Case integrity?

[DaveTN]

I don't reload. I'm just kicking around the idea. So forgive me if I ask some stupid questions. But in teaching machining I always told my students "The only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask."

So…. is case integrity just a visual check?
Is there some rule of thumb on how many times handgun brass cases loaded to normal levels can be used?

 

[DaveB]

As regards structural integrity Brass handgun cases have no limit of which I am aware. I have a large supply of new and once fired and measuring before and after shows zero growth. I think this is because of the straight wall.

I keep a sharp eye out for primer pocket issues and so far nothing to report.

Interestingly, TimInTN pointed out how SS tumbling peens the case mouth. If you outside chamfer the mouth you could shorten the case over time. So far I have not done any maintenance on any cases but if you roll through a small inventory with regular use you might have a different outcome.

 

[Pioneer1789]

I don't reload. I'm just kicking around the idea. So forgive me if I ask some stupid questions. But in teaching machining I always told my students "The only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask."

So…. is case integrity just a visual check?
Is there some rule of thumb on how many times handgun brass cases loaded to normal levels can be used?

The neck on bottleneck cartridges grows in length with each firing. Actually like being drawn, getting thinner all the time. They are also getting work hardened with every firing and resizing. You can counter that to some extent by annealing every few firings. Keep an eye on the base of the cases. You might see a bulge forming at the case head. Ruptured case heads are the worst failure mode. In general, neck cracks and loose primer pockets will mark the end of life for a piece of brass.

 

[Wiley]

Straight wall vs bottleneck as described above is where you differentiate on what you're inspecting for. Pistol cartridges like the 400 CorBon and 357 Sig along with a few others are bottleneck and need to be looked at for cracked necks just like bottleneck rifle brass, IMHO. A shooter will most likely lose straight wall brass, regardless of how many times it was loaded, before it has some need for attention.