How to keep track of number of firings?

[TomMcC]

Yeah it's rare to get a separation, I think I've had maybe 3 over the years. If you're not really picking up brass from the local range or match you may never see one. I have the original 100 pieces of virgin 7mm RM I bought like 20 yrs ago and am still using them. I think I've loaded 3/4 of them 4 or 5 times and they look almost new when processed. The separations I did have were .223's. I would lose and pick up .223's and you know eventually you would get a wonky piece of brass and get a separation...that's why I would look for the ring.

[Falshooter]

You guys will laugh at this. It's not a suggestion in the OP's context but just, I think, interesting.

A guy who mentored me in accuracy and rifle construction, and life in general, was a benchrest shooting legend in the '70's, and before, and after. He also made the dies that winning benchresters used to make their own perfected bullets (among those who used them to great success was Walt Berger, yes, that Berger). My friend's name was Bob Simonson.

Now bearing in mind that benchresters will shoot a whole season or maybe more on a small quantity of meticulously-prepared cases, this was Bob's method for tracking how many times each piece had been used: file a tiny notch in the edge of the rim. Obviously not for us.

I long ago gave up trying to track this and preemptively discard cases. Neck splits and easy-seating primers are what I use, too.

Great idea

[ViniVidivici]

I'll post a pic when I get home, but I use an industrial sharpie to put a hash mark on the head of the case for each time I've loaded it. I usually go 6 loadings, or dump 'em due to loose primer pockets or neck splits. This is for .223.

The industrual strength sharpie mark survives tumbling pretty well.

For .40, same thing. I've loaded cases to 13 times with no problems, but I chuck 'em at 10, just to be sure to avoid the evil fohtay voodoo.

All other pistol, I load 'em till the neck splits, loose primer pocket, mangled rim, etc.

[Falshooter]

I actually do this, but then I only have 3 or 4 guns I shoot even halfway regularly (all in 22LR). I have a spreadsheet with columns for model, SN, purchase date, manufacture date (this is more for my C&Rs), price paid, where I bought it, and rounds fired.

I'd always just jotted down on a used target what I shot before I left the range and then updated the spreadsheet whenever.

It's more of an OCD thing or just so later if you're curious you can see how many rounds have been shot through a CMMG 22LR upper you have, for example. The only time it's been even moderately useful was when my CMMG broke a firing pin and I could see how many rounds it'd shot before that happened.

[Uni-Vibe]

So it looks like I'm now treating .223 like my pistol brass: watch for loose primers and neck splits, with the addition of watching for the ring that indicates case separation.

And I still limit Federal to one reloading only.

[ViniVidivici]

And I still limit Federal to one reloading only.

How come?

[Uni-Vibe]

How come?

I've been reloading pistol for 40 years, but about 10 years ago started reloading for AR. Guy I knew who was a precision reloader, shot service rifle at Camp Perry, etc. told me that Federal makes good ammo, but the case heads aren't annealed like the rest of the brands. He said shoot it once, and scrap it out.

Sure enough, I noticed that primer pockets felt a bit loose after only one firing. So ever since then it's once-and-gone for FC brass.

[T2C]

I've been reloading pistol for 40 years, but about 10 years ago started reloading for AR. Guy I knew who was a precision reloader, shot service rifle at Camp Perry, etc. told me that Federal makes good ammo, but the case heads aren't annealed like the rest of the brands. He said shoot it once, and scrap it out.

Sure enough, I noticed that primer pockets felt a bit loose after only one firing. So ever since then it's once-and-gone for FC brass.

I see that issue with Federal 30-06 brass. I won't reload them more than once.

If I am on the range and Federal .40 S&W is on the ground, I leave it for someone else to pick up.

[ViniVidivici]

That is very interesting.

I remember when .40 first came out, I seem to remember Federal putting out alot of brass that wasn't as strong as it should be, at the base of the case.

[markm]

I've been reloading pistol for 40 years, but about 10 years ago started reloading for AR. Guy I knew who was a precision reloader, shot service rifle at Camp Perry, etc. told me that Federal makes good ammo, but the case heads aren't annealed like the rest of the brands. He said shoot it once, and scrap it out.

Sure enough, I noticed that primer pockets felt a bit loose after only one firing. So ever since then it's once-and-gone for FC brass.

It's actually that the case webs are thinner. You wouldn't want annealing on the case head. Newer FC brass in .223 isn't as bad as the old stuff.