Can we create a stick on good vs bad brass to reload? - Page 4

VN350X10 · 04-20-2008, 16:05

The red marker on the primer just might be the factory sealant !
I look for them, as I've never had any problems with S&B brass in any caliber I've used it.
And their .45 ACP brass is at least as good as Rem & I like it better than Federal.
It's still not Winchester, but Win is usually my first pick except for 9mm.

uncle albert

djkeebz · 04-27-2008, 16:38

I have some .223 that has a "H C 5.56" headstamp. Has anyone ever reloaded this before. I got it from a friend after we were shooting it out of his AR. It was in Mil-Surp type boxes, was brass cases and cleaned up nice after I tumbled it. Just wondering if anyone knows what this is or if I should attempt to reload it or not?

VN350X10 · 04-27-2008, 19:17

Suggest you look inside the case with a strong light.
If there is a single hole, it should be reloadable.
If there are multiple holes, it's Berdan primed & not reloadable by normal means & should be considered scrap.
Sorry, but I've not seen that headstamp, so this is the only suggestion I have.

uncle albert

djkeebz · 04-29-2008, 13:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by VN350X10

Suggest you look inside the case with a strong light.
If there is a single hole, it should be reloadable.
If there are multiple holes, it's Berdan primed & not reloadable by normal means & should be considered scrap.
Sorry, but I've not seen that headstamp, so this is the only suggestion I have.

uncle albert

It has a single hole. I guess i will try a few out and see how they hold up.

Sgt Hickk · 05-02-2008, 17:34

Hi everyone...just thought ya would like to know that I just primed up 500 S&B cases in 45 ACP...didn't have no even one primer problem..all loaded just fine ( Good Brass )

MisterLady27 · 05-06-2008, 14:39

Howdy All,

1. I picked up some CCI brass at a range in Des Moines over the weekend. (Not my regular place to shoot.) A bunch of it is CCI headstamps with silver primers. It looks good. My usual method of sorting includes segregating the once fired cases - I can tell the WIN and the Federal by the gold primer color - so here is the question since I've not bought any CCI factory stuff for a ling time---

2. Factory CCI .40 S&W has what color primers????

3. Another comment - the primers showed a raised donut around the pin strike, but wasn't flattened at the edges as I understand pressure signs to look. More like a hard firing pin hit or soft primer metal.

Thanks,

ML27

gary newport · 05-06-2008, 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterLady27

Howdy All,

1. I picked up some CCI brass at a range in Des Moines over the weekend. (Not my regular place to shoot.) A bunch of it is CCI headstamps with silver primers. It looks good. My usual method of sorting includes segregating the once fired cases - I can tell the WIN and the Federal by the gold primer color - so here is the question since I've not bought any CCI factory stuff for a ling time---

2. Factory CCI .40 S&W has what color primers????

3. Another comment - the primers showed a raised donut around the pin strike, but wasn't flattened at the edges as I understand pressure signs to look. More like a hard firing pin hit or soft primer metal.

Thanks,

ML27

Sounds like Blazer Brass. CCI primers are still nickel-plated, as far as I know (as is Federal; Winchester is not, haven't seen any Remington lately).

A slightly over-length firing pin, heavy spring or lube in the chamber could cause cratering without excessive pressure.

ShaneS · 05-14-2008, 22:03

I have used Winchester, Remington, Starline, Blazer Brass, Speer and Federal with good success in 9mm. 45 ACP, .38 special and .357 mag.

I have used S&B in .45 ACP and .357 mag. with good success. The pockets were tighter but didn't pose a problem. I don't think I've been as successful with 9mm S&B brass.

I prefer Remington, Winchester and Lake City for .223 brass. I recycle the Federal and anything else. Lake City is top notch.

mrwilson · 05-15-2008, 05:35

What about WCC 90 .38 Special brass? Bought some from a forum member, never seen it before. Primers looked crimped but not sealed. The military isn't still using .38 spl are they?

gwalchmai · 05-15-2008, 06:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrwilson

What about WCC 90 .38 Special brass? Bought some from a forum member, never seen it before. Primers looked crimped but not sealed. The military isn't still using .38 spl are they?

I don't know if the mil is still using .38 SPL anymore, but I've found all the WCC brass to be excellent.

just for fun · 05-15-2008, 06:34

magtech 38 special brass had split side after 3 reloading using 148 LWC target loads. seems to be very brittle. This was 3-4 rounds per 50.

Bert.40 · 05-15-2008, 18:16

Recently I had a bulge in the CCI brass after seating the bullet. It didn't fit the case gage. Now I throw CCI brass away.

ShaneS · 05-15-2008, 18:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bert.40

Recently I had a bulge in the CCI brass after seating the bullet. It didn't fit the case gage. Now I throw CCI brass away.

What caliber? I haven't had any trouble with CCI brass in 9mm and .45 ACP.

***Jeff82*** · 05-15-2008, 21:19

I'm having trouble reloading my .32-.380 brass...

DucknCover · 05-20-2008, 16:46

I have some 45ACP with a WW headstamp, I believe it is a version of winchester.
Is there any difference between nickel plated brass and brass without the nickel plating?
I noticed that the few 45 ACP +P brass I have found are nickel plated.

