Thoughts on using once fired brass?

[paultap]

Hi Guys, I wondered what your thoughts are on using once fired brass that has originally been fired in a different rifle. Obviously the brass will be resized in the correct die for the calibre being used as part of the reloading process.

The reason I have asked this question is this, I have recently been watching a series of YouTube videos by a gunsmith and rifle builder called Randy Selby, an American. His YouTube channel is called "The Real Gunsmith", he is approaching 70 years of age and has worked in rifle building and reloading/cartridge development for what looks to be most of his working life. Looking at his videos, He has worked for a major bullet manufacturing company and Is obviously highly skilled in rifle building, reloading and cartridge development.

He advises against using once fired brass from a different rifle and then reloading the ammunition to be used in another rifle. His argument is that the brass will have a memory from the first firing and resizing will not totally mitigate against this.

I wondered what people's thoughts are on this process. I should say that his mainstay appears to be building Custom hunting rifles, where he will work up a custom load also for each individual rifle that is built.

I wondered what your own thoughts might be?

If you get a chance his channel is well worth watching, for example he talks at length on the history and development of specific calibre cartridges for hunting.

 

[hendrix's rifle]

Full length size it and crack on

 

[enfieldspares]

Small base dies are the only true full length re-size. Standard dies usually don't touch the head area of the case. Which is why you can usually see a gradient or demarcation just above the web of the case.

 

[jcampbellsmith]

Some folk only ever use new brass when reloading and then store the fired cases away for a rainy day...
Regards
JCS

 

[Woodsmoke]

I've resized both my own, and others fired cases with absolutely no ill-effects. In fact, I didn't even give it a second thought. Now that I have though, if you resize to SAMMI specs and then fire that round you've effectively fireformed it to your own chamber specs anyway.

I wouldn't give it another thought

 

[stubear]

If you're full length sizing its not an issue at all. Crack on.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Sorry l can’t shine any light on your question as l don’t reload. I’m sure they’ll be a few on here who’ll set you straight.
I to have watched a few of Randys
Videos, he seems to know his stuff although a bit “old school”
Atb, Buck.

 

[Namman]

Just full length resize. I have used such brass for years with no problems.
From my involvement with running a rifle range for many years, I find the internet reloaders have all the problems!!! Get a good reloading book and read it through.
Nearly all the reloading issues members have at the range are covered in a good manual.

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

size em
load em
shoot em

once fired twice fired
doesnt matter
this isnt the FClass forum

just make sure you stick to one brand, ideally all the same period of manufacture.
Same headstamp

size so they just fit in your chamber
discard anything that looks or feels sketchy!

 

[LeftHandGuy]

I like his channel but I don’t think there’s a good reason to take this piece of his advice too much to heart.

Reloading isn’t homeopathy! Even if brass does have a memory (in the way that water does not!) you aren’t going to see variations worth worrying about if your dies are set up correctly.

 

[Yorric]

I use brass that's been previously fired in other rifles. (Too tight to buy new stuff) LOL.
The only things I'd add to the above, is to discard any cases that appear bulged down the lower sidewall /head area as they may have been fired in a large chamber and I anneal all brass before sizing. This kills any previous work hardening of the neck/shoulder area, making for consistent / precise reloads.

Ian

 

[Rusty Gate]

Hi Guys, I wondered what your thoughts are on using once fired brass that has originally been fired in a different rifle. Obviously the brass will be resized in the correct die for the calibre being used as part of the reloading process.

The reason I have asked this question is this, I have recently been watching a series of YouTube videos by a gunsmith and rifle builder called Randy Selby, an American. His YouTube channel is called "The Real Gunsmith", he is approaching 70 years of age and has worked in rifle building and reloading/cartridge development for what looks to be most of his working life. Looking at his videos, He has worked for a major bullet manufacturing company and Is obviously highly skilled in rifle building, reloading and cartridge development.

He advises against using once fired brass from a different rifle and then reloading the ammunition to be used in another rifle. His argument is that the brass will have a memory from the first firing and resizing will not totally mitigate against this.

I wondered what people's thoughts are on this process. I should say that his mainstay appears to be building Custom hunting rifles, where he will work up a custom load also for each individual rifle that is built.

I wondered what your own thoughts might be?

If you get a chance his channel is well worth watching, for example he talks at length on the history and development of specific calibre cartridges for hunting.

I subscribe to his channel, not many out there with more experience that shoot regular like he has.
There is an element of memory like dressing a dent from a car but to be fair that case has expanded to match a recognised calibre carefully machined into a blank. Any difference should be so small & if not the that's your gold medal down the pan before you even get started. Some people want to much for the brass & if I were worried about all the details I would buy new. Esp with the price of Starline Brass.

