Fireforming doesn't involve high pressure loads. I don't even fire a bullet. Cornmeal. I'd like to fireform the Remington brass also before I get serious about using it in demanding long range shots in order to improve the concentricity. I've had my original RWS brass for about 13 years now and the primers are still tight in the majority of them. I wouldn't go this route if I was mega-shooting varmints on a daily basis. Just like I don't use my 25 RUM for prairie dogs. The forming dies didn't cost me anything. Even pistol dies will work to neck down in two or three steps. And the velocity increase has yet to be established, except in your post.
I used the number of firings per case as an example to illustrate to the readers the advantage of the RWS brass. They are tough as nails and once the time and effort of case preparation has been invested - like outside neck turning, flash hole deburring, primer pocket uniforming, fireforming, they keep on trucking. I don't have to repeat the process with the Remington brass every 3-4 shots. Talk about time consuming. You'll save case preparation time with the RWS brass - 1X only.
My example is no different than the reasons Fiftydriver has developed his Allen Magnums on Lapua or other very tough, high quality brass, when available. Higher pressures = higher velocity with extended case life. You can get as many case firings as you'd like with any brass. It just depends on how hard you wanna push it. These RWS brass will last a lifetime if you shoot at pressures that will fail the Remington brass in maybe 5 firings.
People use factory rounds or Remingon brass for the 338 RUM or 300 RUM because it's the mass marketing path of least resistance. Not necessarily because they get higher velocity or better brass life.
Lastly, as far as velocity wearing out the barrels faster, I thought that was a given - like a law of nature. If you want speed, you gots to pay. More powder, more pressure, more speed, less barrel life. Very few big game hunters shoot out the throats of their 338 Edges over their lifetimes. Same with the 338 Allen Magnums. Most don't fire them often enough to rebarrel in a lifetime.
Two different ways of looking at the same issues. I'm interested in the velocities that were obtained in Dave's test, IF he was chronographing. Like I said, you can get equivalent velocity from the Remington brass - for one shot. After that the brass is headed to the landfill. In my experience, the RWS brass is as clearly superior to the other options for the 338 Edge, as Lapua brass is to Remy, Federal, or Winchester. In fact I believe the RWS brass has tougher case heads than Lapua.
