ORIGINAL: DannyD
I have been saving all my brass since i began shooting a few years back. I now want to begin reloading. I have shot only factory Remington, Winchester and Federal since the beginning.
On average, how many subsequent time can i expect to be able toreload 1 case using the factory stuff mentioned above before they should not be reloaded again.
I know there are several factor involved, including cartridge,but i'm only looking for an idea of how many times. I don't know if it's once or 20 times.
I have saved brass for my
7 winmag
243 win
30-30 win
270 win (although i no longer have the 270 but have over 500 empties)
You can definately count on getting 10-12 loads for pistol brass. And 5 with rifle brass. Your 7mmrem mag can be loaded over 5 times, and if you anneal every 3 loads, you can get probably 7-9 times. The limiting factor is the primer hole. When your rim gets so loose your primer won't go in tight, then its time to chuck em. The 30-30, you should be able to get over 10 loads for it. Lower the pressure, more loads you can get. 243, I would put in the catagory as 7mmremmag.
Federal brass will wear out faster as its softer. More things to consider is when you FL size every time, that shortens the life. If you can neck size only especially wtih a collet die, you are really helping the life of the brass. Also running very slow powders maxed out has an effect.
Saying all that, I usually toss it after 5 times, espeically mag cartridges.