How many times to use 45 LC cases...?

[Stargazer]

Guys I know this has probably already been asked but how many times do you reuse your 45 Long Colt cases? I have used (3) different brands of cases so far, Win, MagTech and RP. RP is by far the thinnest of the three with Winchester being the thickest.

How many times do you use a 45 LC case that has been fired in a Ruger BH using hot loads? Only once and then go to lighter loads with them or 2-3 times then pitch them?

 

[garbageman]

I just started loading fofor the .45 Colt so can't give you a count on how many licks it takes to get to the center of that tootsie roll pop.

But as for .38 Spl. and .45 ACP, I shoot them till they split or show other signs of massive wear; (i.e. primer holes wollowed out, deformations in sides, bulges, etc.).

I would think the .45 Colt would be just the same.

At least that is the way I will treat mine.

 

[Mal H]

I would think the .45 Colt would be just the same.

As far as I'm concerned, it is. I shoot/reload .45 Colt cases until they show any sign of failure. I don't keep track of how many times each case is used (some do), but I'm sure it's well over 10 times each.

 

[WIL TERRY]

My First Lot Of W-w 45colt Brass From 1971 Is Still In Use As We Speak !!!

There were 250 cases in that lot and all are still in use after umteen firings with 454424 262gr bullets riding 18.5gr of 2400 powder from a RUGER BLACKHAWK 45COLT sixgun. When one finally gives up the ghost it'll get tossed and not a minute before.And I will go on using that lot of brass untill they all quit. It may be a long wait as thousands of 45COLT brass from R-P, Federal, Starline, CORBON, and another company that evades my memory have joined the club here on the high plains.
QUIT WORRYING ABOUT HOW LONG BRASS WILL LAST AS IT REALLY DOES NOT MATTER; IT IS AN EXPENDABLE COMMODITY.

 

[Stargazer]

I wasn't worried about the life of the cases from a "cost" standpoint but rather from it "coming apart in my face" standpoint. The 18.5 2400 load sounds like a stout one and if yours have lasted that long mine should go that far as well.

 

[Mal H]

I [was] worried ... [about] it "coming apart in my face"

Seriously, don't worry too much about that happening. Most often when there is a rapid disassembly of a firearm, it is almost always the firearm's fault and not a worn out case - excessive headspace, unsupported chambers, obstructions in the barrel, etc.

When a case fails during firing, it most often results in a split in the sidewall. You don't even notice it until you examine the case later. If you start to see shiny rings around the case web, you need to look carefully at the pistol, not necessarily the cases themselves.