Headstamp

[Bake]

Back in the day, when I was shooting competitively, I would buy my cases in bulk maybe 500 to 1000 cases at a time, the same for the bullets, primers, and powder. After shooting, my empty brass would go into a 5 GALLON bucket and be saved for reloading later . . .

[5shot]

Most of my shooting whether rifle or handgun has been geared with accuracy in mind. I sort everything by headstamp and am too old (and OCD ) to change now. With rifle ammo and some hunting handgun ammo I also record the number of reloads on a label inside the ammo box. I still have the equipment for neck turning, reaming primer pockets and flash holes, concentricity gauges, etc but don't use it that much lately. Having one bullet seating hard and the next seating with very little resistance would drive me to take up knitting for a hobby!

With 9mm or .45 ACP it would make a big difference what kind of gun you're shooting. I've got a few 1911's that would be competitive in a bullseye match and can't comprehend feeding them mixed headstamps. Doing speed drills at close range for training and practice would be a whole different ballgame, especially in a situation where you're unlikely to recover all your brass. There the big factor is reliable feeding.

This thread caught my eye because that's how I've spent my time after total knee replacement...sorting through a couple years worth of coffee cans, plastic bags and boxes of range pickup brass. With the pain meds I wasn't clear thinking enough to load but I could still read headstamps!

[Hatchdog]

I have a couple of bolt action rifle that I only neck size for so that brass is sorted. Also I load for an M1-A and use only 7.62 brass so that gets sorted. Lastly I do sort commercial 223 brass from 5.56 for my AR loading.

[NHshtr]

Although I agree with it being OK to mix headstamps, I keep the different headstamps for each handgun caliber in different containers - just a habit left over from rifle loading. I wouldn't be concerned if headstamps of 9's or different ones of 45 ACP's got mixed within caliber though. I just have a habit!!
Not a benchrest shooter, so not concerned with nuance of defensive loads. As long as I get decent groups at defensive distances, I'm happy.
I don't have a progressive press, but I'm sure like you guys, I want to be careful of powder loads like squibs and doubles, so all primed no-powder cases are upside down in the tray. Every right-side-up loaded case is looked into for load and level before the bullet goes on.
With hunting loads (I hunt with 44 mag and 7mm-08 handguns) I definitely wouldn't mix headstamps because I do see changes at 50 to 100 or more yards.

[CT_Shooter]

I only reload 38s and 357s using factory brass which I maintain in the original 50 round lots that I purchased before I started reloading.

I have a couple of thousand pieces that have been reloaded many times over the last ten years (my reloads are on the low side of mid-range powder weights). I do not mix brass, not even between different boxes of the same headstamp.

My reasoning is that factory loaded ammo likely requires consistently uniform components in the manufacturers' high volume production lines. That to me suggests that fifty rounds of brass from the same lot will be just as consistent on my own loading bench. Of course, I could be wrong about that, but so far, it seems right.

Whenever I reload a box of brass, I set the bullet depth and crimping die once and the last round is always consistent with the first.

I bought 50 white ammo boxes from Midway when I first started to reload about ten years ago. On the end flap of each box I identify the mfgr and the number of times the brass has been fired. I use a "cigar ring" label to identify the bullet and the powder used. It seemed like a good idea and I've stuck with it.

I also use a single stage press and always visually check each step in the process, round by round, to insure that I'm consistent. No music. No videos. No distractions. I just focus on the very important task of making good ammunition for my guns.

Factory ammo brass kept in original lots

357 Handloads 072720.jpg (189.46 KiB) Viewed 336 times

[NHshtr]

Very nice....looks great. Henry cloth and "cigar ring" label.
Maybe we should all try to have Henry merch in the pictures we post. Sure makes the pics of ammo more interesting.