What is the easiest and best way to determine if a brass casing is once fired?
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What is the easiest and best way to determine if a brass casing is once fired?
Spent primer, no powder and bullet would indicate it's been fired at least once. Beyond that I don't know of any way to determine definitely that it hasn't been fired more than that. If it's milsurp the primer will be swaged in and that's pretty indicative that it's once fired as I don't know anybody, even remans that would recrimp the primer. The majority but not all primers for reloading are nickel plated while manufacturers of loaded ammo don't typically have bright shiny nickel plated primers, so I spose a silver colored primer might be a sign of at least one or more reloadings.
Federal uses a blue primer sealant. So on FC cases, if there is still blue around the primer, it will be once fired.
Like Mauser said, crimped primers on certain brass is also a sign.
JTD