Thread: Smith and wesson 308 brass

Thanks @grandpamac. There is new brass available and I will probably go down that route. I personally feel he is asking too much and I have doubts about it as it is quite old.

Originally Posted by 300wsm for life

Thanks @grandpamac. There is new brass available and I will probably go down that route. I personally feel he is asking too much and I have doubts about it as it is quite old.

That would be a wsie more I was given some 1980's vintage once fire Sako .222 Rem cases some of the necks split on resizing, Old brass is not worth anything it goes brittle with age unless packed and stored properly.

Originally Posted by shooternz

That would be a wsie more I was given some 1980's vintage once fire Sako .222 Rem cases some of the necks split on resizing, Old brass is not worth anything it goes brittle with age unless packed and stored properly.

Ok full discloser. I know SFA about reloading but like to think I have a few clues about metals, and nothing supports this statement at all. The brass used in ammo is not a precipitation ageing alloy which is the only way any metal can magically get harder without mechanical work or heat treatment (not necessarily talking about brass here) and others like hydrogen embrittlement or nitriding are not relevant.
Other possibilities like corrosion from not storing clean and dry are fair enough but not age.

So, IMHO if someone has some old brass (80s for example) that you know for a fact has only been once fired and is free from any corrosion then use it. Unless in the last 40 years they have tweaked the brass alloy used (which is possible), it should be no different than one fired last week.

Originally Posted by Got-ya

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Ok full discloser. I know SFA about reloading but like to think I have a few clues about metals, and nothing supports this statement at all. The brass used in ammo is not a precipitation ageing alloy which is the only way any metal can magically get harder without mechanical work or heat treatment (not necessarily talking about brass here) and others like hydrogen embrittlement or nitriding are not relevant.
Other possibilities like corrosion from not storing clean and dry are fair enough but not age.

So, IMHO if someone has some old brass (80s for example) that you know for a fact has only been once fired and is free from any corrosion then use it. Unless in the last 40 years they have tweaked the brass alloy used (which is possible), it should be no different than one fired last week.

Greetings @Got-ya,
That is the theory but in the real world the cracking of even once fired brass due to age is well known and often referred to as season cracking. Brass cartridge cases, and especially fired ones, are seldom stored in ideal conditions and the annual cycles of heat and cold may have an effect. @shooternz had problems with 40 year old once fired Sako brass cracking when sized. I recently loaded some Sako once fired brass that was likely approaching 50 years old which I neck annealed before sizing with no problems. Samples of one do not prove much but this is in line with my experience over the years.
Getting back to the OP's question, as far as I can determine, Smith and Wesson only offered ammo with their head stamp for a short time and it is unlikely that it manufactured its own cases. I stand by my earlier comment that it was only worth bothering with if it was virtually free and thinking back, not even then. The four S & W .308 cases remaining in my stash will be kept as they are uncommon and had been fired in a H & K grooved semi auto chamber but things would need to be dire before they are loaded again.
Regards Grandpamac.