Reloading old brass

[DrDoom]

What is the oldest brass you will reload? I cleaned and sized some 45 ACP brass for a load of 8.5gr of Herco behind a 185gr JHP. The brass is mostly WCC and TZZ head stamped from the 80's and 90's. I found a few WCC cases older than that the oldest I found was 53. I didn't use the older ones but it got me thinking about what to toss out in the future.

 

[watercam]

I inherited some .300 Weatherby brass from the early 50's. I, too, was concerned over age hardening until I shot the few loaded rounds that came with the brass. They shot just fine (though a bit slower than normal for that cartridge - have to give a little for powder age!). In the end I shot 20 of them once and then annealed them. No issues and a ready supply of very expensive brass available to me when ever needed.
Go for it.

 

[rebeltex]

I have 45acp brass stamped WCC 43 still in regular use. I must of loaded it 25 times myself.

 

[dstoenner]

I have 30-06 head stamped LC43 that are perfectly good and I have shot

David

 

[biggun2869]

I don't even know how lol some of my brass is but I guarantee it is old. (45 ACP) I just want decent stuff and I don't go along with seperating by headstamp. If you were going for small group size (YES). But I'm just looking for stuff that goes bang for plinking. 4.4 gr 231 and 200 gr lead SWC. It is an antique but it has worked so well for me that I don't see myself changing. My opinion is don't worry about the age of the brass.

 

[jds holler]

I don't think any brass is too "old" to shoot.

Primer pockets may get too loose
Necks may get cracked
Necks may get too thin to hold the bullet
Web may become thin and separate from case body

I'll shoot brass until those first three symptoms occur, and try to quit just before the forth one occurs.

Semi-auto pistol brass usually gets lost before It's too old. jd

 

[riflewoman]

Age hardening of brass is a myth. This has been discussed and debunked here before.

That said. I have brass from 1943. Loads and shoots just fine.

 

[DocBII]

What is the oldest brass you will reload? I cleaned and sized some 45 ACP brass for a load of 8.5gr of Herco behind a 185gr JHP. The brass is mostly WCC and TZZ head stamped from the 80's and 90's. I found a few WCC cases older than that the oldest I found was 53. I didn't use the older ones but it got me thinking about what to toss out in the future.

I've used brass with those headstamps in .45 without any problems. They reloaded well and some are still in use.

I shot LC and SL stamped brass with 54 and 43 dates this weekend. No problems with them, but I did anneal them before sizing and neck turning.

HTH,
DocBII

 

[Liven The Dream]

30.06 Frankfort 1940 to a 7 Gibbs .
Nice Stuff.

 

[PatMiles]

What is the oldest brass you will reload? I cleaned and sized some 45 ACP brass for a load of 8.5gr of Herco behind a 185gr JHP. The brass is mostly WCC and TZZ head stamped from the 80's and 90's. I found a few WCC cases older than that the oldest I found was 53. I didn't use the older ones but it got me thinking about what to toss out in the future.

Given that 45ACP is a low pressure round, load them until they won't hold a primer which probably won't happen in your lifetime.

 

[dellet]

With low pressure, reasonable care and minimal or no crimp, good brass will outlast several shooters lifetimes.

I have brass that I shoot for a few obsolete cartridges that i’m probably the third or fourth caretaker. Pre Remington UMC, would have been made no later than 1912-13. Others that are probably older.

Probably the biggest issue with old brass was corrosion from the powders and primers of the day.

 

[ranger3]

I have 22 250 brass from the 60s and 70's. Anneal and shoot. No problems.

 

[D-4297]

Two of my brothers are still shooting .45 ACP brass our Dad shot in Natl. competitions back in the early to mid - 60's . Works just fine .
For all you younger people ; brass stock that was made in the 40's , 50's , and 60's was of higher quality metallurgical content , than most of the garbage being manufactured today . Just a retired tool & die-maker , so what do I know ....

 

[Pwc]

Denver 1942; just shot again last Wed in 03-A3. File marks on the head indicate eash time a piece was trimmed back to 2.484. Discard after 5 trims. 15+ reloads. Barely noticable feel to some primers backed out.