How long do you re-use a piece of brass

sfguard said:

So, how many times do you re-load a piece of brass before getting rid of it. Myself I don't have a set number on brass. I re-load it until I find something wrong with the case. Split loose primer fit or whatever. I have heard of others marking the brass and only using it so many times. (3 or 4 is common) What about you how many times do you re-load a piece of brass? Is there any particular reason if you have a number of times?

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You hit it right on the head, thats how I do it too.

I've got some .38 Special brass that's probably been reoladed 50 times. I annealed that batch sometime in the 1980's when the necks started to crack, and have been shooting & reloading them ever since. They seem to be immortal.
In the case of .45 ACP, and autoloading cases generally, what seems to be hardest on a low-pressure round is just being hammered through the action. I had an old batch of ACP cases I finally discarded when the headstamps were pretty much peened off just by the action of the pistol loading and ejecting them.
High pressure autoloading cases like .40 S&W are another story. Evidently I haven't been shooting .40 long enough to see any case failures, because no problems yet.

I have some 38 and 357 brass that I have reloaded about 40 times already....as long as the mouths don't split or crack and the primers
still fit ok....keep on going.