Reusing Brass Until Fallout

[howabouttheiris]

Not looking to argue the 'never reload more that 2 times' or you will shoot like crap argument, but interested in max reuses caused by true case fallout.

Loading 155 palmas .308 with 47gn of 4064 (compressed load, but 0.5gn under max spec) chrono at about 3100 fps from my 30" Savage, necksize only after fullsize 1st time.

I started with 50 pcs of 'once fired' Federal brass (fusion hunting brass)

Fallout:
Reload #2 about 3 due to rings at base of case
Reload #3 about 5 due to loose primers
Reload #4 about 5 due to loose primers
Reload #5 about 5 due to loose primers and 6 due to lack of neck tension

The remaining 26ish will go into the garbage can once fired, but wondering if this is a normal lifespan?

1 of the reloaders that I know reloads over and over and over and claims to never see this kind of fallout and is questioning my choice of load. Are the loose primer pocket counts worrying? (I tried CCI BR and Federal primers, both appear to be the same size) I uniformed the flash holes, but never trimmed or modified the primer pockets.

Opinions?

 

[mshelton]

I've got probably 30+ firings on some pieces of 6ppc brass, at least 20+ on some 6br and I've had more than a dozen on some 308, sold the rifle and as far as I know the guy is still using the same brass.

It's all been Lapua though and I anneal occasionally. Only lose pieces if the decapper jams into the neck and screws it up beyond use or I flat out leave one at the range or in the field.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Try some good brass and report back. A lot goes into brass life, but it sounds like that load is hot in YOUR gun with THAT brass. I base that on your velocity and on the pockets being loose so quickly. Establish a good baseline with quality brass, for starters.
I've seen Remington brass be ruined on the first firing of the same load that I get 40+ firings from Lapua with.

 

[watercam]

Regardless of your being .5 grain under max, your load is hotter than it needs to be. Of the many Palma shooters I have shot with most aim for 2950 minimum (one excellent shooter goes 2930) to 3000 maximum (with a 32" barrel). The goal is getting is keeping 155s supersonic at 1000 with an accurate load. The rest is wind reading and holding well. There is so much prep that goes into Palma cases I would try and make them last as well! I shoot Lapua small rifle cases about 12 firings, large rifle versions 8-10. Personally I hate case prep but I do it so as to be as competitive as I can be.
As an aside, you are straining the rifle as well. It will hold but you will be seeing gas leakage from around the primer pockets on bolt face at some point. Barrel life will be shortened appreciably as well.
Best of luck to you, see you on the line...

 

[jhord]

Federal brass is pretty soft from what I've seen. I had some that I threw away after about 3 reloads with a "normal" 2600fps 168gr load, the primer pockets gave up. Lapua, on the other hand, just goes and goes and goes.

 

[hogpatrol]

.17 Fireball is only made by Remington. I use a relatively warm load and due to primer pockets being loose, some brass goes in the scrap bucket after one firing. . It is what it is. :-[

 

[wapiti25]

I feel Fed brass is "soft".

 

[243winxb]

if this is a normal lifespan?

3 firings is about it when running hot . Watch for gas leakage. Looks like this photo.

Cartridge Brass-
Material is 70 copper/30 zinc with trace amounts of lead & iron , called C26000 . Material starts to yield at 15,000 PSI when soft (annealed), and 63,000 PSI when hard.
Material yields, but continues to get stronger up to 47,000 PSI when soft, and 76,000 PSI
when work hardened.

 

[howabouttheiris]

The goal is getting is keeping 155s supersonic at 1000 with an accurate load.

From my testing, this is the best node and the last good accuracy node for the round before max charge. It is ~1.2mach at 1000, which I believe (from my reading) is the desired guard-band speed above mach for accuracy. There is another great node at just less than 44gn, but the velocity is not there for 1000.

Thanks for the feedback everyone...

 

[searcher]

I use a lot of Federal once-fired .308 brass that I am able to obtain for cheap from my local range. I use it in a bolt gun as well as an M1A. I can get fair case life using IMR 4064, but as with any case, the hotter the load, the shorter the case life. Federal, in my opinion, is nowhere near as good as the Lapua I use in my 6PPC and 6BR and 30BR. For those guns, a hundred cases will last most of the barrel's accurate life. I think 3 or 4 loadings of hot Federals is about it. Primer pockets go first. If you tone the load down and are still able to remain supersonic at that lower accuracy node (assuming you can find one there)- you brass will go much further. - but still not to the length of Lapua when using a bolt gun. I mainly use the Federal in my M1A and I have found that it does not pay to run Lapua through it as it won't go any more than 7 or 8 loadings and the cases are too beat up. I get six out of the Federal using my load - and the Federal cost me $15.00/100 for 1x fired. I find that I also don't get any more loadings out of Remington, Winchester or Hornady over that of the Federal. I have not tried Nosler and probably won't as it runs the same as Lapua - which would be my first choice. All said - I don't think what you have experienced is out of the morm for a warm load using that brass.