best reloading brass

[wheels]

looking for brass ideas for my dads 30-338 i use lapua in my 30-06 but the 338 win mag case he necks down is way different then 338 lapua any suggestions thanks

 

[cahunter805]

I’d look at Nosler brass for the 338. If you want cheaper then Rem brass has been pretty good.

 

[Don Fischer]

There is no best I don't think. There's what some people like and other's don't!

 

[Millsworks]

I can attest that some brass lasts longer, and has more or less case capacity.
In magnums, the Winchester brass has great case capacity, is relatively softer than many in the neck and shoulder areas, and the primer pockets don't wear out quick.
They are not the best in consistency though, and must be sorted and properly prepped, even as new. But I think they are a good choice for affordable brass that lasts.
Especially after putting a lot of effort into fire forming and annealing.

 

[std7mag]

I'm cheap.
Well i have expensive tastes, my wallet is cheap. Lol
Been using PPU casings for pretty much everything past few years.
Except my 284 Win. They don't make for that.

 

[ImBillT]

RWS is the most uniform and reasonably hard and long lasting, but very expensive.

Lapua and Winchester are both very hard and if you anneal your necks ever 3-4 firings will both last forever, but Winchester doesn’t anneal the necks, so if you don’t anneal every 3-4 firings Winchester necks will crack far earlier than Lapua. Lapua, while not as uniform as RWS is far more uniform than Winchester.

Norma/Nosler(prepped and weight sorted Norma) is a little soft so it won’t last long if you run at high pressures, but at low pressures they’ll last a very long time. The necks are annealed from the factory and the softer brass will also give you more loads before the necks split. You can ruin primer pockets before your primers start showing pressure signs, so look for ejector marks when working up a load. Certain standard cartridges(6.5-284 comes to mind) and the magnums come with harder brass to handle the higher SAMMI pressure specs. Norma is slightly more uniform than Lapua, and because Nosler preps it and weight sorts it, the Nosler brass is even more uniform(although they don’t do what I consider a full prep, and after fully prepping the weight sorting disperses a little. If you’re going to weight sort, you should fully prep first), but almost double the price of Norma I don’t think the price is quite worth it for Nosler brass.

Personally, I don’t have any use for any other brands of brass because they are generally far inferior to the above.

 

[antelopedundee]

RWS is the most uniform and reasonably hard and long lasting, but very expensive.

Lapua and Winchester are both very hard and if you anneal your necks ever 3-4 firings will both last forever, but Winchester doesn’t anneal the necks, so if you don’t anneal every 3-4 firings Winchester necks will crack far earlier than Lapua. Lapua, while not as uniform as RWS is far more uniform than Winchester.

Norma/Nosler(prepped and weight sorted Norma) is a little soft so it won’t last long if you run at high pressures, but at low pressures they’ll last a very long time. The necks are annealed from the factory and the softer brass will also give you more loads before the necks split. You can ruin primer pockets before your primers start showing pressure signs, so look for ejector marks when working up a load. Certain standard cartridges(6.5-284 comes to mind) and the magnums come with harder brass to handle the higher SAMMI pressure specs. Norma is slightly more uniform than Lapua, and because Nosler preps it and weight sorts it, the Nosler brass is even more uniform(although they don’t do what I consider a full prep, and after fully prepping the weight sorting disperses a little. If you’re going to weight sort, you should fully prep first), but almost double the price of Norma I don’t think the price is quite worth it for Nosler brass.

Personally, I don’t have any use for any other brands of brass because they are generally far inferior to the above.

Nosler prepped brass does not include turning the necks.

 

[ImBillT]

Nosler prepped brass does not include turning the necks.

Correct. If you’re not turning, then it’s about what you’d get doing it on your own, and the weight will be more uniform than if you used the same amount of Norma. You can get a lot more Norma for the same price, then you do have a little bit of work ahead of you, but after weight sorting you have more brass. It’s not nearly as much as trying to get Winchester uniform, if that’s important to you.

If you’re not turning necks, RWS is pretty much grab and shoot, it’s not much more expensive than Nosler, and it lasts longer. It’s a shame that it’s not more abundant and doesn’t offer as many cartridge choices.

 

[antelopedundee]

What gets me is going to a place that carries new brass and looking for .25-06 and nary a case in the store, but they have odd $hit like .303 British or .25-35 Winchester. Who buys that odd crap?

 

[Ben Lamb]

What gets me is going to a place that carries new brass and looking for .25-06 and nary a case in the store, but they have odd $hit like .303 British or .25-35 Winchester. Who buys that odd crap?

303 & 25-35 have more guns in production than the 25-06. So I think that they, based on volume of sales, are more popular than your sub-caliber spitfire.

It could be worse. You could be buying stuff at $9 a case.

Or$3.35 per piece.

As for the "best" brass, as others have said, it's pretty much an individual's choice. I've had great success with RP (Remington) and WW (Winchester) brass for standard and magnum cases. Norma brass has been great on my 7mmAI which I had to fireform using mid-level book loads. I think any common brass would work for your sizing issues. I've sized RP 45-70 brass to 33 Winchester, which is more stress on the brass than sizing 338 down to 30 cal. Lapua brass is good stuff, but expensive. If you're just looking for unform brass that won't break the bank, I'd go with Norma. Valuewise, WW or RP. Both will work fine.

 

[antelopedundee]

303 & 25-35 have more guns in production than the 25-06. So I think that they, based on volume of sales, are more popular than your sub-caliber spitfire.

It could be worse. You could be buying stuff at $9 a case.

Or$3.35 per piece.

As for the "best" brass, as others have said, it's pretty much an individual's choice. I've had great success with RP (Remington) and WW (Winchester) brass for standard and magnum cases. Norma brass has been great on my 7mmAI which I had to fireform using mid-level book loads. I think any common brass would work for your sizing issues. I've sized RP 45-70 brass to 33 Winchester, which is more stress on the brass than sizing 338 down to 30 cal. Lapua brass is good stuff, but expensive. If you're just looking for unform brass that won't break the bank, I'd go with Norma. Valuewise, WW or RP. Both will work fine.

I wasn't looking to buy any brass, just perusing the selection. Their selection of brass in general is skimpy. I know where to get it if I need/want it.