Brass Crystal Ball?

[baka]

So I've started collecting all the parts/equipment/stuff so i'm ready to start reloading after attending the reloading clinic in LB in two weeks.

One question keeps buggin me as I search for Brass -

How do you know it's really only been fired once when you buy it?

Is there some sort of magic Brass Crystal Ball i can look in to see if I'm getting genuine once fired? (j/k )

I'm starting to lean towards just building up my own supply of once fired so I can be sure.

ATM the best candidate I can see would be American Eagle .223 55g FMJ as that's going for .45-.50cpr - Is that a good choice?

It will take me a little longer to get my 1000 cases of brass to reload - But i guess it will give me piece of mind this way.

Now - If only I could find powder and primers so easily!

Ian

[Divernhunter]

You do not really know if it is once fired. You have to trust the seller to be honest.
Usually mil brass that still has the sealed primer and it is still crimped will be once fired. But then if fired on full-auto you will get some brass that cannot be sized and you toss it.

[FLIGHT762]

Regular, commercial Federal brass is not the best brass to reload. It can be softer than other brands. Good, all around brass is Winchester. If you can get the Winchester White box Q loads at a decent price, I'd go with that. If you can get any Lake City "LC" brass, that is great brass.

Federal (ATK) has taken over the running of the Military Lake City ammunition plant a few years ago. I've seen some of the "Federal" branded L/E ammo come loaded into Lake City (LC) brass, likely from Military overruns . If you could find some of that ammo, the LC brass is very good to reload. I have loaded a lot of the regular Federal 223 commercial brass and the primer pockets open up after 3-4 moderate reloads.

Some of the commercial, low end .223 loads are now loaded into cases that have a primer crimp, not an issue except you usually need to swage or chamfer the crimp off before re-priming, just another step in the brass prep process. You only have to do it once.

As far as knowing what is real, once fired brass, you will have to learn what factory ammo looks like. On crimped primer ammo, it's usually a given that it is once fired if the brass still has the primer crimp. On commercial ammo, it can be more difficult to determine if the brass is once fired.

What I've learned over the years is to look at the cases to see if there's any tell tale signs of a reloaded case. Some of these signs to look for is if the primer has a colored primer sealant, lacquer on the primer. Winchester usually uses a red sealant and newer Federal cases have a blue sealant. If there are sealant smears onto the primer, it's a once fired case.

You also look at the case to see it there are any longitudinal scratches to indicate the case has been through a resizing die. You also look at the case mouth to see if there is a factory placed stab crimp. Factory ammo has a deep mouth crimp similar to the Lee Factory crimp die does. The edges of the case mouth may also have a tiny "saw tooth" look / appearance to the edge.

It helps to use a jewelers loupe to see these things. I've gotten pretty good looking at fired cases and determining if they have been reloaded. I sort many thousands of different types of brass. I'm usually spot on. You get good at it after a while.

There's a lot of newer types of US made commercial 223 ammunition out there. Neugent, Centurion, USA Ammo, Black Hills and others. Most of it is good brass, but ask someone that knows.

There are dozens of Foreign Military 5.56 X 45 MM head stamps that you will not be familiar with, before buying any Military 5.56 brass, check with someone that knows. Some of the foreign stuff is good, some not as good as others.

Nothing wrong with getting free brass, but before spending your cash, find out what the brass it is. People will be quick to take your money for crap brass.

[afrancke]

Ideally, stick with one make of brass. I agree the LC is a good place to start. Just buy brand new Lake City 55gr or 62gr ammo and save the brass after firing. Price is finally coming back down a bit -$0.50/round in bulk at Palmetto State Armory.

[Davisje011]

Most once fired cases also have a "bumpy" texture to the case mouth, multi fired will be smooth, or deburred.


Honestly, its really not that important if you're making plinking ammo. As long as the brass is structurally sound, multi-fired is fine. just make sure to measure length and group accordingly.

[Cheep]

Most 223/556 brass is heat treated and you can see this on the shoulder and case mouth if it hasn't been tumbled. If you see this, then it most likely hasn't been reloaded.