308 brass newbie question

[vegaj46]

Best case scenario, how many times should I expect to be able to reload decent 308 brass? I'm weighing my options for reloading right now. I know it will differ and I know I'll get some smart guys commenting on my dumb questions but it is what it is. Thanks for any help

[mskochinski]

5-6. Depends on the rifle you are shooting them out of as well. My M1a is pretty tough on brass, where as my bolt action sees a longer reloading life on the brass.

Note that I use high quality brass for the bolt action and military brass for the M1a because of this.


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[Bill Steele]

This came up on another thread recently and I still have not dug my records out to confirm, but I would say with my Lapua, I get somewhere north of 12 and maybe as many as 20 (I am shooting bolt guns only).

I neck size only and bump the shoulder and anneal about every 5 cycles. This probably helps the life some.

[micro911]

For my gas guns, I reload 5 times. I can do more, but I do not want any chances of brass issues. For my bolt guns, I reload about 8 times because I neck size only. Many people re-anneal and use it more, but I have plenty of brass, and I just throw them away after certain number of reloadings.

[damndave]

Depends on the kind of gun and how hot the loads are. I have gotten as many as 15+ or as little as 5.

[bazineta]

Seems to really vary, even in case lots. Some cases seem to be practically immortal, some I don't even shoot twice.

I inspect mine with an inexpensive otoscope ("Dr Mom LED PRO Otoscope", available on Amazon), which I find to be a very fast way to check for incipient separation, since the signs aren't always visible from the outside of the case, but they're always very obvious from the inside.

[emptybottle151]

Not sure on 308 rifle brass, but I reload 9mm, 45acp, and 45colt till the walls crack. If you start seeing a discolored line at the base throw them out before the head case separates.

[bazineta]

I have 45 ACP cases that were shot at Camp Perry that are older than I am; unless they get stepped on, they seem practically immortal. Low pressure round and all that.

308, much different story, though the Lake City stuff that I use seems to be worth the extra time it takes to prep it the first time.

[robert101]

For me using low to mid loads, my 308 brass will last over 12 times. Hot and heavy loads reduce case life dramatically. I'm a believer that if what I really need is a max load on every shot then I've picked the wrong caliber and need to scale up.

[MongooseV8]

Lapua brass, neck size, bump shoulders every ~4-5 loads. I have some with over 20 loads on them. I usually lose the primer pockets with the occasional neck split.

Federal brass in particular has been pretty awful for me. 2-3 loads and lose the primer pockets. Winchester and Remington, PMC Lake City last longer.

[Enfield47]

If you start with good brass it will last for at least 8-10 firings if you neck size. This only works with a bolt gun, if it's a semi auto then you need to FL size after every firing which will reduce case life unless you anneal the cases each time.

[Joezamboni]

I recently acquired some new lake city 7.62x51 brass (backordered) through cabelas during their recent sale for less than $.30 a case after discounts (active junky, discounted gift cards, etc). Which is actually cheaper than some of the semi processed military stuff I've gotten and will have the same year head stamp. I also got some PMC bronze for cheap blaster ammo which is reloadable as well.

[Bill Steele]

Lapua brass, neck size, bump shoulders every ~4-5 loads. I have some with over 20 loads on them. I usually lose the primer pockets with the occasional neck split.

Federal brass in particular has been pretty awful for me. 2-3 loads and lose the primer pockets. Winchester and Remington, PMC Lake City last longer.

My experience almost exactly. I just buy Lapua.

A really credible poster on these threads said that he had recently had good luck with FGMM brass. I think he identified it as a new offering and I think he said it had green lacquer primer pocket seals, anyway just FYI.

My experience was always it was way too soft to be much use to me.

[Pauliedad]

I've used CBC (acquired as once fired) and with stout loads, I start to lose primer pockets around 5 or 6. Been full length sizing everything. I shoot both semi and bolt guns. I really don't want to sort one more sub class of brass.
With the more mild loads, I will start to get neck splits around 6-8 uses. I don't anneal and am satisfied with the longevity I'm getting.
I did buy some Lapua recently and am curious if I will see any different characteristics with how it behaves as I start to work up loads.

[AandO]

If using a semi-auto size to fit your chamber(s). I've found that using case gages tend to overwork the brass by sizing smaller than is actually needed. Several added loads by doing it this way. Perhaps 7 or 8 total, I don't know. Because, that said, as a general rule I discard my 308 brass after 4 loads just because I tend to find more 308 brass than I can actually use. Same for 223 but after only a couple loads on those.

I only trim once in the life of my Rifle brass. That being on the first sizing.