How Many Times Can You Reload .454 Casull Brass

[Quick Draw McGraw]

Just curious what you guys think. I have some brass that has already been reloaded 4 times, and I'm wondering if I'm risking a problem. When should I just pitch it even if there are no visual signs?

[Ken O'Neill]

All my .454 brass was fired in FAs with their tight chambers. I don't know anything about what to expect from a Taurus or Ruger. I never threw any away unless I saw splitting at the case mouths. I always used a very heavy roll crimp, which can work the brass enough to induce case mouth splits or soften the brass enough to allow a weak crimp. Yes, you could trim, anneal, or tighten the crimp for those cases, but I never bothered. I wanted the same seating and crimping for all cases. Some of my cases were loaded a lot more than 4 times, with no problems.

[magnumwheelman]

it probably depends a lot on how hot you're loading, & the gun / chambers you're shooting them in, & the brand of the brass being used... have you had to trim the cases much??? ( is the brass flowing ) if so, look for case head separation... ( bright line inside the case, or you may feel them with a dental pick )... I would think most would likely have case mouth cracking issues mentioned by Ken above from heavier crimps, when they start getting brittle... or if you are seeing pressure variances from inconsistent crimps ( accuracy is likely falling off a bit at that point ) you may even experience the primer pockets loosening up, at the pressure the Casull is capable of...

I'd think 4-6 times would be all I'd expect from my cases, but I load about 3/4 of the way up the pressure scale... when I load Casull, I'm after more than the 45 Colt ( or what is the point ), but I'm not a fan of the abusive muzzle blast of the full house loads...

[Quick Draw McGraw]

Thanks guys. I think I am going to call them toast after 5 loads if there are no visual signs. That is plenty of use for a good case.