Budget'06
Well-Known Member
I haven't shot enough to find out yet, but I always trim after every firing. The unfired Starline brass seemed to have grown quite a lot when I was checking. I'm thinking brass life isn't super long
30-06 powder choice for heavy bullets
- Thread starter Budget'06
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Wrenches
Well-Known Member
I only use Lapua for my long range rifle. I use arsenal brass for my M1's. I have 10 loadings on some of the Lapua. It is very tuff stuff IMHO.
Budget'06
Well-Known Member
Too bad lapua brass is so **** expensive
Wrenches
Well-Known Member
Just consider cost vs number of times loaded. Just saying.
Budget'06
Well-Known Member
That is actually a very good point. I'll see how long this Starline brass gets me. Maybe next time around I'll go Lapua. Do you notice it has a more consistent case capacity than other brasses?
Wrenches
Well-Known Member
Yes it very consistent brass and the primer pockets stay tight. I believe the alloy they use is the key to long life.
Starline brass primer pockets definitely hold up well. I use theirs for 6.5cm and had used their 3006 brass before, but I took the barrel off and sold that brass before I got to the end of life for it. It may not hold up as well if you super hot rod it, but it does hold up well with max book loads. I use the SRP 6.5cm so that's not a fair comparison, but I think I got through 4 reloads on the '06 brass before selling it and the pockets still felt tight as new with shooting a 180gr at 2850fps. The uniformity is also incredible considering the price and from what I've measured it seems very close to Lapua. In my 6.5cm, it certainly wouldn't make a difference in accuracy going to Lapua.
The web area may not be as thick in starline as Lapua, but I haven't seen a cross section to compare. I'd expect plenty of life from starline as long as your die isn't oversizing brass. I'm a fan of Lee dies . They make really straight rounds for me. Unfortunately, they fit the mold of off the shelf dies that oversize the case.
I have some 208eldm that I was planning on shooting in my 30-284ai , but I think I'm abandoning that and will go back to my '06. If I do, we'll see how the 208 does with staball 6.5.
The web area may not be as thick in starline as Lapua, but I haven't seen a cross section to compare. I'd expect plenty of life from starline as long as your die isn't oversizing brass. I'm a fan of Lee dies . They make really straight rounds for me. Unfortunately, they fit the mold of off the shelf dies that oversize the case.
I have some 208eldm that I was planning on shooting in my 30-284ai , but I think I'm abandoning that and will go back to my '06. If I do, we'll see how the 208 does with staball 6.5.
Budget'06
Well-Known Member
What powder were u running or planning to run in the 30-284ai? I would assume that's pretty similar to a 30-06ai and only a bit more capacity than a 30-06
thomasbangs
Well-Known Member
You should get good brass life with a half dozen or so reloads in good 30-06 brass, neck sizing will increase brass life if you are loading for one rifle, also you can adjust a full length die to just barely bump the shoulder back and increase case life but I am sure most everyone knows that.
Budget'06
Well-Known Member
I bump my shoulders back .002". I assume that will help out in the long run
H4350 and 185 juggs mostly. I tried hunter and staball briefly, which gave good speeds and accuracy (over 2900 in 24" barrel), but didn't go much further than pressure testing due to only having a small amount of powder. Case capacity was about 68-69gr h20 with Peterson and a little over 70gr h20 with Lapua, so it was about the same. The goal was a shorter case for my Tikka action to load long bullets to their potential and have ai case to minimize/mask pressure affects on case, but never got to exploring heavier bullets than the 185 because I would have needed to throat it out for 208eldm. Superbly accurate, but expensive w fire forming and custom dies. If I can't get my reamers sold, I'll probably just shelve it for a long while and go back to the '06. After shooting my 6.5cm factory barrel this year, I've been enjoying the affordability of it and had me wanting more "easy" buttons
Budget'06
Well-Known Member
Maybe some 200.20xs would suit it well?
I'd considered those, but the cost is prohibitive for me. After running numbers and considering my max hunting distance, I figured it would probably be best for me to shoot a hot loaded 168 eldm. Then it's cheap, no need to throat it, and less recoil is always nice.
Hugnot
Well-Known Member
I used H4350 with a variety of 165-168 grain bullets for velocities just under 2,900 fps and depending on bullet 1/2 inch groups. Best shooter was the 168 Hornady hp match bullet but other 165 grain bullets shot very well. I had a nice 150 grain load using the Sierra GK with H414 but it was temp. sensitive.
