I'm fairly new to reloading and have a question. Is there any advantage to buying new brass vs loaded ammo for non-competition reloading? This is ammo that I will load for fun shooting at the range. I would like for it to be accurate, but ultimate accuracy isn't necessary.

For example, a few months ago I found some 7.5x55 swiss brass for $.80 each. At the time I also found some loaded brass cased rounds from another vendor for $1.00 each. Both were Prvi Partizan PPU so I'm assuming the brass would be the same. I don't have a large supply of primers, powder, and bullets from a long time ago, so I know that I can't take the $.80 brass and come up with loaded ammo for $1.00 total ($.20 for primer/powder/bullet).

So, is there any advantage to getting the new brass over the loaded ammunition that I don't know of?

No real advantage. Get your brass whichever way is the cheapest. I have a bit of both. I tend to load for some expensive calibers (.41 mag,.44 mag and .45 Colt. In these cases, buying the brass is cheapest. With 9mm, it is cheapest to buy the ammo and reload the brass.

For my varmint rifles, I buy new brass.

For everything else, I use range brass or purchase once fired brass, but I use probably 95% range brass.

If you reload shell casings from ammunition that you shot, you will at least know the history of those shell casings.

Buying used brass on line comes with an uncertain past. It could be shot once, or it could be reloaded and shot multiple times.

That said, I have purchased spent shell casings off the internet or from the local range and they have worked fine. Mind, these are pistol brass and not rifle brass casings.

quote:

Originally posted by ugeesta:
If you reload shell casings from ammunition that you shot, you will at least know the history of those shell casings.

Buying used brass on line comes with an uncertain past. It could be shot once, or it could be reloaded and shot multiple times.

That said, I have purchased spent shell casings off the internet or from the local range and they have worked fine. Mind, these are pistol brass and not rifle brass casings.

I've used range brass and occasional purchased once fired or so brass all my life and so I pose this question:

Why should I care about the history of those shell casings? If the cases are in perfect shape, not deformed or split or whatever, what possible difference could it make to me?

^^^^^^ True. It depends on how anal one wants to be with reloading. Some people are more particular than others. Some care about all the details and some, not so much.

When I started, I was separating pistol brass by head stamp so all the loads would be the same. Now it does not matter to me since I blast rounds at the range and don't do competitive shooting.

I see what you're saying.

One of the guys I shoot with every week died very suddenly a little over a year ago.

His wife, who I also shoot with every week, decided she wanted to take over his reloading. She'd watched him do it many times, but never did it herself.

Turns out he'd been reloading for over 30 years and kept a ledger about every batch he did, he didn't care about headstamp or how many times fired, but primer, bullet and powder had full and complete details up to and including COAL.

Made it pretty easy for her to see what loads he used on a regular basis and duplicate them.

Thanks! That's what I thought, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

I'll buy ammo if it's cheaper to do it that way, or used brass if it's a good deal. The only time I've bought new brass is in the past few years when sometimes it was the only option available to get the components I needed.

One warning about buying ammo with the intent of reloading the brass later: steer clear of Hornady Leverevolution. When I bought my Marlin 1895 in .45-70, I also bought a box of Hornady Leverevolution 325gr to shoot, with the intent of reloading the brass later once I got set up for the caliber. The stuff was expensive....over $1/round, which was a lot at that time. I saved my brass, but when I went to reload it, I discovered that it's significantly shorter than factory spec. I believe Hornady had to do this because of the profile of the FTX bullets that they use in that ammo, but it sure plays hell with my belling and crimp dies. I've found Hornady .357 Magnum brass that has the same issue.

My FIL buys new Starline 38Super brass because he loads over pressure to get Major power in USPSA. He leaves what he shoots at a match. ALL 38Super shooters leave theirs on the ground and tell people picking it up that it was over pressure and to not use it.

So for him it makes sense to buy it.

I reload and shoot USPSA and make major by using heavier bullets and larger caliber. I can stay within factor velocity and not ruin brass. So I pick up brass.

All my reloading stays within normal velocity. So I don’t worry about ruined brass.

Recently bought loaded rounds purposely because it was in Starline brass. I paid a dime premium for each case I figured.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
One warning about buying ammo with the intent of reloading the brass later: steer clear of Hornady Leverevolution. When I bought my Marlin 1895 in .45-70, I also bought a box of Hornady Leverevolution 325gr to shoot, with the intent of reloading the brass later once I got set up for the caliber. The stuff was expensive....over $1/round, which was a lot at that time. I saved my brass, but when I went to reload it, I discovered that it's significantly shorter than factory spec. I believe Hornady had to do this because of the profile of the FTX bullets that they use in that ammo, but it sure plays hell with my belling and crimp dies. I've found Hornady .357 Magnum brass that has the same issue.

Amen on the Hornady…I bought a bag of .45 Colt mixed brass a fellow Cowboy Action shooter had for sale…out of roughly 300 pieces of brass about 40 were beautiful nickel Hornady cases and I found out the aggravating way they were way short when I was belling the cases…I ended up giving them to another CAS shooter to trim down for .45 Cowboy brass which is shorter than .45 Colt brass. Another thing to watch out for is 9MM brass with AMERC head stamps which doesn’t come up much anymore…but it’s the shittiest brass to attempt to reload!