How many times has that case been loaded
- Thread starter zp3design
- Start date
Butch Lambert
Active member
Throw them away after 2 grands at the most.
Butch
Butch
jackie schmidt
New member
Cases
For Competition, I use 25-30 cases for a Two-Gun Event. That is not to say I toss them in the garbage, I can still practice with them.
After about 8 or so firings, they do not seem to want to size down the way I like them too for ease in Match Shooting.
As the old adage goes, "nothing shoots like new brass"
Of course, that phrase could have originolly been coined by Lapua, but I believe it.......jackie
For Competition, I use 25-30 cases for a Two-Gun Event. That is not to say I toss them in the garbage, I can still practice with them.
After about 8 or so firings, they do not seem to want to size down the way I like them too for ease in Match Shooting.
As the old adage goes, "nothing shoots like new brass"
Of course, that phrase could have originolly been coined by Lapua, but I believe it.......jackie
T
Tim Henderson
Guest
What kind of round.
Is this true for all, are just PPC.
Is this true for all, are just PPC.
R
RayfromTX
Guest
I find it hard to keep up with how many times a pc of brass has been fired since some rounds are left each match. Even if they are the next in line to fire, invariably, some of the rounds cases will get fired more than others.
My new strategy may not work for everyone but I have a bullet seater that is pretty tight. When the web expands enough that I can't get the brass out with my fingernail, I mark it with a sharpie, shoot it for a fouler, and throw it in the prairie dog ammo bag. I think I can use this method to keep from throwing away cases that still have good life in them.
With the upper load of 133, about 6-8 loadings is all I get before this happens. There are other signs of worn out brass, like that click at the top of the bolt lift but that comes after a couple more firings and I don't want to go that far with my competition brass. If you use a hammer on your bolt to extract your case, you have gone too far.
My new strategy may not work for everyone but I have a bullet seater that is pretty tight. When the web expands enough that I can't get the brass out with my fingernail, I mark it with a sharpie, shoot it for a fouler, and throw it in the prairie dog ammo bag. I think I can use this method to keep from throwing away cases that still have good life in them.
With the upper load of 133, about 6-8 loadings is all I get before this happens. There are other signs of worn out brass, like that click at the top of the bolt lift but that comes after a couple more firings and I don't want to go that far with my competition brass. If you use a hammer on your bolt to extract your case, you have gone too far.
Kent Harshman
Member
W-e-l-l...
...I might as well jump into this...as the voice from the "flip side of the coin" so to say...
I use cases A LOT LONGER than most responses to this thread are recommending. I use a Redding Small-Base Type-S Full Length 6PPC die, Part # 77211. If you're having any problems whatsoever with tight cases, you need one...so buy it...and you'll never have problems with tight cases again! Forget all that garbage you're being fed about "matching your resize die to your chambers"...'cause that's just what it is, garbage. These dies are the best value in reloading tools in benchrest...and can easily be found for less than $50.00.
The first two 2-Guns I ever won were in 2000 on back-to-back weekends. Started the first weekend with cases that had over 80 firings a piece on them. Shot them both weekends. By the end of the 2nd weekend, they had over 100 firings a piece on them. Still used them for practice even after that. Started the HV class at the Super Shoot in '06 with cases that had over 40 firings a piece on them. Won the HV Grand with them. Took the barrel off and put it and the cases away right after the Super Shoot. Got both back out and won the HV Grand again in '07. By the time that one was over, the cases had over 60 firings a piece on them. No braggin' intended...just the results of my methods for those of you who are "doubting Thomas's"...
Monitor the cases carefully. Keep the overall length ~ .010" under the length of your chamber. Watch the case necks with a loupe for cracks from your sizing bushing. I agree with these guys that if you punish them at 3400 f.p.s. all the time, that they won't last as long...but you're giving yourself your best shot with one of these dies...
One more note about the die...don't tighten the top all the way down on the bushing. If you do, you'll lose necks from work hardening of the junction between the neck and the shoulder. Tighten down on the bushing, then back off about 1/4 - 1/2 turn, then tighten the lock ring. This will allow a thin portion of the base of your neck to remain unsized. Unless you're seating bullets that deep in the case, it won't hurt a thing...
...I might as well jump into this...as the voice from the "flip side of the coin" so to say...
I use cases A LOT LONGER than most responses to this thread are recommending. I use a Redding Small-Base Type-S Full Length 6PPC die, Part # 77211. If you're having any problems whatsoever with tight cases, you need one...so buy it...and you'll never have problems with tight cases again! Forget all that garbage you're being fed about "matching your resize die to your chambers"...'cause that's just what it is, garbage. These dies are the best value in reloading tools in benchrest...and can easily be found for less than $50.00.
