How Many Times Can I Re-Use .357 Magnum Brass?

Question

I've just purchased a S&W 340PD. In order to feed it, I'm going to have to be as economical as possible, which means I'll be reloading.

However, I've only got experience reloading .45 ACP, which is a much lower pressure round, which means the brass pretty much lasts forever. Not so with the .357, I've been told.

So how many times CAN I reload .357 brass? And how do I know when it's not fit to be used anymore?

I'd also like to know the same about .38 Special brass, if you don't mind.

Answer 1

With that flyweight M-340, you won't have to worry about case life. Unless you are a real glutton for punishment, most of your shooting will be done with .38 SPL level reloads. (My M-640 weighs a good 10 ounces more and recoil with full-power .357 Mag loads is still pretty rough.) Even with heavy .357 loads, a dozen or more reloads is not out of the ordinary. I have some .357 brass that has been loaded 20 times or more.

Now about nickel-plated brass and .38 SPL loading. Nearly 30 years ago, Guns & Ammo did an article about brass life. They decided to test load to see just how often a piece of brass could be reloaded. They chose 100 pieces each of Federal (I think) brand brass and nickel-plated cartridges, and selected a mid-range load using 158 gr. LRN bullets. IIRC, cases were trimmed after every 10 reloadings, and of course inspected at every reloading.. Most failures were from split case mouths, but a few burned through the side. The winner? The last cartridge case still standing was a nickel-plated case that was still in usable condition after 143, yes, I said ONE HUNDRED-FORTY-THREE, reloadings.

I generally reserve my nickel-plated cases for heavy loads, and I have some .38 brass that has been reloaded 50 or more times.

If you use maximum loadings, you will have a higher case mortality level, but if you keep your loads to a mid-range, they last a long time.

Doc

Answer 2

357 Magnum Brass

Answer 3

Here's an addendum. Take the 357 brass with a split neck and trim it to 38 special length. With the three cartridges that use this case head and the .357 diameter bullet you could get a case to last maybe 1000 rounds. If you anneal the brass after 10 shots and trim past any splits, adjusting the charge based off of the length of brass you are using. A case could last a long time. Have a bag of 100. It could last your grand kids lifetimes.
I Firmly believe that the last bullet fired by the last person on earth will be a 357 magnum case trimmed to 38 long colt length and using a cast lead bullet made of salvaged lead using homemade black powder and a match head primer. Now whether he is firing at aliens, new world order troops, a fellow man, an animal, or is a curator in a museum demonstrating the archaic way that humans used to live.

Cheers!

Answer 4

357 Brass

Answer 5

First off, Grizzly already gave you all the info you need, but here's my two cents. I've reloaded 38 and 357 for a long time, and he's absolutely right about the nickel plated cases and how they don't last. Sure, they clean up nice and pretty after a minute in the tumbler, but they will split after a little use. Keep your cases trimmed to the right length, and check for split cases. Thats the most common problem I've found. Usually a split will happen at the front of the case where the bullet seats, and most of mine were around 1/8th inch long. Just pitch the case in the trash. Sites like MidwayUSA always have lots of reloading goodies and 357 brass isn't expensive, so just buy more when you need to.

Answer 6

I just reloaded 1 piece of brass 11 times with h-110 (real magnum power). I got tired of walking back and forth from my range to my reloading shed. There was a small crack noticed after about five rounds which could only be seen with the smaller glass on a magnifying glass. It was decided to keep shooting with a close inspection every time, the size of the crack never changed in length or width that I could tell. It was located about 1/4 way down from case mouth. In my opinion the crack probably happened earlier due to resizing and not from high pressure. Sometimes it took 2 to 3 shots before any trimming needed done and then it was only very small amounts. Most of the failures I ve seen with 38/357 is case mouth splits , probably due to belling/crimping.

Answer 7

As long as brass is cleaned and kept trimmed to length, it can be reloaded until it suffers from any of several types of structural failure, such as split case mouths, case head separation, or primer pocket distortion.
This goes for ANY cartridge case, no matter what caliber it is, .38, .357, .45, or any other.
One major note, first and foremost. If you are going for maximum longevity, whether you buy loaded ammo or new, unfired brass, buy BRASS cases, NOT NICKLED, as the process of nickle plating heats and hardens the brass, which makes it more brittle, and greatly shortens the number of times the brass can be resized and reloaded.
I have batches of military surplus cases(that have thicker case walls than commercial brass) that I reload strictly with low-pressure target loads, and have reloaded them 15+ times and they are still good.
I've also saved Mega-bucks by casting my own target slugs, but most indoor ranges won't allow use of lead slugs anymore, due to supposed 'lead pollution'.

Answer 8

Until they start showing signs of physical flaws in the brass itself*....

Answer 9

Not much of a reloadin expert. I would say at least 5 times if it is good brass.