Bad range brass

[joem]

I have always in the past picked up brass at the range. Over the years I have accumulated a buch to reload. Recently I picked up a bunch of .308 empties. Reloaded them and they are real crap. Brass is super soft, rims under size that tear off on extraction, primer pockets so soft the primers fall out after shooting. I'n done picking up range brass, I hope. Now I have to sort through a bunch of reloads to find them, pull down and scrap.

[bruce]

Don't know what the headstamp might be on the problematic brass you found. Once upon a time I had similar problems using Federal Gold Medal Match .308 Winchester brass. Never tore off a rim, but the primer pockets opened up after being fired only two times and that was with relatively mild reloads. Had similar problems with the brass when fired in a very nice tight Remington 700 in .308 Winchester. Ended up having to scrap the brass. Never had a similar problem w/ Remington or Winchester brass. Lake City brass is very excellent for reloading. Sincerely. bruce.

[PhillipM]

Don't know what the headstamp might be on the problematic brass you found. Once upon a time I had similar problems using Federal Gold Medal Match .308 Winchester brass. Never tore off a rim, but the primer pockets opened up after being fired only two times and that was with relatively mild reloads. Had similar problems with the brass when fired in a very nice tight Remington 700 in .308 Winchester. Ended up having to scrap the brass. Never had a similar problem w/ Remington or Winchester brass. Lake City brass is very excellent for reloading. Sincerely. bruce.


I leave Federal or FC laying at the range.

[DaveL]

What's the head stamp on that bad brass? I'm guessing S&B?

[slamfire]

If you find Amerc, I would recommend tossing it. I found the stuff, used it, had a number of primers fall out because the primer pockets expanded. Finally culled that brass, but I have seen AMERC rifle brass, and I tossed it. There were reports of factory new AMERC blowing up guns, this was an example.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/SlamFire/Blowups/GlockKBAmerAmmunition1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SlamFire/media/Blowups/GlockKBAmerAmmunition1.jpg.html)

[joem]

I always toss Amerc brass. Stuff is crap for reloading.

[psteinmayer]

I'll only pick up range brass in 30-06 if it's LC or HXP. I don't even use civilian 30-06 brass anymore!

[Jim in Salt Lake]

I pick up all the range brass I see. It all goes in the recycling bucket. The last bucket I took in got me almost $150 which paid for a great end of season party for our junior team. I just can't trust something picked up off the ground, who knows how many times fired, what chamber size fired in, etc.? I just like to know that stuff and keep track. So, pick up all the brass you find, fill your bucket and recycle it, and use the money to buy some new brass.

[psteinmayer]

Now that sounds like a great idea Jim! Going to start doing that now...

[mikld]

I'll pick up every piece of brass I find, except rimfire. I inspect every case before I process it and, perhaps luckily, I haven't had any problems. I used to shoot at an organized, well constructed and very well run outdoor range in So.CA. (Angeles Silhouette Club) and only picked up a few cases, from non-reloaders I bet, and almost all brass cases were just newly fired factory stuff. Where I shoot now, a "range" up in the hills outside of town, I pick up all kinds of brass but, I inspect it all very closely. I'm just an average reloader and don't expect 1/4" groups outta my .308, and if I did I'd only use the best, purchased new by me, brass I could find. For my handguns I sometimes shoot mixed brass, but most of the time sort by head stamp (outta a habit I formed in '69-'70.), and rarely have a problem with range pick-ups...

[RED]

Well, there is range brass... and then there is range brass and most of the time I can tell if it is once fired brass by just looking at it. I arrived at the Apple Creek Range in SE, MO one afternoon and picked up once fired .40 S&W brass literally by the bucketful! The local PD had just got new .40's and were qualifying that day. They were packing up and leaving when I got there and I asked, "Say guys are you going to pick up your brass?

"Naw, he says not today, Somebody will probably pick them up (wink, wink,)." That was years ago and I not only did not own a .40 S&W and had a 5 gallon bucket nearly full of them... probably 20 lbs or more. I traded them to a local gun dealer for Milsurp M-16 mags that he had priced at $25 per case of 12.

[joem]

A few years ago the SWAT/ HRT was shooting at the club. I asked if i could have the brass and the answer was a flat NO. They policed the range and picked up every case. They told me they return it and get a bit off ammo orders.

[Sunray]

You really should assume all range brass is bad regardless of the head stamp. You know absolutely nothing about it.

[StockDoc]

Our local ranges, recycle and get pissed if you pick up more then your own brass. Besides, I had one case head failure, learn me lesson about brass I don't know the history of.

[joem]

The range I go to doesn't seem to have many reloaders. It's a outdoor range so they just rake it under with a tractor. The indoor range sweeps it up and sells it to a guy that cleans it up and sells it to reloader shops.

[PaFrank]

I belong to a pretty big club, over 5,000 members.. Brass doesn't lay around long at all... I pick up everything I find.. Usually it is only what has been shot that day.. I only keep once fired commercial rifle cases... everything else hits the scrap bucket... Brass prices are way down at the moment, .83 cents a pound, so I'm sitting on it.. It has been as high as 1.85 lb. I'll sit on it till it gets back over 1.25#... sitting on three 5 gallon buckets now..

[dave]

If you find Amerc, I would recommend tossing it. I found the stuff, used it, had a number of primers fall out because the primer pockets expanded. Finally culled that brass, but I have seen AMERC rifle brass, and I tossed it. There were reports of factory new AMERC blowing up guns, this was an example.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/SlamFire/Blowups/GlockKBAmerAmmunition1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SlamFire/media/Blowups/GlockKBAmerAmmunition1.jpg.html)

A reason I do not own and will not own, any dam plastic gun!!

[Matt Anthony]

Too many new reloaders do not understand brass. There is great brass and then there is substandard brass. They soon find out when failures begin to happen. Any range brass left on the ground is subject to the weather which can start the process of degration. Also, you honestly do not know how many times the brass was reloaded. It is best not to use range brass unless you know for a fact that it's once fired. The major top brands are good, but then again Federal has had brass with primer pocket issues, however LC seems to be great brass. I believe Lapua is the "Rolls Royce" of brass and is the only brass I use.
If you buy 200 lapua cases for a particular rifle when new, the brass will out last the barrel. Also loading to less than full house loads will make your rifle and brass last much longer. Being cheap with your brass is a mistake that does not have to happen.
Matt

[psteinmayer]

I agree with you Matt... except for using Lapuna (far too expensive for me right now). Keeping your loads in the mid to low end of the loading tables will definitely help brass to last, and also will help prevent catastrophic failures. Besides, does anyone really need to squeeze that extra 100 fps from a bullet?

[Matt Anthony]

I have found as hundeds of thousands of reloaders have known for eons, you get what you pay for. Buying the best will actually save you money. Once you take the jump on Lapua you will not go back. Accuracy is improved by the consistant case dimensions and weight. I fought it too until I bought cases for my 222 benchrest rifles decades ago. Then I found out that the Lapua cases last much longer due to their strict manufacturing techniques and brass quality.
Matt

[RED]

LC military cases are great. All of their brass (except Match grade) have crimped primers. A PITA to remove, but a sure indicator that it has not been reloaded. Milsurp, with demilled primers is a bigger PITA because of the tar like sealant remaining inside the case.