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  #1  
Old 12-03-2012, 7:21 AM
dlouie87 dlouie87 is online now
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Default Just getting into it and had a question about 9mm range brass vs new brass.

I'm just starting to get into reloading and I had a question about 9mm brass. Do most people buy new brass or reload using range brass?

I was just wondering because there is a huge price difference but I dont know what brands are better to reload with. How many reloads can you get out of a typical 9mm brass?

Any help or tips would be great.
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Old 12-03-2012, 7:28 AM
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Range brass is fine IMO, as long as you take a good look for cracked/damaged cases. The biggest issue is if you recover it from a range where a lot of IPSC shooting takes place. Many of the Open guys in IPSC now shoot 9mm Major, which stresses the cases much more than regular 9mm shooting.
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Old 12-03-2012, 7:50 AM
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You'll most likely loose them before they crack.

I have some cases that have probably been reloaded over 20 times. You can hardly read the head stamp on them.
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Old 12-03-2012, 7:58 AM
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I only use range pickup brass.
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Old 12-03-2012, 8:58 AM
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As others have offered, for 9mm range pickups are fine.

A really good way to get a stake of empty 9mm brass is just to go to your local indoor range at around 2:30pm (after the lunch crowrd, but before one of the employees sweeps behind the line). A few trips will likely net you all the 9mm cases you can load for a good long time. As posted by others, you will lose your cases before you wear them out.

Good luck, have fun.
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Old 12-03-2012, 9:27 AM
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I only use pickups. The only new I have ever used is new ammo that I shot and then re-used the cases.

I typically chuck them in the tumbler for about an hour and then pull them out and inspect them as I decap and size them. It cleans them up so I can see for cracks and such and it keeps my dies a bit cleaner. 9mm brass is so abundant that I'm pretty picky when it comes to keeping it and I still get a ton of uses out of it.
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Old 12-03-2012, 10:28 AM
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The only new brass I buy is 357 Mag and 30-06 other than that all 2nd hand range pickups or purchased here on Calguns.
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Old 12-03-2012, 12:42 PM
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No need to buy new brass unless you want to. To me, Used brass is used brass. Actually, I have different stages, virgin, used, and worn. Most if not all my brass is USED. I DO have 2k VIRGIN .44 mag shells but the 400+ that I use regularly are used. I see NO difference in buying NEW brass and used or ONCE FIRED brass when they are really about equal. Brass is brass and unless it is worn down (and you CAN tell) to be bad, it is still useable. Suck it all off the floor, reload it till it splits. That is the only way to keep your reloading cheap. (okay, you can buy components in bulk too...)
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Old 12-03-2012, 1:33 PM
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I've only purchased one box of .38 spl before so I'll be ordering 500 new pieces from Starline in the future. I've been picking up neighboring lanes brass at the indoor range but I haven't checked each lane before. I'd have to ask if the range is cool with that. Haven't seen any .38spl on the ground lately. I've saved a good amount of my own 9mm luger brass and other people's .45 acp
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Old 12-03-2012, 2:00 PM
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No need to buy new. You will get alot of life from fired brass.
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Old 12-03-2012, 5:30 PM
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I hope I shoot enough to make my brass split. 9mm is cheap so stack it deep!
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Old 12-03-2012, 5:52 PM
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The only time I'd use new or known once fired brass is if I were travelling to a major match. It provides peace of mind knowing that at least the ammo that I am depending on to work, will tend to work flawlessly at the match I am travelling to.. I'd hate to have a case head separation on work hardened brass that completely screws up the trip that may have cost me over $1000 to travel to.. (hotel, food, match fee, etc). $50 for known quality brass is a small price to pay when other things are factored in.
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Old 12-03-2012, 6:24 PM
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I have two kinds of brass... good and bad. Bad goes into the trash. If it doesn't have a split in the neck or other obvious defect, it gets cleaned and dropped into the progressive. If it survives being bulleted, it goes into my gun. If I pull the trigger and the brass has a high pitched "tink" when it hits the ground, it goes in the trash.

Remember that brass you find on the range is, for the most part, once-shot brass, since reloaders take theirs with while non-reloaders just leave it.
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Old 12-04-2012, 9:46 PM
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tink means crak I find most craks when picking them up and kinda jingleing in my hand befor droping into my bucket
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Old 12-05-2012, 1:47 PM
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9mm is so near enough to the "not worth reloading" point that if you bought new brass you are losing money on the deal! (Well SORT OF). 9mm range brass is almost free...
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Old 12-05-2012, 3:10 PM
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I only bought new brass for my first batches, so that I could learn a little more. Now I realize that 9mm brass is re-useable until it is damaged- which is not often, so you can use them a lot. Don't bother buying new brass like I did. You WILL need to buy a tumbler to clean your brass, but when cleaned it will be easy to see that almost all of them are in great shape, and you only rarely find a bad one, and they will be easy to spot. However, also check the info around the primer. I OFTEN find the following which, obviously, you can't load, but they look very close to the 9mm Luger, so be sure you discard these (or, give them to someone who wants them):

9x18 This is a Makarov cartridge and shorter than the Luger 9x19
.380 Close, but no cigar
.40 This is obvious, but when you're picking the up quickly on the range, the .40 looks similar, so I always get some of these mixed in.
Can't read or understand what it says- don't use it.

You want all of yours to say "Lugar" or "9x19" Most say the former, or both, but a few say only the latter. I don't use anything else.

