round count on brass?
- Thread starter 280ai
- Start date
I helps to know whether one brand of brass tends to last longer than another. Given all loads equal, it's helpful to know if one brand can only get 6 reloads vs 20 for another brand.
jelenko
Gold $$ Contributor
For me, it lets me know when I need to start being more careful to inspect the brass. It would be useful to know how many firings are on the brass if/when I started seeing an increase in split necks and/or case separations.
If you anneal, it would let you know when to do it.
If you anneal, it would let you know when to do it.
JMayo
Silver $$ Contributor
The caliber matters allot. Some eat brass life, some don't.
If shooting one that a case failure could result in gun damage or personal damage a round count could be valuable.
I'm a Bench rest shooter only.....
My round count is more for the barrel than the brass.
The brass will tell me it's done. The round count will give me a estimate on time to expect accuracy to fall & for me to get started on a new barrel.
I anneal every firing, get a count and write it in my book. I know the count on all of my barrels.
If shooting one that a case failure could result in gun damage or personal damage a round count could be valuable.
I'm a Bench rest shooter only.....
My round count is more for the barrel than the brass.
The brass will tell me it's done. The round count will give me a estimate on time to expect accuracy to fall & for me to get started on a new barrel.
I anneal every firing, get a count and write it in my book. I know the count on all of my barrels.
Dusty Stevens
Shiner
I never use all i load anyway so its hard to keep up. Once i start getting loose pockets or a few that lose neck tension i start rotating them out
Yes, I keep track. I do so try to keep them all with the same amount of firings through them and not have some with 4 firings and some with 15. This way when they start to need replacement, I replace them all at once. I also keep a barrel count.
I keep track of the number of firings on all of my brass. I also keep track of when the cases were trimmed last and when they were annealed. It just helps me keep things consistent and helps to know when to expect brass exhaustion. When a few cases get loose pockets, they all get tossed.
The problem there is the data is only relevant for that lot of brass. Companies can improve or go to crap. I build things and vendor consistency has become a serious issue the last couple decades.I helps to know whether one brand of brass tends to last longer than another. Given all loads equal, it's helpful to know if one brand can only get 6 reloads vs 20 for another brand.
None. The life of brass is dependent on the quality of the brass, the quality of the rifle build, the pressure of your load and how much you work the brass during reloading.
Certain brass manufacturers are better than others but that does not mean the status quo continues. When I was younger I thought it might matter so I kept track of the firing counts and then I realized that there was no return for the effort.
I have two high pressure varmint rigs, 63,000 and 65,000 PSI that I neck size for. The 223 at 63,000+ PSI uses Malaysian military brass, (they hold 1.5 grains more powder), I started with 1,000 rounds of once fired brass that I picked up for $5. I separated 65 cases and prepped them, I've been shooting the same 65 cases for 20+ years, I haven't counted the firings but the 15 boxes of varmint bulletts I bought were replaced years ago and the replacement bulletts are down to a box and a half. I still have 935 once fired cases.
My other rig is a 6MM Remington, at 65,000 PSI, 32 years ago I started out with 5 boxes of Remington factory ammo, same lot and 500 new factory Remington cases I got for doing a favor for a guy. I have never opened the new cases and I have over a box of my original once fired factory ammo cases left. I shot out the first barrel and replaced it about 15 years ago.
I have not had a problem with loose primer pockets more than a couple times, case necks tend to get brittle. I just put them in the recycling bucket. I tumble in walnut shell medium every firing, trim if needed and neck size.
Both rifles will average 1 1/16" 300 yard groups all day long with my reloads, if I don't have an argument with my wife and too much caffeine.
Yes! And keeping track of how long the brass lasts helps one be aware of this, like how consistent it is or not.
By the time you know the quality of the brass with this method you've already benefitted or suffered from the quality. That's a hell of a time to find out and it means nothing even when buying the next lot of brass.
In my opinion, consistent weight, dimensions, primer pocket and flash hole specs are far more important for competitors than how many reloading you can get. Those are checks needed to be done before loading and provide instant results.
In my opinion factory brass from nearly any decent ammo manufacturer works well for varmint hunters and others.
Yes, I keep track of it.
It's really quite easy for me. I have a set of cases dedicated to each rifle. I have a label on each 20-round container (normally 50 to 60 cases dedicated to each rifle) and each time I reload the cases, I mark the reload number. I also rotate the firing of the cases, so all cases receive the same amount of firing / sizing / trimming.
Why do I keep track? It helps me monitor the quality of the cases and any need to change the sizing due to work hardening over time. I also like to know how many reloads I can get out of a group of cases for each rifle / pistol to help me plan the inventory I need to keep on hand.
It's also a data point for different brands / lots of cases.
It's really quite easy for me. I have a set of cases dedicated to each rifle. I have a label on each 20-round container (normally 50 to 60 cases dedicated to each rifle) and each time I reload the cases, I mark the reload number. I also rotate the firing of the cases, so all cases receive the same amount of firing / sizing / trimming.
Why do I keep track? It helps me monitor the quality of the cases and any need to change the sizing due to work hardening over time. I also like to know how many reloads I can get out of a group of cases for each rifle / pistol to help me plan the inventory I need to keep on hand.
It's also a data point for different brands / lots of cases.
jepp2
Gold $$ Contributor
Since you don't mention the rest of your loading practices, make answering less meaningful. I "used" to anneal every 5 firings to avoid neck splits, how do you know when you need to anneal if you don't keep round counts? Now I anneal every firing.
I do something very similar and also for most of the reasons you state. I keep track of many things and find that data of all kinds comes in handy from time to time and sometimes for things that I never thought of. I keep a diary on each rifle and keep as many details as I can think of and it is amazing what I forget in time and many times I refer to my notes and find it helpful. The more data and notes the better.
Yea, I keep a notebook on each rifle. I know the exact number of rounds I've fired, my practice scores, my varmint hunting results, temperature effects, etc. Sometimes this information proves meaningful when confronted with a problem.
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