Brass Information

What Does “Once-Fired Brass” Mean?

Once-fired brass, commonly abbreviated as OFB, is an ammunition and reloading industry term used to describe cartridge cases that have previously been fired and recovered for reuse or resale.

Although the term includes the word “once,” it does not guarantee that every case has been fired exactly one time. Cartridge cases do not contain a firing counter, and it is generally impossible to determine the exact number of times an individual case has been loaded and fired.

All previously fired cases are commonly described as once-fired brass. The industry does not normally classify cases as “second-fired” or “third-fired” brass.

Reloaders seeking cases with no previous firing history should purchase new, unfired brass.

Where Does Our Brass Come From?

US Reloading Supply obtains cartridge cases from commercial, public, law enforcement, and other shooting ranges, as well as individual brass suppliers throughout the United States.

Range rules or policies prohibiting reloaded ammunition do not guarantee that every recovered case was fired only once. For that reason, USRS does not claim that every case has been fired exactly one time.

Mixed-Headstamp Brass

Unless specifically stated otherwise, standard USRS brass products are sold as mixed headstamp. Mixed-headstamp products may contain cases made by multiple manufacturers and produced during different manufacturing periods.

Mixed-headstamp brass is commonly used for training, recreational shooting, competition, and general-purpose ammunition. Reloaders seeking greater consistency may choose to sort cases by manufacturer, headstamp, weight, or lot before loading.

Commercial and Military Brass

Depending on the caliber and composition of a particular batch, products may contain both commercial and military cases. Military brass may include primer-pocket crimps or other manufacturing features requiring additional preparation.

Unless a product is specifically advertised as commercial-only, military-only, Lake City, or another sorted selection, customers should expect the possibility of mixed case types.

Receiving and Initial Inspection

When brass arrives at USRS, it receives an initial general inspection while being loaded into our processing equipment. Large debris, shotgun shells, and other obvious unwanted materials are removed during this stage.

Trommel Processing

The brass is run through a trommel to remove loose dirt, smaller debris, many rimfire cases, and steel cases. Aluminum cases and other unwanted materials are also removed as they are identified throughout the sorting process.

Sorting by Diameter and Case Type

After trommel processing, cases are separated by body or rim diameter using roll-sorting equipment. The resulting groups follow different processing paths depending on the calibers contained within them.

Many groups are then processed through additional equipment that helps separate rifle cases from pistol cases and distinguish empty cartridge cases from some loaded ammunition.

Sorting by Case Length

USRS uses proprietary SnapSorter equipment designed and built in-house to separate cartridge cases by length. The exact sorting sequence varies depending on the caliber group being processed.

Cleaning, Drying, and Polishing

Most washed and polished brass is cleaned using an industrial wet-cleaning process, rinsed with clean water, and then dried and polished in heated corncob media.

The corncob media distributes a very light protective coating that helps the brass retain its shine and resist rapid tarnishing during storage. Finished brass feels clean and dry, without a noticeable surface film.

Hand Sorting and Inspection

Following the mechanical sorting and cleaning stages, brass is hand-sorted and inspected before being offered for sale.

High-volume pistol calibers are generally inspected in batches on a sorting table, where visibly damaged, defective, contaminated, or severely discolored cases are removed. Most rifle cases are examined individually because of their greater variety and the types of defects commonly encountered.

Every order is handled by a person before it leaves our facility.

Review the Individual Product Information

Many USRS caliber pages contain several individual products representing different processing levels, pack sizes, case materials, or specialty selections.

Always review the individual product title and Short Description before ordering. Those areas identify the pack size, condition, processing level, and other details specific to that SKU.

Unit of Issue and Pack Size

The product title or Unit of Issue identifies how many cases are included in each package. Depending on the product, a package may contain one case, an unusual exact quantity, or several hundred cases.

Website inventory quantities generally represent the number of packages available—not the total number of individual cases. For example, a quantity of 10 for a product labeled “Pk/100” represents ten packages containing 100 cases each.

Overpack Policy

Most once-fired brass orders include approximately 2–3% additional brass. Once-fired brass is a previously used product, and while we work hard to maintain high quality standards, no inspection process is perfect.

