# How many times do you reload a casing?



## Hick-From-Hell (Mar 18, 2008)

How many times can you re-size a case before it gets to thin? How do you know when it is to thin? What can happen it you shoot it anyway?


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

Read a handloading manual or two, lots of good info in them. Too many things to factor in to give one definitive answer.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

you can either buy a dental pick or make a pick out of a large paper clip. Bend the tip and sharpen it. Use the dental pick inside the brass towards the head of the case to find head separation, this will be your main issue. Other issues will be primer pockets, they tend to get sloppy in some brass and they won't hold primers. Another issue you may run across is necks splitting, you'll notice this when you do brass prep, just toss them.

There are a lot of different things to look for, but these are the main issues.

It all depend on the brass and how much you work it. If you're annealing, full length sizing vs neck sizing, using hot loads.
I've had brass that has lasted 24 reloads before tossing it out, but I anneal every other firing, neck size, and use a mild load. And the brass is of good quality to start with, Lapua. Other brass i've loaded for 3 times and they have been garbage, this was some Federal stuff. Winchester brass I'll get about 8-10 reloads out of. It depends on caliber also.

xdeano


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## darkgael (Feb 10, 2006)

Yep. Lots of variables as mentioned. Annealing is an important part of extending a case's useful life.
The type of action plays a part also. Some firearms are "looser" or "springier" than others and allow the cases to stretch more upon firing. Lever actions in general and the Lee- Enfield are two that come to mind.
Pistol cases are another matter. I have cases for my .45 that I know have been loaded and reloaded thirty times - target loads.
Pete


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## spitfire_er (Jan 23, 2010)

Some good info so far. I have never annealed any case. I just neck size and usually use Winchester brass for most of my rifles. They last as long as the primer pocket will hold tight. All of my rifles are custom and have tight chambers so that helps, but in general I can get 15-20+ reloads before the primer pockets start failing me. If I FL size the brass each time, then that gets cut in half due to the extra working of the brass.

Like said before, many variables, and it all depends.


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

I have some 308 Remington brass I bought back in 1969 that I am still reloading. I now one 50 round box has at least 30 plus loadings on the information sticker. They are shot in my Remington 700 BDL.

 Al


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