How long will my brass last? Good question. And as with so many questions in life, the answer starts out with, It depends. First off, is it brass with a reputation for fragility? The cowboy .38-40 and .44-40 cases are classic examples where a sight dent on the case mouth (in some production batches) can damage a case so much it wont reload at all. So, treat them gently.
Other cases are indestructible, the .45 ACP being one of them. It is large and easy to handle. It is sturdy and operates at a low pressure. I have .45 ACP cases on hand that have been reloaded so many times that you cant read the handstamp from the battering the ejector delivers on each shot.
Pressure also matters. The higher the pressure, the more the case is worked and the shorter its useful life. The match between chamber size and re-sizing die size also matters. If the chamber is too big, and the sizing die is at the bottom end of the allowable specs, the case will be over-expanded and then sized down past the average. That works it even more, shortening its useful life.
In a test that is still relevant to this day, one of the writers of Guns & Ammo reloaded some .38 Special cases to see how long theyd last. It was the common target load of a 148 grain wadcutter and 2.7 grains of Bullseye, with the dies adjusted to work the case as little as possible while still providing proper ammo function. After a dozen loadings with no change, he gave up on the batch and simply loaded a single case over and over. 144 loadings later, he finally noticed a tiny crack in the case mouth.
The more careful you are to treat your brass gently, and the more you avoid brass-busting pressures, the longer your brass will last.
If you stay within the proper limits, most cases will last a dozen loadings or more, which makes the per-shot cost of the brass cases, if you had to buy them to start with, just about nothing. And if you get brass free, or find it at the range, so much the better.
For additional advice and information on the best reloading equipment and techniques to use for your needs, purchase “Reloading for Handgunners” from Gun Tests
