# Do you seperate your brass by case length?



## cysroost (Jul 30, 2013)

After de-priming and cleaning fired brass I have some that are within (shorter than) max length .898 for .45 ACP. 

I am curious if anyone separate those cases by actual length? Or do you just keep them all together and trim the "overs" to the .898 and then toss them in with the others? Why or why not?

If you separate them by length do you take that into account when "charging" with powder? Why or why not?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I have always trimmed every "new" once-fired case to just a tiny bit short of the recommended maximum length, after which they get reloaded.
I never bother to check length, and I certainly do not trim them again. After shooting-off their first reloading, they get cleaned and then they are tossed into the "general population."

I have never used brand-new .45 ACP cases. All of mine started out as once-fired military "scrap."
Process: Trim, ream the primer pocket to remove the crimp, and then carefully reload.
After that first reloading, which in the past was for competition, they go into the shooting-practice pile.

I have never experienced lengthening in any several-times-fired .45 ACP case. They generally seem to be under-stressed.


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## cysroost (Jul 30, 2013)

Thanks for the info Steve. I only have about 200 "new" cases I purchased the remaining 400 are factory ammo case that I picked up after firing.

So, if you do not trim how many times do you reload your cases?

The under stressed make sense to me with the exception should someone use a "max load" recipe, which I have not found a reason for my shooting purposes to use.

You mentioned reaming the primer pocket. I do not use a "typical" walnut or corn cob media tumbler. I use a Stainless Tumbling Media tumbler which cleans the entire case, including the primer pocket to what I would call "brand new" condition. And it is amazing how good they come out. But with that I do not feel the need to ream the pocket. Am I missing something here or is that something that is not absolutely necessary?

And in case your wondering about the tumbler and media I use it can be found here Stainless Steel Reloading Supplies | Tumblers, Separators, Media, Brass & More!

I was a skeptic at first but read enough I was willing to take the risk. Glad I did! The photos on the web site are legitimate. Every batch I have sent through have come out the same way. I do not think I will ever have to buy media.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*1. How Many Times do I Reload .45 ACP Cases?* I reload 'em 'till they crack and fall apart. I don't keep track of how many times a given case has been reloaded. Once the "new" (once-fired) ex-G.I. case has been reloaded and shot, it goes into the for-practice pile, and it is then continually reloaded and fired until it fails.

*2. Under-Stressed?* Even given maximum loads (but not "+P"), the .45 ACP case is under-stressed. Thus, it would be very unusual, were it to stretch before it otherwise fails. My standard competition-and practice-load was a tiny bit over the recommended maximum, to assure making the necessary power level; and still no case stretched. They occasionally failed after being reloaded many times, but they didn't stretch.

*3. Primer Pockets?* Every ex-G.I. case is "blessed" with an annular crimp around its primer pocket. Although you can force a new primer into a crimped pocket, it does not always work. Sometimes it kinda works, and deforms the primer in the process. This is OK for practice ammunition, but it is anathema to competition cartridges. So, just before loading "new," once-fired G.I. cases, I use a specially-made sharp-edged instrument to cut the crimp off of the case's primer pocket. There is also a swedging tool for doing this, made by Dillon. Commercial cases do not have this crimp, so post-cleaning reaming is unnecessary. But you must check to make sure that there is not even one grain of polishing medium in any primer pocket.

*4. Picked-Up Brass?* I have always picked up any brass that was laying around, whether it was mine or not. (Sometimes "winning" a little extra picked-up brass makes up for a lousy competition score.) You cannot trust _any_ picked-up brass. Never use it for "good" reloads. It belongs _only_ in the for-practice pile.


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## millsriver (May 26, 2013)

With straight walled cases, there is very little lengthening. Just check each one, each time to make sure there are no cracks. I have gotten into the habit of running each case through my case trimmer. Almost never any brass actually trimmed, but it does makes me feel better.


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## rex (Jan 27, 2012)

Straightwalled pistol brass doesn't grow like rifle brass,you're not reworking it hard enough to.If you measure a new case at max length,after a few reloads you'll discover it's shorter than originally.Not by much,and it will split before you get anywhere near a min spec piece.

If you are building bullseye rounds for sub 1" groups at 50yds and have the gun to do it,then sorting and maximizing consistency will count.For normal plinking or run and gun style shooting you're wasting your time.

New brass should be run through the resize die and the mouth deburred,if you want to measure it isn't a big deal for piece of mind.After that just keep going until a mouth splits.That time can vary a lot,you can get a dozen or more reloads or less,it depends how hot you're going to run them to stress the web or how many times you resize them work hardening the mouth.I ususally lose them before I max out the life of them.

If you find cases with a guppy belly at the web,it's from a Glock and I won't use them.I believe newer Glocks have fixed the issue of case support but not sure.You could reload them but you'll want to keep an eye on the web for a ring if you're going to push them with full loads,the ring is an indication of the head fixing to separate.If you are good about getting your brass back and want to really push them +P and 45Super brass will get you longer lifespan,but the Super brass is overkill if you aren't going to load to that level.


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## high pockets (Apr 25, 2011)

When you pick up a handful of brass from your media separator, you will learn to "hear" a split case in your handful of brass. Usually brass clinks when they knock together, and a split case will make a distinctly different sound. Not saying to rely solely on this method, but once you hear the difference, you certainly need to take a close look at all the brass in your hand. If you are shooting a "good" .45, sometimes a split case will show up in your shooting by not extracting. Another reason to keep a dowel in your bag. Whenever I have a case that does not extract, I don't even check it, I just toss it.

One of the main reasons for case failure is overworking the mouth of the case. That is usually the result of constantly over belling the case mouth. You only need to bell the case mouth enough to set the bullet in the end of the case.

Like most of the others, I lose track of the number of times a case has been reloaded by the time it fails. That is one of the unintended benefits of a low pressure round like the .45ACP.


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## Ronm (Aug 24, 2013)

I drop each round into a Lyman case gauge and have never had a problem with my .40 XDM, shot over 1000 rounds thru it.


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