The first two 2-Guns I ever won were in 2000 on back-to-back weekends. Started the first weekend with cases that had over 80 firings a piece on them. Shot them both weekends. By the end of the 2nd weekend, they had over 100 firings a piece on them. Still used them for practice even after that. Started the HV class at the Super Shoot in '06 with cases that had over 40 firings a piece on them. Won the HV Grand with them. Took the barrel off and put it and the cases away right after the Super Shoot. Got both back out and won the HV Grand again in '07. By the time that one was over, the cases had over 60 firings a piece on them. No braggin' intended...just the results of my methods for those of you who are "doubting Thomas's"...
Monitor the cases carefully. Keep the overall length ~ .010" under the length of your chamber. Watch the case necks with a loupe for cracks from your sizing bushing. I agree with these guys that if you punish them at 3400 f.p.s. all the time, that they won't last as long...but you're giving yourself your best shot with one of these dies...
One more note about the die...don't tighten the top all the way down on the bushing. If you do, you'll lose necks from work hardening of the junction between the neck and the shoulder. Tighten down on the bushing, then back off about 1/4 - 1/2 turn, then tighten the lock ring. This will allow a thin portion of the base of your neck to remain unsized. Unless you're seating bullets that deep in the case, it won't hurt a thing...
R
RayfromTX
Guest
Kent-
How hot of a load are you shooting? I know my cases would go just as long as yours at the lower load window. (28.2-28.5 of vv133) but at the upper window, it's not going to happen. That lower window made all the sizing and seating operations feel like silk. Same feel on the priming tool. Same feel on the sizer. Same feel on the buller seater. I'm going to make a WAG that you're not shooting 133 up in no man's land, but some other powder. I sure can't argue with your results. I started this game last year. You have way more experience with this than me.
How hot of a load are you shooting? I know my cases would go just as long as yours at the lower load window. (28.2-28.5 of vv133) but at the upper window, it's not going to happen. That lower window made all the sizing and seating operations feel like silk. Same feel on the priming tool. Same feel on the sizer. Same feel on the buller seater. I'm going to make a WAG that you're not shooting 133 up in no man's land, but some other powder. I sure can't argue with your results. I started this game last year. You have way more experience with this than me.
Kent Harshman
Member
PPC Loads
Ray,
I don't think Wilbur wants loads published on here...e-mail me...
harshmanATlvcDOTedu
Replace the AT and the DOT respectively...
Ray,
I don't think Wilbur wants loads published on here...e-mail me...
harshmanATlvcDOTedu
Replace the AT and the DOT respectively...
Kent,
Good post
BUT......."matching your resize die to your chamber" is not garbage....in fact it's exactly what you're doing. For some reason YOUR chamber is a good match for the Redding SB die. This is not the case for everybody. Chambering reamers vary.
Getting the base of your chamber big enough that the casehead doesn't hang up eliminates the click AS LONG AS your resizing die, whatEVER it is, resizes the base a couple thou.
I shoot a dozen different chamberings (including a bunch of PPC's) as hot as they can run with zero click problems, ever. And brass life is "forever" in what most people call "the upper node". To me "the upper node" is where primer pockets only last 3-4 firings, the brass though NEVER gets sticky nor clicky and the rest of the case is fine.
My brass doesn't require trimming to length, it doesn't grow.
al
Good post
BUT......."matching your resize die to your chamber" is not garbage....in fact it's exactly what you're doing. For some reason YOUR chamber is a good match for the Redding SB die. This is not the case for everybody. Chambering reamers vary.
Getting the base of your chamber big enough that the casehead doesn't hang up eliminates the click AS LONG AS your resizing die, whatEVER it is, resizes the base a couple thou.
I shoot a dozen different chamberings (including a bunch of PPC's) as hot as they can run with zero click problems, ever. And brass life is "forever" in what most people call "the upper node". To me "the upper node" is where primer pockets only last 3-4 firings, the brass though NEVER gets sticky nor clicky and the rest of the case is fine.
My brass doesn't require trimming to length, it doesn't grow.
al
The Redding FL SB 6ppc die is based on the standard JGS1045 reamer. If your gunsmith is using a reamer based on this drawing (which most are), the die will work fine if set correctly. I have 14-16 barrels in the safe for three different guns and haven't had to reset my sizing die yet. All barrels done by same gunsmith. When brass gets a little work harden, goes in the varmit pile and I have a second die set to size more.
