4 Things to know about Reloading Brass before purchasing

When it comes to owning a firearm, one of the most expensive resources is bullets. It may not seem like it at first since bullets are relatively inexpensive, but the costs keep getting higher and higher as you continue to use your gun. Reloading your own ammunition can save you a tremendous amount of money and it’s easy to do with the right knowledge and tools. Reloading brass is an essential component as the casing holds the bullet and powder. Here are four things to know about brass before purchasing it.

New or Once Fired
This is one of the first things that you must consider before choosing your brass. There are pros and cons to each, but it mostly comes down to budget and reliability. New brass casings have never been used before. They are perfect, excluding the occasional manufacturing defect, and should be able to last longer than once fired. You can also choose which manufacturer you are buying the casings from. Along with better reliability, the warranties also tend to be better when compared to once fired casings.

Once fired casings are exactly what they sound like. These are casings that have been fired from a gun once. In other words, this is gently used brass. While it is true that new brass should last longer, there are a few things to think about before immediately jumping to new brass. First of all, you’ll be firing these bullets far more than once, so a single shot isn’t that big a deal. Any good seller is going to check the casings for defects, meaning that the items you’re getting should be in the best possible condition, according to Diamond K Brass LLC.

While the pricing is better, one of the biggest problems is that you can’t choose the manufacturer. The seller often collects various casings and lumps them together based on size and color.

Brass Characteristics
Not all brass is made the same. Before buying any brass, you should do your research into the company and see how their brass stacks up. Aside from making sure that the metal is adequately hard to ensure that it doesn’t warp after a few shots, you also need to see if the wall thickness and weight is consistent from one casing to the next.

While no manufacturer is ever going to be perfect, do your best to choose a company with consistent products. If the weight and thickness are completely different from one casing to the next, then it might be very difficult to reload the casings and ensure proper safety.

Since few companies openly release this information when selling the brass, you’ll have to do some research based on other buyers and potentially even calling the company.

Bulk Discounts
Except for getting a thrill out of making your own ammo, the biggest reason why people getting into reloading is to save money. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you should make sure that you’re saving as much as possible when buying brass.

Since this is a bulk market, you’ll find that nearly every seller and manufacturer offers a bulk discount. Don’t be afraid to buy a few hundred or thousand more casings to push the price down just a little. Not only will you get more than enough brass for your needs, but you’ll pay a ridiculously low price per item.

Primed or Unprimed
It’s easy to find brass that’s either primed or unprimed, but the difficult part is deciding which one is best for you. Primed brass is more convenient the first time around because you can fire it right after inserting the bullet, but you may have to change the powder amount and tamper with the brass a little to make things perfect after the first shot.

Unprimed brass is somewhat cheaper and you don’t have to make any changes to the brass itself.

Conclusion
Reloading brass is an essential tool for reloading your own ammunition because it holds the primer and bullet. Some people think that it’s an easy choice, but the truth is that there are dozens of brands and variations out there and it can get difficult when looking for the best one. If you consider these four areas, then it should be much easier to find the perfect brass for your needs.