When I first started, I had a bunch of nickel plated Speer .44Mag cases. The nickel plating was long gone when I started having splits. Ended up buying 1000rds of Starline brass and retired those cases and can't remember the last time I tossed a case.

On the flipside, I had a truckload of nickel plated Remington cases from a bunch of their FBI load I bought on closeout for something like $5/box. They didn't survive the 2nd or 3rd loading. Haven't experienced that sort of abbreviated lifespan with any other case.

 

[Charlie98]

I

And that ladies and germs is what they call brotherly love in McKinney, Texas.

Particularly since I think he still owes me $500 for it.... and that was over 20 years ago. I can't imagine what it is now, with the juice still rolling....

 

[Charlie98]

They didn't survive the 2nd or 3rd loading. Haven't experienced that sort of abbreviated lifespan with any other case.

I've had that problem as well, with some specific headstamp brass... very nearly the entire 1000cs lot in one instance. You win some, you lose some.

 

[CQB45ACP]

If you haven’t gotten around to reading the article I linked to, the author got 54 heavy 45acp loads before he had to quit because the primer pockets had gotten too shallow to use safely. The cases were also shorter than SAAMI spec.

Like the article, my results documented here on THR show after 20 uses (actually more than that because they weren’t new when I started) all cases had shortened from .894” and longer down to .890” and much shorter—some well below spec.

Similarly, primer pockets had tightened and gotten more shallow just like in article.

Neither the author nor I experienced any damage to the cases themselves except for cosmetic damage to headstamps.

I have my 50 loaded and ready for next range session. Usually Monday but today is Cherry Blossom viewing instead

 

[FROGO207]

As you can see your brass will last a long time if you do not load it up hot or crimp with a death grip. When starting a new batch I usually get a few splits or such but after that most of my pistol/revolver brass will last a long time. With 9MM/45 ACP I mostly loose them before they become defective in any way.
Rifle brass/bottlenecked lasts longer if you anneal it atleast every 3 reloads from my experience. There again max loads are your enemy. You will have to figure out what is best for your reloading style over time and don't sweat it if your results are not the same as mine. Take your time to enjoy the journey and be ome one with your guns.

 

[CraigC]

I've had that problem as well, with some specific headstamp brass... very nearly the entire 1000cs lot in one instance. You win some, you lose some.

Yep, it had to be brass like that that gave birth to the idea that nickel plated cases were brittle.

 

[Charlie98]

Yep, it had to be brass like that that gave birth to the idea that nickel plated cases were brittle.

Well, the 1000cs lot was plain brass .38SPC, but a similar headstamp (same manufacturer) in .357MAG nickle-plated brass, cracked early as well. I've also had issues with nickle-plated .41 brass cracking at the case mouth, where plain brass doesn't.

 

[ballman6711]

but you can also fix it by tweaking the extractor, or replacing it.

You can certainly do this, and I fixed my 3" 1911 this way along with a firing pin stop. It would throw brass everywhere but left.

I didn't really want to get into repairing or adjusting the gun, but dinged brass could also be caused by a clocking extractor, easily fixed by a properly fitted firing pin stop. Or the ejector could need work or replacing. Enough knowledge or money can get the ejection port adjusted, lol!

Back to the original question, I have yet to wear out or split a piece of brass in five years of reloading, mostly 45acp. I have a few where the head stamp is hard to read, not sure how many loadings on those. I did have one that wouldn't hold a primer, thought the pocket was worn out. Turns out I was trying to put a small primer in a large pocket, so that one was user error.

chris

 

[drband]

You can certainly do this, and I fixed my 3" 1911 this way along with a firing pin stop. It would throw brass everywhere but left.

I didn't really want to get into repairing or adjusting the gun, but dinged brass could also be caused by a clocking extractor, easily fixed by a properly fitted firing pin stop. Or the ejector could need work or replacing. Enough knowledge or money can get the ejection port adjusted, lol!

To add on, I fixed mine by opening up the ejection port a little and tuning the ejector. It’s tedious to do, but the dinged brass can be eliminated.
(Wish I had never sold that commander!! — it was totally reliable after getting it tweaked)

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Well, the 1000cs lot was plain brass .38SPC, but a similar headstamp (same manufacturer) in .357MAG nickle-plated brass, cracked early as well. I've also had issues with nickle-plated .41 brass cracking at the case mouth, where plain brass doesn't.

There are lots of recipes for brass. I tend to prefer brass with a slightly higher copper content but that’s just because it sizes easier. For me anyway.

 

[cfullgraf]

In my experience…

With low pressure ammunition, 38 Special target, 45 ACP, 44 Special, 380 ACP, etc, cases last near forever.

