Odd occurrence but something to watch out for.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

This evening I was getting some 38 spl cases out for reloading in the morning. I pulled 150 of them out of a container that I was using to hold about 500 rounds. The brass was some of mine, and some that had been given to me by various people. As I was counting one fell on the floor and when I picked it up I couldn't help but notice that it was already primed. I looked through the whole container and found 9 primed cases. The primers were not factory primers.

I have no idea where they came from. I know (am reasonably sure) that they didn't come from me. I guess they were in with some of the gift brass.

The moral of the story is:

Always check everything. Assume nothing. Double Check everything.

Alan

[M99ER]

Alright. I'm going to make you eat your words already. :D

You say:

The moral of the story is:
Always check everything. Assume nothing. Double Check everything.
And:

and some that had been given to me by various people.
plus:

The primers were not factory primers.
So you are saying that you have some brass from other people of unknown origin but you assume it is not factory primers. Now let me say this: You can buy factory primed brass any day of the week... So why couldn't it be factory primed brass that was given to you?

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

two were stainless cases and the rest were brass. All cases showed die marks from having been reloaded once before. The Primers in all cases were stainless (color). I guess they could have been primed factory cases. I wish I knew who it was from, I'd get them to give me some more.

Alan

[Badger]

Alan,

I am very careful who gives me brass and I segregate it all by placing ALL lots in zip lock plastic bags and I label each bag with date and donor information. It seems you comingled lots of brass and now do not have a clue where it came from. That would not happen under my roof. We either have ORDER or DISORDER. Sort out your procedures to preclude future surprises.

Badger

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

What you're saying is entirely true Badger and there is some brass that I keep very close tabs on. 38 spl is not one of them. There are about five guys that save their brass for me. It goes in a five # coffee can until it's full. Then it either gets stored or sorted by make and type (brass vs Nickel plt.). I used to go through and sort and sort and sort and sort and have hundreds of rounds in various stages, some sized, some de-primed, boxes of primed brass ready for charging. But then I decided that I already had one full time job and the brass sorting was turning into another, especially when ammo was cheap and my friends were burning up a couple hundred rounds a month, each. I've got a bushel fruit box full of 38 spl and one of 357. Then I have 5 # coffee cans full of loose brass of each. 30-06, 30-30, and 270 take up substantial space as well. I wouldn't even attempt to sort it all.

When I get ready to load some rounds, then I sort what I need and keep track of it after that if it's something that I want to keep track of. 38 spl is not one of those. Since I cast my bullets, have thousands of cases, enough powder to load it all several times over, my cost is my time and the primer. That makes my 38 spl loads nearly as cheap as 22 lr ammo. This stuff is for shooting cans and making dust spots in the road.

#1 son was sitting out the watching me today and was telling me that he wanted to get his press set up and start loading. I told him to start working the handle on my press while I swapped the cases in and out sizing and then de-priming. I told him that before he did anything he needed to come over and help me for a couple of thousand rounds and I would try to tell him what I was doing. As I was explaining the procedures it occurred to me that I was leaving a lot of explanation out of the lesson. Then I realized that there is a lot of stuff I do without even thinking about it. I've been reloading pretty steady for 40 years. I started when I was 14 on my dad's Herters press with my loading bench in my closet. I guess I was a gun Geek when I was a kid. My fingers can pick up a split neck that my eyes won't catch I can feel the primer if it's not seated to depth and I do these things automatically. I'm sure lots of long-time re-loaders do the same things.

I throw a lot of brass away. If it is the least bit suspect, crunch and clang, it goes in the old spittoon I use for a brass catcher. The last batch I took to the salvage yard fetched me $45 (about two years accumulation).

There is certainly wisdom in your words and it is the same advice I would give to any newbie to reloading. I don't know where those nine cases came from but it was sure a surprise to me and I thought I would post it as something that others could watch out for, which would make your method a very good way to do things.

Have a great day tomorrow.

Alan

[Fuzzball3]

Your "stainless" cases are nickel plated brass.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Yes they are. I catch a lot of flack for calling a deer's back leg a ham too. Old habits die hard.

Alan

[Altjaeger]

Yes they are. I catch a lot of flack for calling a deer's back leg a ham too. Old habits die hard.

Alan

I am not sure what they call them up north but in Texas they are hams!:D

[BF Arky]

Thanks for the Howdy Alan. Good to be remembered. It has been years since I was on here. Finally got a chance to come back.

BFA