 

[plumber01]

Full size and you should be fine, you can always check length if you want to be pedantic, as for "memory", sounds like bollocks, and when you have fired it at least once in your own gun, the temp and pressure will iron out any "memory" Good luck and I'm sure you will find, ask 20 people how they reload, and you will get 20 different answers.

 

[paultap]

Just to clarify, I am a pretty competent reloader, though I have only used once fired brass from another rifle once to date, it was Norma brass that came cleaned, full length resized, trimmed and annealed. It also came In the factory ammo boxes , the seller looked to have done a good job.

I reloaded 50 rounds, skipping the full length resizing process as this had already been done, that was a mistake as I struggled to close the bolt on the loaded ammunition, My Sako 85 in 243 must have a very tight chamber as I have had this problem with New Privi factory ammo also. I also have two new A zoom .243 dummy rounds and I can't close the bolt on one of them! I always do a thorough job on barrel cleaning so I know it's not carbon or debris build up in the chamber.

The rifle is very accurate and shoots very well with most factory rounds and what little reloads I have put through it. This experience and Watching that YouTube advice got me thinking. I pulled the bullets and haven't used the cases since. I will try full length resizing and making up some dummy rounds with these cases to check they load and cycle ok before making up any more ammo with them.

It could be that the seller who I had bought the cases from hadn't adjusted his full length sizing die properly and that the mistake I made was to assume that all would be ok, without checking to see if the cases would chamber and cycle first!

Many thanks for your replies guys!

 

[Woodlander]

Would annealing not soften the brass enough to remove any ‘memory’?

 

[bogtrotter]

I have been reloading for over thirty years and in that time I have never bought brass as a pro stalker I get used brass from many of my clients that don't reload.
Full length size and crack on, never had a problem

 

[dodgyrog]

The base of the case (the case head) is where the problem will lie.
I use a 'push through' die made from an RCBS 45ACP carbide die to 'iron out' the last few though of the case - this applies only to cases with the same base diameter as the 45 (308, 243,270, 30-06 etc)

 

[Sinistral]

Just to clarify, I am a pretty competent reloader, though I have only used once fired brass from another rifle once to date, it was Norma brass that came cleaned, full length resized, trimmed and annealed. It also came In the factory ammo boxes , the seller looked to have done a good job.

I reloaded 50 rounds, skipping the full length resizing process as this had already been done, that was a mistake as I struggled to close the bolt on the loaded ammunition, My Sako 85 in 243 must have a very tight chamber as I have had this problem with New Privi factory ammo also. I also have two new A zoom .243 dummy rounds and I can't close the bolt on one of them! I always do a thorough job on barrel cleaning so I know it's not carbon or debris build up in the chamber.

The rifle is very accurate and shoots very well with most factory rounds and what little reloads I have put through it. This experience and Watching that YouTube advice got me thinking. I pulled the bullets and haven't used the cases since. I will try full length resizing and making up some dummy rounds with these cases to check they load and cycle ok before making up any more ammo with them.

It could be that the seller who I had bought the cases from hadn't adjusted his full length sizing die properly and that the mistake I made was to assume that all would be ok, without checking to see if the cases would chamber and cycle first!

Many thanks for your replies guys!

I think it was a mistake to buy cases resized by someone else.

Tikka & Sako chambers must be minimum CIP/SAAMI spec. I’ve only ever used once-fired brass (free!) from other rifles, so for my Tikka’s these are always full length resized (so the die comes to a hard stop against the shellholder). They've always worked, and I've collet neck-sized them since.

The cases you’ve bought have been only partially resized to be a nip fit into some other rifle which wasn’t a Tikka or Sako.
PPU cases can be a problem no matter the rifle.

Unless the indented factory primers are still fitted you really don’t know that cases are genuine once-fired.
That also goes for all the ads on TSD which claim that cases have been deprimed (e.g. by a universal decapper).
These could have been fired several times.

 

[nick.308]

Paultap, Ive made similar errors in the past (loading brass and finding it doesn't fit the chamber). I dont make that mistake any more because I check all brass fits the chamber before loading it (Pain in the backside). Nothing more frustrating than having to pull bullets apart!!!!
I share loading facilities with friends and between us we have 4x 308 rifles so were always mixing brass up which isn't ideal (usually lending each other bullets when out stalking, we all use the same load data). However I make sure the brass fits the chamber before loading it and otherwise just neck resize and never have any accuracy issues. I only full length resize if they wont chamber

 

[nick.308]

I think where the issue lies is some rifles have larger chambers and when the brass has been fired it wont fit other rifles without a lot of work resizing. Full length resizing puts a lot of stress on the case so make sure you lube them up well or you will get them stuck in the die and be even more ****ed off!