Magnum ammunition loaded to magnum levels, case life is shorter. How much, it depends. When I was using 357 Magnum in IHMSA handgun silhouette, I’d a lose few cases at every reloading session. I never did an in depth count on number of firings.

Additional info on semi-auto cases. I probably lose more cases to the “Bermuda Triangle” than actually due to case failure.

 

[Riomouse911]

I am still reloading .45 Colt and .44 Mag cases I bought as new factory ammo in the 1990’s. You can reach 40 reloads easy with mild .38 Spl., 44 Spl. and .45 Colt loads with just a few don’ts:

Don’t max the loads out, don’t flare the mouths like a trumpet and don’t gorilla-crimp them when seating. Moderation is your friend at the reloading bench, as well as the saloon.

But like all good things, cartridge cases all have a beginning and an end. So, eventually you will lose cases to splits like these.



Stay safe.

 

[jmorris]

I have reloaded and fired 45 acp brass that had been shot so many times the head stamp was unreadable.

It lasts until it splits, won't hold a primer or you lose it.

 

[Crosshair]

Yes

 

[.38 Special]

I'd like to get ahold of some of that revolver brass that goes a hundred loadings! I generally get a couple of dozen out of mild loads in things like the .38 Special - but I use square-base cast bullets almost exclusively, and so use a bit more flare to prevent damage, so almost all of my cases die from mouth splits.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I’ve got some Federal nickel plated 9mm from Hydroshok factory ammo that I picked up in the late ‘90’s and early’00’s after PPC matches, fired by the USBP, and FLETC shooters. Some have been polished down to the underlying brass. A few have started to split.
I have a .45acp UMC case with a 1918 head stamp. It’s still going strong!

 

[Walkalong]

I too have some nickel cases that have been shot and tumbled so many times the nickel is almost gone.

 

[EMC45]

Was going through my empties from the range and lo and behold, a nickel .38 Special case was cracked at the mouth. Trash can....

 

[CraigC]

I know some folks who keep meticulous handloading notes. They keep track of how many times they use their cases, what loads they use in what guns and an overall round count. It was reputed that gunwriter Terry Murbach had loaded and fired over a million rounds and I believe it. I am not one of those guys. I never cared. However, after an argument somewhere about heavy .38-44 loads and the strength of .38Spl brass compared to .357, I took a cylinder or two worth of white box Winchester .38 brass and set out to reload it until it failed. I used Keith's 2400 load, which is way over the old factory .38-44 high velocity loads. I gave up after 22 loadings and threw the cases back into circulation.

 

[CraigC]

I too have some nickel cases that have been shot and tumbled so many times the nickel is almost gone.

I wager that the nickel plated Speer cases I spoke of before were made by Starline and that they do something different in their plating process that keeps them from becoming brittle. Those nickeled Remington cases even felt different.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

They keep track of how many times they use their cases, what loads they use in what guns and an overall round count.

At one point in time I had over 200 rifles, 100 shotguns and close to 300 handguns. I’ve been selling a couple of dozen a year for the last 10 years. I’m down to around 60 rifles, 30 shotguns and 100 handguns. Can you imagine the record-keeping nightmare of trying to track every single case from that collection?

I’m in full agreement with you that it might be nice for the person with four or five firearms and only three or four calibers to reload but much more than that and there’s just not much point to it.

 

[Alaskamike]

Anything you taper crimp will last longer than something you use with a heavy roll crimp. Brass used on lead dies before brass used with jacketed. The more I work the brass the faster it dies. I do loose some to primer pockets but not many.

Strangely, I've had as many neck splits with nickel .45 auto cases as I've had with .38 or .357 nickel cases. I have no idea why--with the brass versions my .45 auto cases far outlast my roll crimp cases, just as you say. It definitely seems to be a different story with nickel though, and it certainly doesn't make sense to me. Just my experience though.

 

[CQB45ACP]

At one point in time I had over 200 rifles, 100 shotguns and close to 300 handguns. I’ve been selling a couple of dozen a year for the last 10 years. I’m down to around 60 rifles, 30 shotguns and 100 handguns. Can you imagine the record-keeping nightmare of trying to track every single case from that collection?

I’m in full agreement with you that it might be nice for the person with four or five firearms and only three or four calibers to reload but much more than that and there’s just not much point to it.

WTH!

I've only seen three gun collections that big in my life--1) NRA museum, 2) FBI firearms unit (used to be part of tour when they had tours), 3) ATF collection/library.

 

[ms6852]

It would be a lot easier to try to understand a woman than to answer your question. I've lost count as to how many times I've reloaded brass and other times one or two times on brand new factory rounds.....who knows.