10mm brass, when to discard

[Rcd567]

I use them till they split... Don't see this till about 15x reloaded. Starline brass is prob 95 % of what I reload with.
But as mentioned, I do a few push tests on the rounds during set up.  Measure and then press against the bench, then remeasure to check for loose fit

Other brands are kept totally separate as some of the brands are a bit more "springy" and fail to hold set from the die... these get thrown away.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! I keep loading them until they split or become loose.

[Dan4898]

I shoot primarily Glocks (20 and 40) and have Alpha/Lone Wolf barrels in them for better chamber support. This helps with brass life, especially with "full power" to "nuclear" loads.
Keeping the majority of the everyday shooting loads a step below the above mentioned power settings helps with brass life a lot.

In the CMMG Banshee, the brass is only good once unless you keep the loads under approximately medium- medium warm. Anything with top end Longshot, BlueDot, etc. Will mushroom the brass near the case head similar to an Uzi. It's quite annoying and I didn't know of this problem prior to purchasing despite doing ample research on the gun.

[tommac919]

In the CMMG Banshee, the brass is only good once unless you keep the loads under approximately medium- medium warm. Anything with top end Longshot, BlueDot, etc. Will mushroom the brass near the case head similar to an Uzi. It's quite annoying and I didn't know of this problem prior to purchasing despite doing ample research on the gun.

do a search on glock bulge / glock smile  .... look at pics.

IF you see a  smile type mark that may actually be a micro tear in the brass and should be thrown away
IF the bulge is all around the base of brass it may be resized and tested in a go/no go gauge... My rule of thumb is IF the brass has a bulge over .434 in size I throw it away as that size seems to be the max before case damage.
Mind that glocks are know to be loose and some other chambers not ( like my Sig that maxes at  .427 )...

[sqlbullet]

Here is a great thread over at Glocktalk about smiled brass:

https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/anyone-have-a-pic-of-the-infamous-glock-smile.1203067/

[Kenk]

Thanks, this is some great info. I?m pretty sure my P220 Elite has the chamber support that I?ve read about over the years, as I?ve not seen any case issues or smiled brass with this weapon. If it was going to happen, you would think Underwood?s 135gr running at 1,600 fps would be the one to do it.

[tommac919]

Well yes, the P220 should be ok with most loads... on my P220/10 Never had a smile with it, never had a bulge  that exceed the .427 size and that is with really max loads.

All brass was resized to the go/no go gauge .  ( tho I tend to put my max load brass into a target bucket for future loads )

[Kenk]

Thanks, who, if anyone would offer even better chamber support?

[sqlbullet]

A DI AR would have better support since the feed ramps are integral to the barrel/chamber, but are on the barrel extension.  The Grand Power P40 similarly has no real feed section on the barrel.

A properly made Clark/Para(/Lissner) or Wilson/Nowlin barrel will as good as P220, unless it has been "bubba'd" by someone that doesn't know how to properly fix feed and timing issues.  Of course, that is true of the P220 barrel too though the P220 is more forgiving of timing and feed geometry.

[Kenk]

Thanks, from what I can tell, Sig did a fantastic job on the P220

[crkckr]

If you're putting "smiles" on your Glock brass, your load is too hot.  Period.  End of story.  Unless there's something wrong with your barrel, which is very unlikely, or you're using funky brass - more on that in a bit - your Glock should not damage the brass  Glock chambers tend to be somewhat closer to maximum size to make the pistols more reliable.  However, the chamber over all length shouldn't ever be an issue unless your brass is too long, which with 10mm is pretty unlikely.  The only time I've ever put bulges on brass out of a Glock pistol is when I was pushing the limits of pressure.  Not good for the long term health of the pistol but a few aren't going to do any damage.  Do it consistently and you might end up breaking something.  Of course, you can always go buy an aftermarket barrel that has more chamber support but your loads are still going to be generating a higher than normal pressure and you're going to wear the gun out sooner.  How much sooner?  It's pretty unlikely anyone can answer that without some pressure testing equipment and a bit of engineering knowledge... which ain't me!  I just know I want my guns to last a long time so I don't get too crazy.  Well, not too often, anyway.  With that said, there are some brands of factory ammo that are known to, at least sometimes, put a bit of a smile on the brass.  CCI and Fiocchi come to mind off hand.  Having never personally tested either one, I can't say if they're loaded hot (probably not) or if their brass is funky (likely).  So if you are getting those Glock smiles, first off check the head stamp.  If it's one of the two mentioned, or maybe an off or odd brand, it might be the funky brass, especially if the brass with Sig or Starline head stamps are ok.  Personally, I've put together some pretty hot loads using Starline brass and never put a bulge in the brass.  And I know they were hot loads, somewhat over what the books called for.  I generally take hunting and SD loads up as far as possible, then back off some to provide a bit of leeway for temp changes and such.  My 2 Starline cases got 15 and 19 reloads during load development and none of them were 40 Short & Weak type loads! 

As to discarding brass, if I'm loading target loads, I will use a cracked case as long as, 1. The case holds the bullet tight and 2. The crack doesn't extend below the bullet.  I shoot it, then I toss the cases in the scrap bin.  Every pistol is at least a little bit unique, even Glocks.  Some might handle a half or even a full grain of powder better than the next serial numbered pistol in line.  Or vice versa.  You can't know for sure without trying.  One thing is certain, if you're getting 1600 fps with 180 gr. bullet, no matter how good the case looks, it's an overpressure load!  To be perfectly honest, having been in the upper pressure ranges with 10mm, it is one instance where the casing is not always a reliable indicator of pressure!  Loads can be pretty hot and still not show any obvious signs of pressure!   Just use common sense when loading 10mm... and a chronograph!  It's really the best indicator pressure without actual pressure test equipment. 
Cheers, 
crkckr

[tommac919]

Also if not been mentioned lately... there are some bad brass brands.

Prob the worse brass I ever reloaded was PPU brass.... it wouldn't hold the set from die.
now if I see any I just throw it away.

[JBS27572]

I've noticed bulging at the base with some hot loads out of my HP 1095.  If I feed those cases straight into a sizing die, it will put a crease or wrinkle at the bottom of the case which just makes me super uneasy.  It looks like a case separation waiting to happen.  Recently though, I found that if I put those cases through a bulge buster die first and then through a normal sizing die, it comes out normal looking without a bulge or a crease at the bottom.  I am unsure if that is just a cosmetic change or if the creased cases are unsafe.  I have never been brave enough to load a creased case.

[Kenk]

Thanks guys, all very useful information

[Longrange2]

I have found that the 10mm case seem to budge at the base of the case. I loose about 10 per 100 that willl not seat in my case gauge after de priming and sizing in my Dillon 550.. I cant say how many times the brass has been reloaded.

Are you using the Dillon dies?  I?ve found their dies have more flare at the base of the die and don?t size the case down as far as I?d like.  I?ve had good luck with Redding dies in my RL1100, they size a little further down the case.

[The_Shadow]

I have found that the 10mm case seem to budge at the base of the case. I loose about 10 per 100 that willl not seat in my case gauge after de priming and sizing in my Dillon 550.. I cant say how many times the brass has been reloaded.

Are you using the Dillon dies?  I?ve found their dies have more flare at the base of the die and don?t size the case down as far as I?d like.  I?ve had good luck with Redding dies in my RL1100, they size a little further down the case.

The radius in the carbide dies can leave a small area above the extractor groove cut not sized enough.  The answer is a pass through sizing setup!
I use the LEE Factory Crimp Die with the guts removed and a bullet push pin to push the brass up and through the carbide ring for full length sizing including the case rims.