VN350X10 · 05-20-2008, 17:33

Nickel played brass tends to be more brittle & can usually be reloaded fewer times before cracking than non-plated brass.
Also, grit can get embedded in the plating, scratching your dies.

Personally, I avoid it.

uncle albert

**Jack22** · 05-22-2008, 20:22

What about Remington UMC for 45 ACP? Elsewhere, some have said you can't reload it, but I can't find a consensus.

VN350X10 · 05-22-2008, 20:36

If someone can't reload Rem-UMC brass, they probably can't walk & chew gum at the same time either....
I personally prefer Win. brass in .45ACP, but Rem. is excellent also.

uncle albert

hyper-glock · 05-25-2008, 20:19

Agree completely about AMERC - total junk.

++++++++++++++++

Had a friend who regularly reloaded Wolf .45ACP steel cases. (He modified the rims somehow and shot the reloads in his .455 Webley.) I found some of the casings after he shot and asked him about them. Said he reloaded them 3 to 4 times with no more problems than with brass except they required a little more force, than brass, to resize in his carbide dies.

I tried reloading them after that and found they worked O.K.. I made up a few hundred to use at ranges where I couldn't recover the cases. I don't use them now as I have all the brass pickups I need. I do occasionally save .45 Wolf if I find a bunch of fresh ones with no rust. I tumble them and store them for a "rainy day" when brass cases may be difficult to get. (Another advantage of steel cases is that they're easy to recover with a magnet.)

+++++++++++++++++

A year or so ago I bought a used Tec 9. I took it to the range and it blew up on the first round. I was shooting Winchester white box. I found a copy of the Tec-9 owner's manual on the Web. It said not to use Winchester ammo in the Tec 9 as the Winchester brass is too thin. I wouldn't have believed that, except for my experience.

Bert.40 · 05-25-2008, 20:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShaneS

What caliber? I haven't had any trouble with CCI brass in 9mm and .45 ACP.

.40 S&W

VN350X10 · 05-25-2008, 22:43

hyper-glock, I find reason to think that the problem was FAR more to do with the Tec-9 than the Win. ammo.
"Real" guns seem to work just fine on it.
Perhaps you should have taken the matter up with the people who built the Tec-9, using the services of a good product-liability lawyer. He could have probably gotten a tech person from Win. to testify on your behalf.
NOBODY hates lawyers more than myself, but it seems that this time one would have been useful !

uncle albert

Need to add:
Winchester makes NATO spec 9mm ammo, also loaded the "+P+" for the IL State Police for many years. Would the Tec-9 folks consider ammo meeting those specs to be "defective" also ?

MustangGreg66 · 05-26-2008, 02:02

Originally Posted by ShaneS
What caliber? I haven't had any trouble with CCI brass in 9mm and .45 ACP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bert.40

.40 S&W

yea, I shot some .40 S&W factory ammo from CCI, I think it was the blazer brand, but in the brass cases. It seems like it's a tad thinner than normal brass. Most of my shells come out with a little bulge from the glock, but I measured the stuff from CCI, even with light reloads, these expanded more than reloades using magtec brass.

hyper-glock · 05-26-2008, 18:16

The people who built the Tec-9 have been out of business for quite a while. I wasn't hurt and the dealer who sold me the gun reimbursed me for my loss. It seems like Winchester would have taken exception to the publication of the notice about its ammo in the manual. Also, what would be the motivation of the Tec-9 people in publishing this, if there weren't a problem? (Maybe it was true at the time and has since been corrected.)

hyer-glock

Quote:

Originally Posted by VN350X10

hyper-glock, I find reason to think that the problem was FAR more to do with the Tec-9 than the Win. ammo.
"Real" guns seem to work just fine on it.
Perhaps you should have taken the matter up with the people who built the Tec-9, using the services of a good product-liability lawyer. He could have probably gotten a tech person from Win. to testify on your behalf.
NOBODY hates lawyers more than myself, but it seems that this time one would have been useful !

uncle albert

Need to add:
Winchester makes NATO spec 9mm ammo, also loaded the "+P+" for the IL State Police for many years. Would the Tec-9 folks consider ammo meeting those specs to be "defective" also ?

VN350X10 · 05-26-2008, 20:15

Maybe there's a reason they're out of business !

Glad to hear the dealer stood behind it....sounds like someone who should get your business again since he was so upright about it.
I've been loading for over 30 yrs. and had never heard a complaint about Win. brass in ANY caliber; All of my personal .45ACP & my "serious" .44 Mag ammo get loaded in Win. exclusivly.
Also glad to hear you wern't hurt in the incident.

load safe

uncle albert

BullsEye10X · 05-26-2008, 21:41

I just loaded my first batch of .38 Special rounds using PPU headstamped (Prvi Partizan) once fired brass. It worked great and seemed very strong compared to a lot of other brands.

Incidentally, I could not get a decent crimp on several R-P (Remington) cases (using Lee deluxe pistol dies and FCD). They worked fine on everything else. I did a bit of reading and it seems many people have had similar issues with R-P brass. Apparently they are somewhat thin-walled and can make it difficult to size/crimp consistently.