Number of firings on brass

Theshedhunter

Theshedhunter

Active member
How do you guys keep track of the number of times your brass has been fired?

How important is it to know the exact number of firings on, say, .223 and .22-250 brass?

I am currently closely inspecting each piece before loading, looking for cracks in neck, shoulder. Using visual and the paper clip method to check for potential case head separation issues. I discard about 10% of the brass each inspection using these methods.

As it stands, I have no idea how many firings I have on lots of brass. Much of it is range pickup as well.

I have never had a case fail. Yet.

Anyway is there an easy way for lazy dummies to keep track?
 
I keep all my reloads in plastic cases which usually come with a handy label that fits inside the lid. There are numbers along the bottom that you can check off to keep track, personally I keep track of number of loadings. When I reload that box I check off the appropriate number.
 
Same... I throw them in small tupperwares with a strip of blue painters tape on them that has the number of firings, trims, anneal, etc. stack them on top of each other and rotate toward the most firings. I use different colored Tupperware for multiple rifles of same caliber.
 
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I don't know that counting is necessary? If you inspect the cases before you load them you'll likely find any problems and can toss them. If you start counting you may get lackluster in your inspection process. I've had new brass that split the neck after one firing. I don't trust ANY of it to go a certain number of loads. I check them all each and every time.
 
Way too much trouble to keep track of how many times brass has been fired. Like Hidalgo said, too many other factors other than how many times they have been fired.

I am currently reloading 17 different centerfire rounds. Keeping track of every round of brass and how many times it has been shot is just asking too much from my feeble little mind.
 
I tired keeping track of some 6.8 brass, but gave up after a few firings. I've never kept track before or really saw the need. It was easy when new but once I had 3 different bullets/loads loaded and was starting to get low on empties it seemed to be a waste of energy. I would have some with 2 loadings and some with 5. Just inspect them is much easier and if primer pockets are getting loose mark em or pitch em.
 
On most of my ammo boxes I just use tally marks every time I resize the box. On .223 it gets mixed up too easy, so like the others, I don't even try. I do separate it by brand as it goes through the process of inspection after resizing.
 
When I get a new barrel I typically make up 200 cases for it, which is enough to wear most barrels out. Some exceptions, smaller capacity colony varmint rigs - may get 300 cases made for example. The cases are typically kept in the 50 round MTM's, which each get marked with an ID for that set of cases, indicating which barrel they are for and a number for the set.

Also for each barrel, I keep a log book. I log things like twist, neck diameter, OAL to the lands when new for the bullets I'm using - and perhaps the same dimension again at various intervals of the barrels life. Anything I don't want to rely on memory for. In each log is a page for each set of cases, where all the pertinent info for the cases (wall thickness variation, sorted/unsorted etc.) is listed along with the operations that have been performed on them (neck turned to what dimension, annealed when, PP's uniformed, trimmed to or FL sized and after how many firings, etc.).

Every time a set of cases gets primed, a hash mark on that set's page in the log book indicates another loading. On the back cover the number of cases just primed (usually 50) gets added to the column - that's the total number of rounds fired for that barrel.

I do this for a variety of reasons. Which I won't bother to go in to. But none of my particular reasons have been mentioned in this thread. I'll simply say it has absolutely nothing to do with imagining my cases are going to last a predetermined number of loadings.

- DAA
 
I usually buy my brass in 1000 count lots when a good price shows up...I load and use 100 at a time, per rifle, and rarely keep track of the number of loadings like I used to...Since I load for a couple of ARs and a bolt action in most of the calibers, just keeping them separated by rifle is enough so that I don't try to feed neck sized cases into the ARs...

I inspect each piece as I prep for reloading and only when the necks start to split (time to anneal) or the primer pockets start to get loose, do I pitch them...I spend enough time checking the neck tension consistency that case separation has never been a problem..
 
I list the number of firings/loadings on each box of ammo I load. I only load for one gun at a time, and only use the same brass in the same gun.

Not very difficult to keep track of this way.......
 
you need to keep track of how many times you have to trim,that is when you lose brass from the bottom where ti will seperate. firing might make the neck split from harding but seperation is a bad deal. i just add it on data label in each box of reloads
 
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I try to keep count of firings as best I can. Like 2muchgun I mark the box with number of firings. I only have 1 rifle for each cartridge so don't have to worry about which gun it's fired in.

Once upon a time I used to keep logs but that is to much trouble. Now I just put a hash mark on the box, much easier.
 
For some of my rifles, if I used hash marks on the boxes, they'd look like the side of the Red Baron's plane
laugh.gif
. Some of my brass have been loaded 30+ times.

- DAA
 
On some brass I keep a note (small sticky pad) with the # of firings on it.
Others might have a sticky note with # of firings and if neck sized only (and for what rifle), or what steps have been completed in the brass processing...example; cleaned only, cleaned/resized-need trimmed.
 
I don't keep track. I've been loading the same 30-06 brass since 1992.

All bottleneck rifle brass gets checked for imminent case separation after being cleaned & resized. It's not that often that I cull a case for this but it does happen so it's not a step for me to skip.
 
Ive never kept counts an any brass Ive reloaded since I started in the 70s. I can say from actual experience .223 brass w/a standard load will go 37+ reloads.
 
I used to keep track of firings like DAA, and his method is best I found.

I use shoulder bumpers as much as possible and it eliminated 90% of my full length sizing/case trimming.

Things get real easy when you only load for 4 rifles. Also, colony varmints may require 5 gallon buckets full of ammo for each rifle.
 
Originally Posted By: RustydustWay too much trouble to keep track of how many times brass has been fired. Like Hidalgo said, too many other factors other than how many times they have been fired.

I am currently reloading 17 different centerfire rounds. Keeping track of every round of brass and how many times it has been shot is just asking too much from my feeble little mind.

Totally agree. Way to much hassle and faffing around out in the varmint patch. I have thousands of cases bought over dozens of years.

I just inspect and load.

Bad things can happen to cases regardless. 2 years ago, I had a .223 head seperate out in the middle of a dog town and by chance I happen to know that brass as a once fired Lake City that I had just bought. So age isn't everything.

Luckily, I had tools with and was able to extract the stuck case section that night back at the motel after chilling the barrel in ice.

Grouse
 
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