We also recognize that every reloader’s inspection standards and intended use may differ. The additional cases help compensate for the occasional case that may not meet our quality standards or the customer’s individual expectations.

Specialty products, rare cases, and products sold in unusual or exact-count quantities may not include additional cases. Review the individual product information for details.

Stock Photographs

Product photographs are representative examples. Actual headstamps, case coloration, primer appearance, and minor cosmetic characteristics may vary from the photograph.

Some cases may arrive deprimed regardless of the stock photograph, unless the product specifically guarantees a particular primer condition.

Mixed Headstamps and Case Variations

Unless specifically stated otherwise, USRS does not sort standard products by manufacturer, headstamp, case length, flash-hole diameter, primer size, or primer-pocket crimp.

Some calibers may contain cases using different primer sizes or flash-hole dimensions. Every case should be checked before processing.

Dirty Brass

Dirty brass is sold with minimal processing and may contain dirt, residue, tarnish, damaged cases, unwanted materials, or other imperfections that would normally be removed during our standard sorting and cleaning process.

Customers purchasing dirty or bulk unsorted brass should expect to perform additional sorting, cleaning, inspection, and case preparation.

Inspect Every Case

Every cartridge case must be thoroughly inspected before reloading. This requirement applies regardless of whether the case is new, once-fired, processed, or previously reloaded.

USRS uses multiple mechanical and manual sorting stages, but no inspection process can guarantee that every defect, incorrect caliber, unusual case variation, or unwanted item will be identified.

The final inspection must always be performed by the individual assembling the ammunition.

Verify the Caliber

Cases with similar dimensions can occasionally become mixed during range collection and processing. Verify the cartridge designation and case dimensions before running brass through reloading equipment.

Resize With Your Equipment

Unless the individual product is specifically sold as Fully Processed, customers should expect to resize the brass using their own dies before loading.

Resizing with the reloader’s equipment helps establish dimensions and consistency appropriate for that loading setup and firearm.

Inspect Primer Pockets and Flash Holes

Verify primer-pocket size, primer condition, flash-hole diameter, and the presence of any primer crimp before depriming or priming.

Using an oversized decapping pin in a smaller flash hole may damage or break the pin.

Live or Unfired Primers

An unfired primer may occasionally remain in recovered range brass. Fired and unfired primers should both be handled cautiously, because a primer may ignite and cause serious injury.

Residue remaining inside a fired case may also be combustible. Use appropriate care when handling, cleaning, depriming, or processing previously fired cartridge cases.

Discard Questionable Cases

If a case appears unsafe, excessively damaged, severely corroded, unusually deformed, or otherwise questionable, do not load it. The value of one cartridge case is never worth risking personal injury or damage to a firearm or reloading tool.

Boxer and Berdan Primer Systems

Most reloadable cartridge cases used in the United States employ Boxer primer pockets with one central flash hole. Standard reloading equipment is generally designed around Boxer-primed cases.

Berdan-primed cases normally contain two or more offset flash holes and an integral anvil within the primer pocket. They require different depriming methods, primers, and equipment.

Berdan-primed brass is separated and identified whenever it is intentionally offered as a product.

Primer-Pocket Size Variations

Do not assume that every case bearing the same cartridge designation uses the same primer size.

Examples include .45 ACP cases produced with either Large Pistol or Small Pistol primer pockets and certain rifle cases produced with alternate primer-pocket configurations.

Always verify primer-pocket size before attempting to seat a primer.

Primer-Pocket Crimps

Military and some commercial cartridge cases may contain circular or staked primer-pocket crimps. A primer crimp is a manufacturing feature intended to help retain the primer and is not considered a defect.

After the spent primer is removed, the crimp generally must be swaged or reamed before a replacement primer can be seated properly.

Flash-Hole Variations

Flash-hole diameter can vary between manufacturers and product lines. Some cases use smaller-than-typical flash holes and may require a smaller decapping pin.

If unusual resistance is encountered during depriming, stop and inspect the case rather than forcing the decapping pin through the flash hole.

