Just wondering, how do the rest of you separate your brass for reloading? I separate by manufacturer and the number of times they've been fired.

Just by headstamp for me. I dont worry about # of times loaded. Just do a visual insp of every piece when i load.

I sort some loads by headstamp. But some like the 45 ACP and 9mm I just throw in a pail and grab a handfull.

So, do you think it's a bit much if I separate based on number of firings?

I do that as well. With my hunting rounds I start with a small batch and once I start seeing signs I dump the rest. I use only virgin or factory that I have fired myself in my hunting loads. With the 45's and 9's I shoot until the 1K is done then recycle. I have an IN and an OUT pail so I'm able to keep a count ;-)

I haven't reloaded long enough to require throwing away that many yet. I think so far I've only managed a blown primer and five crushed shoulders, all 270s. Well, I did have that one 9mm blow up on me, but that was a factory load.

Depends on how much you are interested in "target" loads. I usually load in batches of 100 and when that batch has started showing signs of fatigue I throw away the whole batch and start with another. All my loads are hunting loads and 95% of the brass for each cartridge is of the same headstamp.

A lot of brass I have is from factory rounds I'd saved up in the years prior to getting into handloading. I'm not terribly interested in match grade accuracy, but I'd prefer to keep as safe as possible. I figured sorting by number of firings would allow me to know when to toss that lot if more than a few cases showed excessive wear.

My hunting brass is sorted by caliber.

I stop loading it if it splits. I've had some split at 3 reloads and some at 12. I don't get too wrapped up or OCD on hunting brass, especially straight wall. Right or wrong, it's worked for me for 28 years.

Now if you're planning on making shots like Ernie (800-1200 yards), the OCD comes into play then.

That's just my $0.02; and with the value of todays dollar; that's not much.

+1 KRal (again. are you sure you are not a yankee from down east?) since i only reload for handgun is the 44mag, and use the same bullet,powder, charge,and primer for everything i dont do anything. when brass gets real dirty i through them in the tumbler. when it splits cracks ect i throw it away. i dont load all that hot. if i need more i'll get a bigger gun

Good question ... I have a few hundred rounds of once fired factory brass in 44 mag. Hornaday , remington, federal, magtech, winchester. Should I seperate by manufacturer. Is there a big difference in dimension that would require adjustment in crimp settings?

If you measure the wall thickness you will see some minor differences. Not enough to cause any significent issues but enough that I load the same for my serious stuff. I know of one guy who had Hornady 45 Colt dies that wouldn't size his brass down enough to get good neck tension. He called Hornady and they blamed his brass, which I believe was Winchester. I stay away from Hornady dies because of his experience.

so would you say its a brass issue or a die issue?

I blame the size die. My RCBS die sizes the same brass smaller than his Hornady does. I have had zero issues with sizing any cases.

Ok now that makes things a little more clear.

But the point is there are differences and those could have an effect on performance, even with these short fat slow ballers. Heavy loads need a good consistant crimp, but for light plinking I don't think it really matters that much.

This is what I do.