I've read that this is not very good brass for reloading.  How bad is it?

I have some hxp and ppu but I also have some S&B. Some of the S&B was shot new in my SMLE and some in my No.4.  I did full length size about 20 I shot in my SMLE and then shot it in my No.4 also without incident.  But it worries me.  However, I didn't really want to trash it if I could get a few reloads out of it.  I expect to be building an annealer within the next couple of months but do not have one at the moment.  I do have a broken she!! extractor.  I have a lee die set, as well as a lee collet neck sizing die.

I will also wind up with a little winchester and remington brass once I shoot it the first time.  How are those for reloading.

Thoughts?

S&B problems were non standard primer pockets & hard, brittle brass.

Notice the use of "were".

I've heard some rumors of that not being so anymore, but can't personally verify.

Oh yeah! I forgot about the primer pockets.  When I prepped some of those I'd previously shot in my SMLE for the No.4, the primer pockets were a pain.  Normally when I prep primer pockets, I use a lyman reamer if the primers were crimped and then a lyman pocket uniformer.  If doing more than a few, I unscrew the cutters from the handles and chuck them in my rechargeable drill.  There was no problem doing this with the hxp brass.  But with the S&B, which don't have crimps, I was just going to use the uniformer.  The pockets were tight and shallow and I guess the uniformer would just bite in and grab.  I got several cuts.  So then I went back with the reamer, which helped, but it was still an ordeal to get them done.  But I can soldier on and prep the rest.

The S&B I have were some I bought maybe 2-3 years ago, by the way.

Edit:  The S&B that I have is in the green and yellow box, which looks sort of like the green and yellow Remington core lokt boxes.  It could have been older stock.  It came from a pawn and gun shop and someone had told me they got it from an estate or an older man, I forget which.  The newer S&B boxes are black with a dark forest scene with gold script.

1)  The brand-new no-name Canadian brass made by Imperial?  CIL? for the Canadian Rangers who have recently changed over to 7.62 NATO.  I've found limited quantities of this excellent brass on line.  No manufacturer's stamp just .303 British, usually pre-primed with a green annular ring.

2)  HXP and Winchester (tie)

3)  Federal and PPU

4)  S&B  

I've come to this conclusion based on thousands of reloads looking at accuracy, longevity, and primer fit.