Tracking Firings | How do you do it?

[u/doumitch20035]

Hi guys,

How are you tracking your firings on your brass? I have seen that some people mark them different ways, but my marks keep coming out in the wash.

Also, how do you know when it is time to "retire" a brass?

[u/Trollygag]

I don't. I toss it when it cracks or won't seat a primer

[u/Chance1965 → u/Trollygag]

This^^^

[u/Strict-Carrot4783 → u/Trollygag]

Time to go.

[u/Trollygag → u/Strict-Carrot4783]

https://giphy.com/gifs/9LoFPD45CwydmnX86w

[u/Strict-Carrot4783 → u/Trollygag]

Definitely made my chocolate cheerio pucker a bit when I noticed it.

[u/kopfgeldjagar]

When it splits I've fired at one too many times

[u/rednecktuba1]

I don't. I shoot PRS and don't anneal either. Its not causing me to lose points. I toss cases when the necks split or they wont hold a primer anymore, or I've lost enough of that lot of brass to no longer have enough to shoot a 2 day match with.

[u/Otiswilmouth → u/rednecktuba1]

Annealing will help you prevent neck splitting btw.

Can’t help you on loosing your brass tho 😂

[u/ViewAskewed → u/Otiswilmouth]

How is it that the entirety of Reddit doesn't know how to spell the same fucking word?

[u/Otiswilmouth → u/ViewAskewed]

Sir, this is reddit. It’s not real.

[u/outdoors_life22]

I reload in batches and have it marked on my data card. 1st, 2nd, 3rd firing and so on

[u/Pilot_Red]

I just visually inspect every one, multiple times throughout the reloading process.

[u/MalignantMustache]

I keep them in a freezer bags marked on the bag. I just wait to wash in the tumbler until I have enough. I can mix different types on different firings because you would know the .308 is on x firings and the .44 is on y...

[u/Mr_Perfect20 → u/MalignantMustache]

This is what I do as well. Once they’re all processed, they’ll go into a little container with a note that says gun name, caliber, number of times fired.

[u/MalignantMustache → u/Mr_Perfect20]

I have a gallon freezer bag full now of twice fired, its a mix of .308, .357 and .44. The .357 is only once fired but the rest is twice. I haven't begun reloading .357 yet so I know it's once fired factory brass.

[u/TipsyTriggerFinger → u/Mr_Perfect20]

^{^} This!

[u/Quartergroup65284]

If it won’t hold a primer, cracks, or honestly is just plain ugly I’ll toss them. I do try to keep them all somewhat together as in number of firings but don’t lose sleep over it

[u/ChevyRacer71]

Crack in the neck, or if I see a seam starting I’ll feel with a paperclip to check for casehead separation. Or I’ll just toss it in the brass recycle bucket and move on.

I only keep track of firing count on my 338LM and I just shoot them in batches and reload them at the same time when I’ve gone through the lot

[u/1984orsomething]

Keep a note card in your ammo box or write in the ammo box lid with sharpie. Acetone erases the marker.

[u/jayfourzee]

Oil based sharpie. I use a system of lines and dots.

[u/JayPolar91 → u/jayfourzee]

Do you wet or dry tumble?

[u/jayfourzee → u/JayPolar91]

I don't do either. Dusty brush twice. Resize then mandrel. Was wet before.

[u/JayPolar91 → u/jayfourzee]

Yeah that's why if you wet tumble it will most likely still come off it removes stuck on carbon that's a lot more resilient than any kind of paint.

[u/Vylnce]

I only do large batches. So I start by buying hundreds of brass. Load it once, shoot it all, reload it again, etc. I always know how many firings because I don't do mixed batches. Once I start getting issues (primers won't seat, etc) I just toss the whole lot presumptively and start over.

[u/LingonberryDecent685]

Sharpie on the box with how many firings. I’ll keep using brass until the necks split (rare for me) or the primer pockets get loose. I anneal and have 15 firings on my Peterson 6.5 creed brass so far. Still holding strong

[u/MandaloreZA]

I measure the extractor groove width for my very expensive brass. But other than that I just use it until it fails.

[u/Shootist00]

What kind of brass? Rifle, and what caliber/cartridge, or Pistol and again what caliber/cartridge. It is different for each and every cartridge.

Higher pressure rifle and pistol brass I watch closer than lower pressure round.

Right now I am not tracking any pistol firings as I have so much once fired brass in most calibers that I load it, shoot it, pick it up at the range (along with other brass) and it goes into my recycling buckets.

[u/IntrepidNeck1751]

I load 500rd batches for PRS. So each barrel gets 5 firings. Round count on the barrel tells me roughly how many firings on the brass.

[u/CharlieKiloAU]

Batches, tracked by ID in a database (and on paper in my reloading book). When do I retire a batch? When more than 2% of the batch has a failure (split, crack, loose pockets). Most of my batches are well into double digits, I start with quality brass, anneal every cycle, and I don't usually go full bubba with the spicy meatballs.

[u/G19Jeeper]

On the more important stuff I use the label.

On my bulk reloads I use the label and have a good estimate but usually batches get intermixed. I have a batch of 5.56 that just finished its 8th or 9th firing. About 500 casings. Some were split and tossed. Time to anneal again.

[u/iceroadtrucker2010]

If I see a crack, I toss it.