Hovis
Hovis
Went around the question
I don't know a good way to keep track that isn't more trouble than making new cases. A record book comes to mind but that would be for those that weigh cases and measure bulets..and stuff...
Regardless of the count, when you need new cases, you need new cases.
I don't know a good way to keep track that isn't more trouble than making new cases. A record book comes to mind but that would be for those that weigh cases and measure bulets..and stuff...
Regardless of the count, when you need new cases, you need new cases.
Latley
I have been so busy that I have made no time for new brass. After not shooting for 8 years, I got back into matches by running all my neck turned cases through the polisher and heading for the matches. I can honestly say that the brass I used up in Raton last month is the same brass I used at the Texas State back in 2000. This brass has been reloaded at least 20 times. Jackie Schmidt wouldn't be very proud of me. I aim to do better.
Michael
I have been so busy that I have made no time for new brass. After not shooting for 8 years, I got back into matches by running all my neck turned cases through the polisher and heading for the matches. I can honestly say that the brass I used up in Raton last month is the same brass I used at the Texas State back in 2000. This brass has been reloaded at least 20 times. Jackie Schmidt wouldn't be very proud of me. I aim to do better.
Michael
A
abintx
Guest
I put a long piece of green masking tape on the top of my two [100 rounds each] ammunition cases. The first time I reload I put the number 1 on the tape. The second time, I cross out the 1 and put a number 2 on the tape and continue the process as I continue to reload each 100 rounds. Following the lead of some top notch BR shooters, I like to preload at home. It also makes it easier to keep track this way. Art
T
trgtsnpr
Guest
load counting
I use a permanent marker and put a slash mark on my bullet box for everytime I reload that box bill
I use a permanent marker and put a slash mark on my bullet box for everytime I reload that box bill
Pete Wass
Well-known member
This bidness iof chamber specific brass
It's more like die specific brass. I can see that if both are matched the clicks would or might go away but it is luck to get a commercial die that will exactly duplicate one's chamber, from my experience.
I have had several expensive dies made and they don't seem any better than the Reddings to date. I am thinking now that if one could trust a die grinder to make one a die reamer that was appropriately scaled down to re-size cases that would be an exact match but a couple of thou smaller, that might be the right thing to do. I think Gene Beggs is on the right road with his standardization of dies for the chamberings he is working with. Now, if only we could get folks to agree on wind flag color standidization !!!
As I have said many times, in my opinion, brass is simply a container for the things that matter most.
It's more like die specific brass. I can see that if both are matched the clicks would or might go away but it is luck to get a commercial die that will exactly duplicate one's chamber, from my experience.
I have had several expensive dies made and they don't seem any better than the Reddings to date. I am thinking now that if one could trust a die grinder to make one a die reamer that was appropriately scaled down to re-size cases that would be an exact match but a couple of thou smaller, that might be the right thing to do. I think Gene Beggs is on the right road with his standardization of dies for the chamberings he is working with. Now, if only we could get folks to agree on wind flag color standidization !!!
As I have said many times, in my opinion, brass is simply a container for the things that matter most.
W
WhelenMan
Guest
I always use a new ammo label that lists the number of firings along with the date of loading each time I load up a new batch. If I should load only a partial I have fiber washers that I drop around the first round of a new batch to designate the point at which the number of firings changes.
2
280rem
Guest
Don't want to hi-jack this thread but how often do you guys anneal your cases when you shoot them 20+ times? Thanks, John.
Kent Harshman
Member
"zp3design",
Wilbur's right...some of us didn't really answer your question...
In answer to your question, I keep note cards in my MTM boxes. I record the following on the note cards:
What barrel(s) these cases have been shot in.
How many shims have to go in the press for that barrel.
What bushing needs to be used.
How many times the cases have been fired.
"alinwa",
Variations in chamber dimensions have a lot more to do with chambering methods, setup methods, and flushing systems than they do with differences in reamer dimensions...UNLESS...you've specifically ordering something to be different on your reamer...
"280rem",
NONE.
One other detail that I left out of my original post that I think contributes to longer case life...I use a RockChucker...
Wilbur's right...some of us didn't really answer your question...
In answer to your question, I keep note cards in my MTM boxes. I record the following on the note cards:
What barrel(s) these cases have been shot in.
How many shims have to go in the press for that barrel.
What bushing needs to be used.
How many times the cases have been fired.
"alinwa",
Variations in chamber dimensions have a lot more to do with chambering methods, setup methods, and flushing systems than they do with differences in reamer dimensions...UNLESS...you've specifically ordering something to be different on your reamer...
"280rem",
NONE.
One other detail that I left out of my original post that I think contributes to longer case life...I use a RockChucker...