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Author Topic: Question on saving brass for reloading  (Read 4142 times)

Offline acnewman55

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Question on saving brass for reloading
« on: July 01, 2014, 10:04:30 PM »
I don't currently reload, but I'm starting to do a decent amount of shooting, and figure I'll do so eventually  - - at least for my .308

I have a few questions:

Any point in saving the casings from the cheap steel-case rounds?

Should I be keeping track of which brands/loads the brass comes from, or is that irrelevant?

Any particular way I should store them, other than simple ziploc bags?  Do I need to throw in a desiccant packet?

Offline carpsniperg2

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2014, 10:39:15 PM »
You can just toss them in a plastic zip lock. Trash any and all steel cases. I like to sort my brass by head stamp and number of times reloaded.
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Offline Jim the Plumber

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2014, 10:40:12 PM »
The steel cases cannot be reloaded. You can sort the brass cases by headstamp and store them in a cardboard box of one sort or another.
I'd shy away from storing them in a plastic bag.

Offline seth30

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2014, 10:45:08 PM »
The steel cases cannot be reloaded. You can sort the brass cases by headstamp and store them in a cardboard box of one sort or another.
I'd shy away from storing them in a plastic bag.
why not a plastic bag?
Rather be dead than cool.
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Offline Doc Sauce

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2014, 04:07:29 AM »
Curious about the plastic bag thing too...

Offline lee

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2014, 06:25:38 AM »
my guess would be that the zip-locks don't breath and may promote moisture problems..... unless desiccant is used as the OP suggested.

Lee

Offline C-Money

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2014, 06:33:05 AM »
Pretty easy to see what you are looking at with a zip lock. I use lead shot bags to store my brass. For sure hang on to your emptys, but trash the steel ones.
I felt like a one legged cat trying to bury a terd on a frozen pond!

Offline Jim the Plumber

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2014, 06:48:35 AM »
my guess would be that the zip-locks don't breath and may promote moisture problems..... unless desiccant is used as the OP suggested.

Lee
This

Offline purplecowboy

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2014, 11:48:57 AM »
You can just toss them in a plastic zip lock. Trash any and all steel cases. I like to sort my brass by head stamp and number of times reloaded.

When I started reloading for my .243 I was told that you could only reload the cases 5 times. I developed an complicated system of marking each case to tell how many times they had been reloaded. After a few years I found out that you can reload a case until the neck splits. I started reloading in 1969 and I believe that I still have cases that I started with. I normally take the cases and run them through the polisher and then check them for neck splits. I dispose of any that show signs of neck split.

I hope that this helps in a small way.  Good luck and good reloading.

Offline LEN

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2014, 12:23:28 PM »
HHHMMMM all the new brass I have gotten in bulk have been shipped and I stored in plastic bags and we are talking in 1000's. Guess I have been wrong for almost 50 years and it won't work. DAMMMM got a bunch of bad brass stored. I don't store wet brass how ever.

JMO

LEN

Offline Fl0und3rz

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #10 on: July 02, 2014, 12:53:20 PM »
Sorting by rifle fired is useful if you intend to neck size only for that particular rifle.  Otherwise, I sort by headstamp and number fired.

Offline Doc Sauce

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #11 on: July 02, 2014, 02:29:29 PM »
I have brass that has been in ziploc bags for years without any moisture that I can tell.  I'll double check them when I go to load em though, but I have not seen any problem with it yet.


Offline Biggerhammer

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #12 on: July 02, 2014, 04:06:56 PM »
HHHMMMM all the new brass I have gotten in bulk have been shipped and I stored in plastic bags and we are talking in 1000's. Guess I have been wrong for almost 50 years and it won't work. DAMMMM got a bunch of bad brass stored. I don't store wet brass how ever.

JMO

LEN

 8)

Offline Wazukie

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #13 on: July 02, 2014, 04:44:32 PM »
The steel cases cannot be reloaded. You can sort the brass cases by headstamp and store them in a cardboard box of one sort or another.
I'd shy away from storing them in a plastic bag.

Hmmm, guess I better not do it anymore :o
Matthew 6:33

Offline Jim the Plumber

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Re: Question on saving brass for reloading
« Reply #14 on: July 02, 2014, 04:57:16 PM »
To clarify,you can store brass cases in anything you like.
 I have over 200,000 pieces of brass, so I store brass in whatever is handy, which includes plastic bags.
I still recommend a person new to reloading 'shy away' from storing fired brass in plastic bags.
Primarily because the OP lives on the west side, there is a chance he will shoot in the rain, collected brass may be wet, ergo, moister problems.
Once he has become a seasoned reloader, this issue will have been vetted.
  Hopefully this will clear up my reasoning for those out on work release.

 


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