Brass elasticity.

[Hangfire]

Seems like to me you can't wear them out so there's no telling how many times I've reloaded some of my mixed 45 ACP cases through the years but I've noticed recently that when I bell / flare the mouth on some of my cases (mostly older Remington) there is hardly any felt resistance at all and the same holds true when I seat the bullets in those cases......which in turn tells me that the bullet is not being held as tightly as it should be.

Call me a 'brass hoarder' but unless the necks split or a looming case separation is visually apparent it's hard for me to toss out a piece of brass in any caliber.

Not sure if falls into the category of 'work hardening' or 'loss of elasticity' (maybe both terms are basically one in the same in this instance) but from here on out, as much as it pains me, if it don't feel right I'm going to just toss them.

 

[PJM]

Seems like to me you can't wear them out so there's no telling how many times I've reloaded some of my mixed 45 ACP cases through the years but I've noticed recently that when I bell / flare the mouth on some of my cases (mostly older Remington) there is hardly any felt resistance at all and the same holds true when I seat the bullets in those cases......which in turn tells me that the bullet is not being held as tightly as it should be.

Call me a 'brass hoarder' but unless the necks split or a looming case separation is visually apparent it's hard for me to toss out a piece of brass in any caliber.

Not sure if falls into the category of 'work hardening' or 'loss of elasticity' (maybe both terms are basically one in the same in this instance) but from here on out, as much as it pains me, if it don't feel right I'm going to just toss them.

Yeah eventually they will split. My dad used to reload 300 WBY Mag and we would occasionally find cases with cracks in the side. Of course I realize that the pressures in a .300 Weatherby are much higher than a .45, but the physics for the metal are still the same.

 

[magna19]

Not sure if falls into the category of 'work hardening' or 'loss of elasticity' (maybe both terms are basically one in the same in this instance) but from here on out, as much as it pains me, if it don't feel right I'm going to just toss them.

Excellent choice!!!!!!!!

 

[swampratt]

You could water bath anneal the case mouth a bit that may help.
DO NOT anneal the entire case though as it will make the base soft and it will expand much more and if the chamber is unsupported it will expand into that area and the primer pockets get loose.

When i flare the cases in 45acp i do as little flare as possible ..just enough to get the bullet into the case by about .020" or 1/2 of that.
I do not crimp my cases either..I use a Lee Carbide crimp die on them but only run it through the carbide ring to iron out the tiny amount of flare.

I have done some bullet pull tests and I found my cast lead bullets with Harbor Freight Red powder coat on them hold like super glue in the cases.

I would try water bath annealing a few of them and see what they feel like after that.

 

[EKing]

if it don't feel right I'm going to just toss them.

That's been my rule since I started reloading. Much easier to do with a single stage or a turret as I can feel each step.
Since I started using a Lee progressive, I'm still getting used to the feel of every step at the same time.

 

[Rod Snell]

If you put the worn cases under magnification, you can see the many tiny cracks that make sizing "feel funny". The cases are done if uniform crimps matter to you. Either mouth anneal before they get the little cracks or count on tossing when they do. OR just keep going until they split large or won't hold a bullet (not much interested in accuracy). Well, some shoot to minute of garbage can lid.