Hope this helps.
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Last edited by Rugerdaddy; 12-05-2012 at 3:19 PM..
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  #17  
Old 12-07-2012, 7:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rugerdaddy View Post
I only bought new brass for my first batches, so that I could learn a little more. Now I realize that 9mm brass is re-useable until it is damaged- which is not often, so you can use them a lot. Don't bother buying new brass like I did. You WILL need to buy a tumbler to clean your brass, but when cleaned it will be easy to see that almost all of them are in great shape, and you only rarely find a bad one, and they will be easy to spot. However, also check the info around the primer. I OFTEN find the following which, obviously, you can't load, but they look very close to the 9mm Luger, so be sure you discard these (or, give them to someone who wants them):

9x18 This is a Makarov cartridge and shorter than the Luger 9x19
.380 Close, but no cigar
.40 This is obvious, but when you're picking the up quickly on the range, the .40 looks similar, so I always get some of these mixed in.
Can't read or understand what it says- don't use it.

You want all of yours to say "Lugar" or "9x19" Most say the former, or both, but a few say only the latter. I don't use anything else.

Hope this helps.
Thanks for your info and everyone else's! Ill start looking for range brass.

As for cleaning, I have a Lyman turbo tumbler. Do you recommend walnut or corn media for cleaning? I'm still new to this cleaning and prepping process for pistols.

-Dan
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Old 12-07-2012, 9:14 AM
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Range brass all the way

If you see any fractures or fatigue marks on the cases, just toss them aside.
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Old 12-07-2012, 10:55 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dlouie87 View Post
Thanks for your info and everyone else's! Ill start looking for range brass.

As for cleaning, I have a Lyman turbo tumbler. Do you recommend walnut or corn media for cleaning? I'm still new to this cleaning and prepping process for pistols.

-Dan
I use corn, but there's not a lot of difference. I also add a few drops of polish. Look on line and you'll find various brands. HOWEVER, I learned to add the polish and tumble a little to mix it in BEFORE you add the brass. The first time I added the polish with the brass and it clumped up inside some of the brass.
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Old 12-07-2012, 1:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rugerdaddy View Post
I use corn, but there's not a lot of difference. I also add a few drops of polish. Look on line and you'll find various brands. HOWEVER, I learned to add the polish and tumble a little to mix it in BEFORE you add the brass. The first time I added the polish with the brass and it clumped up inside some of the brass.
Ok. Thanks for the tip. Most are using the car polish right?
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Old 12-07-2012, 6:51 PM
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kept all the brass that we shot before we got the press for .30-06 and then it was several months more before we got the 9mm dies. by this time we had purchased ~1000 rounds of remington, winchester or federal (didn't stick w/brand) shot it and stored to be reloaded.
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Old 12-07-2012, 8:50 PM
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Ok. Thanks for the tip. Most are using the car polish right?
I use one for brass, but if others are using car polish I'm sure it will work fine.
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Old 12-08-2012, 7:15 AM
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Be sure to look for the crimped primers, those will mess up the priming operation on most progressive presses. Which you will need if you expect to get any kind of volume.

First time use of range brass I deprime and then hit 100% with a countersink reamer, just touch it for a second. Some worry they will hit China because they held it too long, but it's just touch it and get the next one. Other thing I do is stand 100 or so brass on the fold down shelf on my reloading bench. Then eyeball what's there.

The .380s, makarov, will be noticeably shorter. Pull those out, every once in a while you'll get something taller, 9mm Dillion, 9x23, or some other oddball.

Then look closely at what's left, you will probably see some that are a little shorter than the rest, pull those too. You want all the brass about the same length so your crimping die will work like it's supposed to. If the brass is varying lengths, you get no crimp on the shorter ones, too much on the long. Save all the brass you culled, you can get $3 or more a pound for it.
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Old 12-08-2012, 7:15 AM
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Be sure to look for the crimped primers, those will mess up the priming operation on most progressive presses. Which you will need if you expect to get any kind of volume.

First time use of range brass I deprime and then hit 100% with a countersink reamer, just touch it for a second. Some worry they will hit China because they held it too long, but it's just touch it and get the next one. Other thing I do is stand 100 or so brass on the fold down shelf on my reloading bench. Then eyeball what's there.

The .380s, makarov, will be noticeably shorter. Pull those out, every once in a while you'll get something taller, 9mm Dillion, 9x23, or some other oddball.

Then look closely at what's left, you will probably see some that are a little shorter than the rest, pull those too. You want all the brass about the same length so your crimping die will work like it's supposed to. If the brass is varying lengths, you get no crimp on the shorter ones, too much on the long. Save all the brass you culled, you can get $3 or more a pound for it.
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Old 12-08-2012, 7:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dlouie87 View Post
I'm just starting to get into reloading and I had a question about 9mm brass. Do most people buy new brass or reload using range brass?

I was just wondering because there is a huge price difference but I dont know what brands are better to reload with. How many reloads can you get out of a typical 9mm brass?

Any help or tips would be great.
The only difference is range brass is "used" and new is, well, new. I've never bought new semi-auto pistol brass or .223/5.56 brass. I have bought new 357, 44 Rem Mag, .243, 30-06 brass; but not in a very, very long time.
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Old 12-21-2012, 1:37 AM
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When I am sorting brass I will stand it all on the rim on a smooth surface, then remove the .45, then remove the .40 and then remove the .380 and whatever is left is USUALLY the 9mm. I know there are exceptions and sometimes I find them. Like, I just found a shell that LOOKED like a .40 cal, but the headstamp said .357 sig. I had to look again but there was no shoulder on it so I was like, WTF? Someone loaded up a .357 sig and expanded it to a .40... JFC
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