Rifle brass help

[KRasmussen]

I have recently begun reloading and am wondering if there is one brass that is better than another? I have been using Federal because that is what was available locally in factory ammo. I have used it for a couple of reloads and am not having any issues with it at all. I have noticed that the majority of load manuals seem to use Winchester in their recommendations. Is Winchester the preferred brand or is the choice a personal one? The only gun I am currently loading for is a Howa 7mm mag

 

[MThuntr]

Unless you are shooting match, brand is often personal choice or whatever is available. As long as you work up a load that is safe. There can be enough variation in case capacity that you don't typically want to mix brands.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Unless you are shooting match, brand is often personal choice or whatever is available. As long as you work up a load that is safe. There can be enough variation in case capacity that you don't typically want to mix brands.

Yup. I use a variety of brass and have settled on Remington or Winchester, but federal, PMC and other brands are generally fine. Keep them separated by headstamp and don't mix brands and you'll have consistent loads.

 

[Bambistew]

All manufacturers have different capacity. Winchester has generaly the smallest volume iirc, granted its just slight variation. I like federal brass but hate buying it 20 at a time.

 

[1_pointer]

I thought they were all the same until I bought some Lapua. The difference in quality between that an the Winchester is pretty apparent IMO. It is expensive. That said, I've had no problems with Winchester brass at all.

 

[KRasmussen]

I figured that brass choice was mostly a person one and that Lapua and Norma were at the top of the heap. Has anyone noticed if there is a difference in case life with full length re-sizing vs. neck sizing? I figure I will get 5-7 reloadings out of the brass I have now and will then need to look for more. I say 5-7 as that is what I have been told by a friend who also loads. I dont know where he came up with the data.

I cant see spending a ton of cash on brass for a hunting rifle. While the Lapua and Norma stuff are nice I am not really interested in working a load for sub MOA on a hunting gun. The Howa is a good gun and is already 1/2MOA now and I dont think going any farther will be of any benefit as I cant shoot that good in the field anyway.

 

[Goldtip]

I've used Norma brass in the past and it does seem to be top line for sure, have not tried the Lapua brass. Mostly I reload Winchester brass as it's easily available at most local stores and seems to be pretty consistent for me. I think I've probably loaded all types of brass, including weatherby, remington and federal without problems. Pretty much personal preference for hunting loads.

 

[StrutNut]

I always seem to favor the Winchester brass. It just seemed to run better through my press and dies.

 

[Drake4]

I use Nosler Custom..I have found that to be more consistent than the Norma brass, at least in my chambering.
You'll probably get a few more firings if you neck size. But that also depends on how in depth you want to get with your brass prep. If you want to anneal and full length re-size, the firings should be comparable. Personally I prefer to full length re-size.

Ask 5 people and you'll probably get 5 different answers...mostly personal preference. Play around with it and you'll figure out what works best for you.

 

[TheTone]

I've seen some big differences in some brass. The last winchester I bought was terrible, bad primer pockets, poorly drilled flash holes, etc. I think I pitched 3-4 pieces out of 100. The most recent stuff I bought was Norma and it was probably the best I've ever purchased.

 

[stillkickin]

I've seen some big differences in some brass. The last winchester I bought was terrible, bad primer pockets, poorly drilled flash holes, etc. I think I pitched 3-4 pieces out of 100. The most recent stuff I bought was Norma and it was probably the best I've ever purchased.

+1 on this, you have to check each piece no matter who made the brass. Primer pockets especially! I have had very good luck buying Hornady and Norma, but they are more expensive.

 

[1_pointer]

I figured that brass choice was mostly a person one and that Lapua and Norma were at the top of the heap. Has anyone noticed if there is a difference in case life with full length re-sizing vs. neck sizing? I figure I will get 5-7 reloadings out of the brass I have now and will then need to look for more. I say 5-7 as that is what I have been told by a friend who also loads. I dont know where he came up with the data.

I cant see spending a ton of cash on brass for a hunting rifle. While the Lapua and Norma stuff are nice I am not really interested in working a load for sub MOA on a hunting gun. The Howa is a good gun and is already 1/2MOA now and I dont think going any farther will be of any benefit as I cant shoot that good in the field anyway.

Many are reporting double or more than that for brass life if you anneal every 4-5 firings. FYI...

 

[Ben Lamb]

I'm using brass that's been loaded 7-10 times w/o annealing and just neck sizing. Only now are they starting to show signs of loose primer pockets and excessive flow. That's between belted magnum and standard cases. I don't really hot rod my loads, but don't molly coddle them either.

Unless you're shooting something that's costing more than a buck a case, annealing always seemed like a lot of effort for a little return (but again, what about reloading is economical?) to me.

 

[Corax]

I recently weighed some .243 cases - Winchester weighed about 162 gr and Federal 174 gr. The Federal cases will therefore take up more space in the chamber and give higher pressures with the same amount of powder. Most manuals tell which brand of brass they used - be careful switching as it will affect pressure.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I recently weighed some .243 cases - Winchester weighed about 162 gr and Federal 174 gr. The Federal cases will therefore take up more space in the chamber and give higher pressures with the same amount of powder. Most manuals tell which brand of brass they used - be careful switching as it will affect pressure.

Check the internal volume of the case as well.

Great point on switching brass and pressures. I have norma brass for my 8mmJ and it's showing pressure signs at significantly lower velocities than the chambering would in a different action. Those cases also only last 2-3 loadings before the neck starts to split. Every rifle is different in that regard.

Cases, chambering, action strength, etc all play a critical role in determining loads that work within your own parameters.

 

[cowboy]

Those cases also only last 2-3 loadings before the neck starts to split. Every rifle is different in that regard.

You are creating pressure from somewhere if you are only getting 2-3 reloadings.

 

[Ben Lamb]

You are creating pressure from somewhere if you are only getting 2-3 reloadings.

Yes, but they're also 40 years old.

 

[huntme]

remmington brass has allways done right by me.

 

[Southwind]

If you are loading for hunting then mostly take your pick. I use Winchester and it has been a very good brass for me even shooting thousands of rounds of it in cross course competitions. There are some that are softer don't last a long and there are some that are much better than Winchester but your Federals that are available for you locally are just dandy. If you are a bench shooter, LR etc and are weighing brass, checking concentricity, turning necks, basically taking it to the enth degree than a brass like Lapua might be worth the extra cost. I would say "carry on" with what you are doing.

 

[utah400elk]

I have found that each rifle will like different brass. My newest rifle likes Fedeal brass the most and I get 50 + fps more out of it. I will say it is seems to be a lot softer. With factoy rounds I find blown primer pockets fom one shot. You will get better brass life out of Norma but thats JMO.