brass qaulity

[bigrich]

hey fellas , just a idea for a chat , how do ya's find different brass brand qaulity for reloading ? i recently bought some remington brand new brass for my 222 , then a week later i saw lapua brass for sale at the big C really cheap and was kicking myself over buying the rem stuff . i've spent the money in the past on norma , fantastic consistancy in qaulity that meant outstanding accuracy , but when i went to aneal and then full length resize after five firings i found the norma to be that soft that the case rim deformed under the preasure of resizing ! there wasn't enough support under the case rim cause of the size of the hole in the shell holder to stop the rim being bent up towards the front of the case . also the pimer pockets were getting lose . i've had good accuracy out of rem brass in the past , but it didn't like being full length resized and left a ridge of brass on the outside of the case where the die stopped . i've been resizing PPU 308 brass for 358 win for a little while now with good results , been thinking maybe i should try this for my 222 .

so any thoughts , opinions or experiences you'd like to share ......

[bladeracer]

hey fellas , just a idea for a chat , how do ya's find different brass brand qaulity for reloading ? i recently bought some remington brand new brass for my 222 , then a week later i saw lapua brass for sale at the big C really cheap and was kicking myself over buying the rem stuff . i've spent the money in the past on norma , fantastic consistancy in qaulity that meant outstanding accuracy , but when i went to aneal and then full length resize after five firings i found the norma to be that soft that the case rim deformed under the preasure of resizing ! there wasn't enough support under the case rim cause of the size of the hole in the shell holder to stop the rim being bent up towards the front of the case . also the pimer pockets were getting lose . i've had good accuracy out of rem brass in the past , but it didn't like being full length resized and left a ridge of brass on the outside of the case where the die stopped . i've been resizing PPU 308 brass for 358 win for a little while now with good results , been thinking maybe i should try this for my 222 .

so any thoughts , opinions or experiences you'd like to share ......

The only stuff I don't recommend is new Winchester brass, once-fired is fine.

[JimTom]

Mate I use ADI brass for my 300AAC, and 308 and and have found it to be good stuff so far. Just a quick run through the neck sizer, chamfer and a deburr and it’s ready to load. My .308 brass has been reloaded 9 times to date. I FLS, trim etc every 5th reload. Haven’t annealed, no signs or split necks etc to date.
For my 223 I am running Winchester brass. Definitely needed a trim etc before loading. Apart from that I have loaded them around 7 times or so with no signs of splitting etc. I have heard that they can be a bit hit and miss however I have not found that personally.
Have just started using federal for my 300WM however it is too early to tell. Size etc was good out of the bag. Just a quick run through the sizer and away you go.
By far the best though is the Lapua SRP brass I am using in 6.5CM. Ready to load out of the box no problems, plus a spare case. Worth the coin if range shooting where there is no chance of loss however a bit different in the scrub when you lose a few. Gets expensive.

[straightshooter]

The only stuff I don't recommend is new Winchester brass, once-fired is fine.

I am curious.
Based on the assumption that the once fired Winchester brass at some stage in it's life must never have been fired, what magical transformation takes place when it is fired for the first time?

[Bugman]

I tend to stick with Starline, both for pistol and rifle. I do like Norma and Lapua but financial restrictions have cut that short. I will admit that Starline have not yet let me down. One cartridge I have had problems with is Sellier & Bellot.

[bladeracer]

The only stuff I don't recommend is new Winchester brass, once-fired is fine.

I am curious.
Based on the assumption that the once fired Winchester brass at some stage in it's life must never have been fired, what magical transformation takes place when it is fired for the first time?

None, I think they anneal their brass better when they're loading it themselves, their new brass is HARD.

[bigrich]

I tend to stick with Starline, both for pistol and rifle. I do like Norma and Lapua but financial restrictions have cut that short. I will admit that Starline have not yet let me down. One cartridge I have had problems with is Sellier & Bellot.

i bought some new starline brass for my 358 and found inconsistancy in the neck wall , it seems hard too . the ppu stuff seems to resize really well . i'm going to try resizing and annealing ADI 308 brass for it next . which is the reason i chose the 358 win over 35 whelen for a bush thumper , plenty of free 308 brass

i tried reloading S&B brass once for 6.5x55 , the primer holes didn't line up with the case and i bent a decapping pin . it seems like hard brass too

[Blr243]

I think ppu is excellent value for money. Star line seems to have a good reputation in 4570. I’ll buy lapua one day when it’s on a good special

[SCJ429]

You can get some good results with cheap brass, you need to do a whole lot more prep and cull more cases. I have done well with ADI 223 brass. But it is a whole lot easier to buy Lapua and cut down on your prep time.

You really notice the differences when you neck turn, some cheaper brass will need a heap of turning on one side and nothing off the other. Lots of cases go in the bin.

[Larry]

I have just annealed 60 NRAA Winchester 308 Palma brass which looks like it was made in 1992 from box markings. I found it annealed about 1 second less than the Lapua Brass of today meaning it was much thinner. After adjusting the anneal time down I still observed quite a bit of variance some would just turn a light pink at the set time others woud get to a good red glow at the same time length. This was using a induction anneal-er that can be set at 0.01 second intervals the depth is also completely consistent. The only variances are in the brass itself.
I would expect these results to produce quite a bit of variance during sizing and in shooting them on target.

