.38/357 brass last ?

[gtpkeeper]

how long does your .38/357 brass last ? how times do you reload them before chucking away

[Simon_S]

About 20 years by the looks of it
Just keep using till it splits or the primers
come loose

[gtpkeeper]

do you count how many times simon

[ZaksGod]

for me i chucked it after 25 reloads.only got the odd split at that point but the leading edge was well worked.did not look great so in all it was about 2 years

[sarge4318]

Back in the day I reloaded 357mag and 44mag, I used a light load and must have had 20-30 firings from the oldest of them.

Now since the ban I only have the 44 and still have the same cases, I haven't bought any new ones and I've been loading them for over 20 years in total - only had one split and that was back in my old Desert Eagle and about a dozen or so that the primers went in lose so they got binned as well.
Some must be near to 100 loadings and I can only assume the 357 would have been similar.

But I do only shoot a light load as I rarely go over 50yds and only at paper these days (no more skittle shoots).

[Turnup]

Using those nickel plated Winchester +p+ cases I get about a 2% failure rate starting with once fired cases, and have never had a failure other than neck splits. I inspect for neck splits and ruthlessly reject even tiny splits. After a while the reject rate rises quite sharply and I usually dump the batch when it gets much over 10%. I have no idea how many reloads that gets me, but it's probably not more than 20.

Not all cases will be the same, quality as with everything is variable. My cases come from commercial loaded ammo, and I suspect that if you were to use new, unfired cases you would get more reloads. I reason that a factory loading process will probably flare the case neck more than necessary in order to minimise loading jams, and that they are also crimped quite hard, whereas a hand loader can take the trouble to flare and crimp minimally, which will extend case life.

[Simon_S]

do you count how many times simon

I don't bother myself. Don't use split or if the primer falling out. I am using light
loads in my rifle

[gtpkeeper]

thank you for your replies,

[Simon_S]

I used new 357mag ppu case. If you use new, I would de-burr the inside and outside with the Lee tool
If you don't the TC dies can rip the case