PPU brass issues

[Blr243]

Is it true that soon ppu will no longer be imported into Aus?

[Fester]

I bought 2 packs of SR primer Starline cases as my Lap ones are getting pretty old.

They seem fine, but only shot them 3 or 4 times so far.

[Wapiti]

Dammit. 300WM PPU cases are on "backorder". Oh well, still got some left.

I was having a look in the stash earlier and what I paid for PPU 338 Lapua Mag with a 250gn Match hollowpoint (loaded cartridges) was $39.90 for 10. Yes, comes in boxes of 10. That's $4/per loaded round. On special, mind.
I just looked at what Lapua brand 338L empty brass is right now, ON SPECIAL...
LAPUA 4PH8068 UNPRIMED BRASS 338 LAPUA MAGNUM SPECIAL NEW...$649 /PER 100 That's $6.49 each for an empty case!

Now, my handloads with a 250gn Sierra Matchking in a Sako TRG Stealth easily cloverleafs, but that's with my meticulous case and weighing prep, with projectiles 10 thou from the lands. Using Redding micrometer dies and 3 thou case neck grip. Yep, they still fit in the TRG magazine like that too.
But with a new case, projectile, powder and Fed 215 mag primer, are $10/round.

Yet this PPU $4/per 250gn factory round with NO attention from me, who-knows-what-jump-to-the-lands, powder weigh consistency and an unknown projectile make still shot under 20mm @110m for 5 shots, at 2,990fps average, shooting from the magazine with no pussying around beytween shots girlying around waiting for barrels to cool or wind to be the same or any other gay BS. Absolutely 100% awesome for such cheap ammo and I have great empty brass left over to handload with my recipe above.

I put this example up because of the performance and pleasure one gets using a brand of ammo that others bag out, for way less money in this rip-off world. For those of you who have heard on other basement-shooter forums how this brand might be cheap sh*t, I hope you take it with a grain of salt.

[Damo300]

I'll throw another positive down for PPU.

I'm not that experienced at reloading, but the cost of a bag of empty cases is just as much as a box of rounds, or in some instances can be more in my experiences..... Crikey.

I guess I stumbled across PPU because I'm a tight arse at times. The factory stuff tends to group like shyte in most rifles, so it keeps the target shooters away. The box isn't appealing so the window shopper doesn't notice it, and I only want the brass, however the pills and powder are very handy for pig rounds.

Speaking of powder. It is interesting the differences in weights over just one box. Also, as someone mentioned above, the powder changing appearance through 1 box of rounds.
I picture the production line just pumping them out and throwing stuff everhwere. No time for corrections.
Move it! Move it! Move it!

We better shut up.
The price of PPU will increase if we're not careful.

[bladeracer]

I haven't had any issues with PPU brass. I bought 1000 pieces of .303 and 1000 pieces of 9mm PPU about ten years ago when Cleaver had a deal. The .303 I know is good for at least twelve firings, the 9mm I assume I'll lose berfore it ever fails. I do have smaller quantities of PPU in other chamberings - .38 Special, .357, .44Mag, 7.62x54R, .303, .30-30 and others, but I haven't done enough loads in them to say whether they have problems - they've been good so far.

I also have lots of S&B, most of my military chamberings I use S&B because it was the only stuff available when I needed it, and I have a lot of pistol brass as people buy the cheaper S&B ammo and pass the empties onto me, and I've bought thousands of rounds of S&B 9mm and .38 myself. It does tend to have a sharp edge around the primer hole which can make re-priming annoying, but it's easily taken care of with a couple twists of an 8mm drill bit or the RCBS case mouth chamfer tool. Other than the primer hole I've had no issues with S&B brass in a bunch of chamberings.

[Fester]

You are unlikely to have problems with PPU cases, as it was more likely the powder that started the corrosion.
For all I know, the ammo may have been stored for many years, as those blokes buy bulk when it's cheap and set up for long-term pest shooting.

The S&B cases that put me off were in 2 different 6.5 cartidges, and my 30-30, all just range brass that is usually once fired.
I first tried to just chamfer the pocket edges, then tried the uniforming tool, still too tight for the hand primer tool, and some proud ones resulted.
I bought a pocket reamer, and that made them work.
Just too much extra work, and I hated even just hand-scraping primer pockets, let alone working on each one.

I also bought 1 pack of S&B swede ammo, when I took the wrong pack of reloads to the range one day, and some of them had primers that were proud.
The ammo shoots very well for blokes with different rifles, but I could just buy Federal Powershok for around the same price, which also shoots very well.
Reloading is more a necessity than a hobby for me. Hunting and shooting is where the fun is.

[bigrich]

i think when i started this topic i should've titled it "ppu 7x57 brass issues" as generally it is decent stuff judging by the responses . i've used ppu a few times over the years , 303 and 308 . the 308 stuff got resized to 358win and it was as accurate as starline 358 with no issues . for whatever reason ,with the factory loaded 7x57 , the rim diameter won't fit a standard shell holder , extractor groove is narrower as well which causes the case to not sit on the bottom of the shell holder . i tried hornady , rcbs and lee shell holders listed for 7x57 . only thing that did fit was a 6.5x55 shell holder. offers still open , ppu 7x57 173gn factory ammo if someone around brisbane wants it .

[jovialjosie2002]

Geco (RWS) brass in 7x57mm won't fit in the standard USA shell holder either. European 7x57mm brass is different to the USA stuff.

[bigrich]

Geco (RWS) brass in 7x57mm won't fit in the standard USA shell holder either. European 7x57mm brass is different to the USA stuff.

. definitely a theme here that euro made 7x57 differs to usa spec , norma which even though swedish made, must be usa spec with regards to the rim and extractor groove . i wonder if 8x57 or any other cals made over in europe have this oddity , or is it just 7x57 . i have never heard of this before until i went to reload this batch of ppu factory ammo. i've reloaded 8x57 and 9.3x62 and never had this problem

[Fester]

I don't even see how the worst of the S&B primer pockets can even be within SAMMI spec, as I feel everything should be.
If a CCI primer can be fitted into just about any other brand of case, using an RCBS hand primer, as lots of us use, something is wrong.

I know the Swede case head is a bit different, but so is the taper, and it was made a long time ago.

The 7x57 may be just the same as the 6.5x55, an older Euro design, and slightly different, not that I know much about the cartridge, as I don't shoot it.

[bigrich]

I don't even see how the worst of the S&B primer pockets can even be within SAMMI spec, as I feel everything should be.
If a CCI primer can be fitted into just about any other brand of case, using an RCBS hand primer, as lots of us use, something is wrong.

I know the Swede case head is a bit different, but so is the taper, and it was made a long time ago.

The 7x57 may be just the same as the 6.5x55, an older Euro design, and slightly different, not that I know much about the cartridge, as I don't shoot it.

all i know is norma 7x57 brass fits the shell holder it's supposed to, and the rim and extractor groove doesn't give the extractor on my ruger m77 any grief and it works like it should