[bigrich]

I have just annealed 60 NRAA Winchester 308 Palma brass which looks like it was made in 1992 from box markings. I found it annealed about 1 second less than the Lapua Brass of today meaning it was much thinner. After adjusting the anneal time down I still observed quite a bit of variance some would just turn a light pink at the set time others woud get to a good red glow at the same time length. This was using a induction anneal-er that can be set at 0.01 second intervals the depth is also completely consistent. The only variances are in the brass itself.
I would expect these results to produce quite a bit of variance during sizing and in shooting them on target.

my annealing process involved a battery drill on low speed with a 308 sized socket in it , a plumbers $33 brazing/soldering kit from bunnings and a bucket of water. i hold the brass neck to the edge of the "inner" flame , count to 12 mississipi"s , by which time the neck is blue and just on the edge of getting a glow, then tilt drill so brass falls into bucket of water . and repeat
i used this to re anneal the necks of my 308 brass after it had been stretched up to 358 . they "look" right , with the discoloration on the neck ,and give me excellent accuracy , so i must've got it right

[eddievic]

Mate i have heard many ppl say norma is very soft brass. RP used to be very good and still probably is good brass. Don't worry too much about it mate

[boingk]

Starline all the way here, although I gotta say I've loaded a fair bit of PPU in different calibres and don't mind it either.

- boingk

[bigrich]

Mate i have beard many ppl day norma it's very soft brass. RP used to be very good and still probably is good brass. Don't worry too much about it mate

i'm probably being OCD and predantic , but i figured it would make a good discussion topic for the forum to get a few opinions and maybe learn something new

[TassieTiger]

Mate i have beard many ppl day norma it's very soft brass. RP used to be very good and still probably is good brass. Don't worry too much about it mate

Gee those spelling errors look familiar

[bigrich]

Mate i have beard many ppl day norma it's very soft brass. RP used to be very good and still probably is good brass. Don't worry too much about it mate

Gee those spelling errors look familiar

nah , couldn't be ziad surely not

[marksman]

its all quality if you work it to match, some like one brand better than others but all cases need prep, how much is up to you
l use or have used most brands preferring lapua, sorted norma, winchester and ppu, l rate adi as good as ppu
the reason l like the winchester mostly is that it is made thinner, that has less problems with being lopsided, you can pick really crappy cases easily and you can load them with more powder for less pressure but more velocity, they are IMO as strong a case as any
its what works for me anyway

[eddievic]

Mate i have beard many ppl day norma it's very soft brass. RP used to be very good and still probably is good brass. Don't worry too much about it mate

Gee those spelling errors look familiar

nah , couldn't be ziad surely not

Jees you too... he must have left a good (or bad) impression on you all. I made one mistake... call it fat fingers and you all go crazy.

TT, From now onwards i will refer you as Janet, my ex, she just loved to argue all the time, you say sky is blue, she would tell you naa it black.

[TassieTiger]

Well Eddie wouldn’t be the first time you’ve put words in my mouth and then claimed them to be mine...

And that is an argument? Geez - Janet asked a question and you call her out for arguing? No wonder she left. Lol.
Janet ? I don’t mind Janet. And I shall call you Ziad - deal.

[bigrich]

Mate i have beard many ppl day norma it's very soft brass. RP used to be very good and still probably is good brass. Don't worry too much about it mate

Gee those spelling errors look familiar

nah , couldn't be ziad surely not

Jees you too... he must have left a good (or bad) impression on you all. I made one mistake... call it fat fingers and you all go crazy.

TT, From now onwards i will refer you as Janet, my ex, she just loved to argue all the time, you say sky is blue, she would tell you naa it black.

[animalpest]

Depends what I using the brass for.

For accurate shooting, Laupa, then Nosler Custom, Norma, Reminton and Winchester in that order.

For hunting brass on bigger animals, anything will do with moderate loads. No point using stuff that costs a lot or spend a lot of time on as the case losses will be higher.

[Blr243]

Because I’m in the market for some 22250 brass ( currently I have none) I think when I pick up the new rifle I’ll just grab 100 lapua cases. It’s only 60 bucks more than what I would be spending anyway ....and I’m kinda curious to see what this stuff feels like after hearing about it for so long

[SCJ429]

Starline all the way here, although I gotta say I've loaded a fair bit of PPU in different calibres and don't mind it either.

- boingk

Starline and PPU, you must love a challenge.

[marksman]

Because I’m in the market for some 22250 brass ( currently I have none) I think when I pick up the new rifle I’ll just grab 100 lapua cases. It’s only 60 bucks more than what I would be spending anyway ....and I’m kinda curious to see what this stuff feels like after hearing about it for so long

you will be happy with it, no doubt, it isn't perfect, nothing is but it very good
if not loaded too hot it will last the barrel's life

[Larry]

You dont notice good quality brass as much as you will notice a case or two of bad quality brass. Sure it may only be very small differences like not as many reloads but on other occasions it can be a complete failure on the first factory firing. I have seen a few albeit older manufactured cases where the neck has been blasted away on one side.