When is brass unreloadable?

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Axis II

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I remember some posts about the paper clip trick and I know when primer pockets get loose I should toss brass. I have a lot of LC 5.56 purchased from the military brass that I was keeping track of how many times loaded but somehow they all got dumped together so now I haven't a clue what's been loaded 3 times and what's been loaded 8 times. Anyone have the link to the thread for checking this? Also, I prime on the press and don't really like doing it by hand nor can I afford a hand priming tool worth a darn at the moment so how do I know if pockets are loose? I honestly cant feel any difference on the press but I could when I had my hand priming tool.
 
you could take a new primer, pull of the anvil and the compound. glue a small peace of wood or plastic to it and use it as a gauge to test the primer pockets. you should not be able to push the primer in all the way.
 
Same - I'll generally split the neck before otherwise wearing it out. Stepped on, run over with tractor, lost in grass, something else will get it first....if not, split neck :)

I have a lot of mixed brass so all the primers feel a bit different going in. Hand prime or on press. Even the ones that insert very easily just seem to stay in thru firing. I'm not sure I'd know a loose pocket if I came across it unless it just spit the new primer out immediately.
 
That looks fine to me. :p Just make sure it's the first one you shoot, otherwise there's probably not enough neck tension to prevent set back.

I mean, really, the shell just has to hold the powder in the shell and the bullet at the mouth of the shell. The cylinder contains all the pressure, right? :)
 
ohihunter2014 said:
I remember some posts about the paper clip trick and I know when primer pockets get loose I should toss brass. I have a lot of LC 5.56 purchased from the military brass that I was keeping track of how many times loaded but somehow they all got dumped together so now I haven't a clue what's been loaded 3 times and what's been loaded 8 times. Anyone have the link to the thread for checking this? Also, I prime on the press and don't really like doing it by hand nor can I afford a hand priming tool worth a darn at the moment so how do I know if pockets are loose? I honestly cant feel any difference on the press but I could when I had my hand priming tool.
Click to expand...

If you anneal the brass just keep on shooting till the primers want stay in. I normally check the ones that seam easier than normal to prime. My rule if I can push it out by hand it goes in the scrap pile.
 
Blue68f100 said:
If you anneal the brass just keep on shooting till the primers want stay in. I normally check the ones that seam easier than normal to prime. My rule if I can push it out by hand it goes in the scrap pile.
Click to expand...
Push it out with what? Im curious of how your test works. Do you have a long punch you use or something similar?
 
Unless rifle brass is annealed regularly, soft, run stupid hot, already has pocket issues (found some new brass where i could seat a primer by pressing it in by hand) or a combination of the lot, ive found you'll split the neck before the pockets loosen.

Military brass is usually pretty consistent, at least in terms of function so id id expect to see split necks before pocket failures. Still, always be aware of changes while priming.
 
WestKentucky said:
Push it out with what? Im curious of how your test works. Do you have a long punch you use or something similar?
Click to expand...

I just use my universal depriming die most of the time or the spare stem. The die body is easier to hold on to for me. But most anything that will fit through the flash hole will work, including a 1/16" punch. Unless your dealing with Lapua brass with the smaller flash holes.
 
I just loaded a piece of 44 magnum brass that just refused to polish, spent hours in tumbler but still looked dark. Fired it and it split all the way down one side and several short ones on other sides . Usually I'd just toss something like that but I wanted to see what was wrong with it. Nothing of value here, but it was an experiment.
 
When I inspect brass before loading it I look for any leakage around the primer, any neck or body cracks and signs of a head separation. Any of these results in the brass getting scrapped. Also, any really heavy spots of corrosion or any dings and dents that look like they may cause a crack to develop. I'll load dented cases as long as they are not creased. IE, semi round is ok, flat is not!
 
When is the primer pocket loose? When you can seat it with your bare fingers... when you seat the primer, and it falls out on its own.

I used to shoot IHMSA with 300 Whisper... waaay back before it became known as the trendy 300Blackout... back when we had to make our own brass. Used to push it pretty hard, to reliably knock down the 200 meter rams. Usually got about 9 firings out of the reformed Remington 221 Fireball cases before the primers wouldn't stay in anymore.
 
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When the primers on my rifle brass insert "easily" (ok, it's a judgement call), the brass goes to my 'casual shooting' section. AKA, plinking (gawd, I hate that term) rounds.

Any brass that isn't cracked, and the primers seats correctly, is full power suitable.

I anneal my rifle brass, and normally get cracks at the neck/shoulder junction before the neck itself cracks.
 
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