I've been reloading for a while and got into a discussion with a couple of new reloaders about what's "good" brass and what's "bad" brass. I figured I'd pass on some of what I've learned, and see what all of you have observed.
Here's my list of problem brass:
All AMERC brass is awful. I get numerous case splits with even factory ammo (especially in .30 carbine), and off-center flash holes in all calibers. This is the one brand of brass that I'll toss out regardless of the caliber.
FC (Federal) in 10mm. The regular "Federal" headstamped stuff seems OK but the nickel plated FC stuff is weak. I've gotten numerous splits both during the 1st reloading, and upon firing the reloaded cartridges.
R-P (Remington) brass in .32ACP, .380. and 10mm. This brass is very thin at the top of the case (I measured and compared it to other brands and R-P is the thinnest). As a result, after resizing, the cases won't hold a bullet. If you press the cartridge nose-first into the bench with a small amount of pressure, the bullet will move deep into the case. This drove me nuts when I was first starting out reloading. My first experience with reloading was with R-P cases in 10 mm. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the bullets to stay. Finally, I tried some Winchester brass and all was well. I have lots of once-fired R-P 10mm cases. I picked up an EGW undersized sizing die to see if I can load 'em. I had an even worse "thin brass" problem with R-P in .32 ACP and .380. It shows up with .38 SPL too, but a roll crimp will hold the bullet. I save the .38 R-P cases for bullets with a cannelure. The .45 ACP R-P cases seem to be fine.
S&B brass in .45 ACP. These have tight primer pockets. I recently loaded up about 1000 rounds of .45 ACP with mixed headstamps. I've shot about half of that batch and the only fail-to-fires that I've had were with S&B brass. I think I screwed up the primers during seating. I've been tossing the S&B brass into the bin where I keep the military stuff for when I get a primer pocket swaging tool.
Here's my list of problem brass:
All AMERC brass is awful. I get numerous case splits with even factory ammo (especially in .30 carbine), and off-center flash holes in all calibers. This is the one brand of brass that I'll toss out regardless of the caliber.
FC (Federal) in 10mm. The regular "Federal" headstamped stuff seems OK but the nickel plated FC stuff is weak. I've gotten numerous splits both during the 1st reloading, and upon firing the reloaded cartridges.
R-P (Remington) brass in .32ACP, .380. and 10mm. This brass is very thin at the top of the case (I measured and compared it to other brands and R-P is the thinnest). As a result, after resizing, the cases won't hold a bullet. If you press the cartridge nose-first into the bench with a small amount of pressure, the bullet will move deep into the case. This drove me nuts when I was first starting out reloading. My first experience with reloading was with R-P cases in 10 mm. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the bullets to stay. Finally, I tried some Winchester brass and all was well. I have lots of once-fired R-P 10mm cases. I picked up an EGW undersized sizing die to see if I can load 'em. I had an even worse "thin brass" problem with R-P in .32 ACP and .380. It shows up with .38 SPL too, but a roll crimp will hold the bullet. I save the .38 R-P cases for bullets with a cannelure. The .45 ACP R-P cases seem to be fine.
S&B brass in .45 ACP. These have tight primer pockets. I recently loaded up about 1000 rounds of .45 ACP with mixed headstamps. I've shot about half of that batch and the only fail-to-fires that I've had were with S&B brass. I think I screwed up the primers during seating. I've been tossing the S&B brass into the bin where I keep the military stuff for when I get a primer pocket swaging tool.
![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