Manufacturer and Lot Variations

Case dimensions, primer-pocket configurations, flash-hole sizes, internal capacity, and other characteristics can vary by manufacturer, product line, and production lot.

Internationally produced cases may also follow standards or manufacturing practices different from those commonly encountered in the United States.

Reloaders should inspect and sort cases according to the consistency required for their intended use.

Bent Case Mouths

Minor mouth deformation is common in recovered range brass. In many cases, a properly designed sizing or expander die will return the mouth to a usable shape during normal case preparation.

Cases with severely crushed, folded, cracked, or split mouths should be discarded.

Learn more about bent case mouths.

Minor Dents and Dings

Small dents and handling marks are common in once-fired brass. Minor imperfections may be reduced during resizing or corrected when the case is fired again.

Deep dents, sharp creases, cracks, or deformation affecting the structural integrity of the case should be treated more cautiously.

Discoloration and Tarnish

Brass naturally changes color as it is exposed to moisture, residue, air, and environmental conditions. Tarnish or cosmetic discoloration does not automatically make a case unusable.

Severe corrosion, pitting, unusual deposits, or discoloration suggesting chemical damage may be grounds for rejection.

Water Spots and Cleaning Marks

Washed brass may occasionally show minor water spots, media dust, or other cosmetic marks. These do not necessarily affect reloadability.

Sealant and Residue

Military and defensive ammunition may use sealant around the primer or case mouth. Traces of colored sealant may remain after firing and cleaning.

Case Bulges

Some pistol cases fired in partially unsupported chambers may develop a bulge near the base. These are sometimes called “Glock bulges,” although similar deformation can occur in firearms produced by other manufacturers.

Minor bulges may be corrected during conventional resizing. More pronounced bulges may require push-through sizing or roll sizing.

Unless a product is specifically sold as Roll-Sized or Fully Processed, customers should expect to perform the case preparation appropriate for their equipment and intended use.

Damaged Rims and Extractor Marks

Minor extractor marks and slight rim deformation may be present in range brass. Cases with damage likely to interfere with reliable feeding, extraction, or shellholder engagement should be discarded.

Processing Levels Vary by Product

Not every caliber is offered in every processing level. Always review the individual product title and Short Description before ordering.

Roll-Sized Is Not Fully Processed

Roll sizing and full processing are different product options.

Roll-sized brass has completed the roll-sizing step only. Unless specifically stated otherwise, it may still require depriming, resizing with the customer’s dies, and primer-pocket preparation.

Customers seeking brass that has completed the additional processing steps should select a product specifically identified as Fully Processed.

Specialty Cases Require Additional Attention

Not every cartridge case encountered during sorting is made from conventional cartridge brass or designed for standard Boxer reloading equipment.

Always identify the case material, primer system, and construction before attempting to reload it.

NAS3 Cases

NAS3 cases are a specialty case design produced by Shell Shock Technologies. They use a multi-piece construction rather than the conventional one-piece cartridge-brass design.

According to the manufacturer, NAS3 cases are lighter than conventional brass cases, resist corrosion, and are designed to be reloadable using the manufacturer’s specialized reloading dies and procedures.

NAS3 cases should not be processed as ordinary one-piece brass without first reviewing the case manufacturer’s current instructions and equipment requirements.

Berdan-Primed Cases

Berdan-primed cases require different depriming tools and primers than conventional Boxer-primed cases. Attempting to decap them with a standard central decapping pin may damage the tool or case.

Steel Cases

Steel cartridge cases differ from conventional brass in material properties, resizing behavior, coatings, and potential reloadability. Some reloaders process certain steel cases, but they should not be treated as ordinary cartridge brass.

Aluminum Cases

Many aluminum cartridge cases are intended for one-time use and are not designed for conventional reloading. They are separated from standard brass during our sorting process.

Nickel-Plated Cases

Nickel-plated cases are conventional cartridge cases with a nickel surface coating. They can generally be reloaded using the same equipment as unplated brass when they pass inspection.

Nickel plating may improve corrosion resistance and make cases easier to identify, but the plating can eventually crack, flake, or wear through after repeated use.