Brass manufacturer difference?

[JAYgs8163]

Peterson is great stuff. I use it quite often if the caliber is available. I'm not sure if they make 7-08 though.

 

[Poppadoer]

My experience with hornady brass is that the primer pockets are a little tighter than the other brass I use.Just work it with the primer tool and everything is good.....

 

[TheLongRanger83702]

I would say concerning yourself about brass depends on the basic accuracy of your weapon. I had a Winchester rifle when i first got into firearms in .243 Win that shot +/- @2" - 100yrds. and was told by Winchester this was within their specs. Why spend money on premiun components reloading if this all the accuracy you can expect?

 

[archangel485]

Lots of great info here . Original response stated Lapua, Alpha and ADG. I would add Peterson to that list. Lapua has been the premium brass makers for a very long time. The other 3 are relatively new but so thankful they decided to get into premium brass making as they add several cartridge options for precision rifle shooters. I've only used Lapua and Peterson myself, but based on others experience I do believe the other 2 are up there in quality. Someone mentioned Lapua volume. I can tell you my 6.5CM lapua brass has thinner necks and slower velocity than my Peterson with more powder in the case, so I'm sure that lapua is thicker than most but I think Peterson is even thicker. Someone else mentioned that in production rifles this is overrated, also a great point.

 

[Susquatch]

Doesn't Lapua also usually get to speed/pressure with less powder? This would be a cost savings to consider to narrow the gap in cost between Lapua and the others, correct?

No. As far as I know there is no such rule of thumb and if there were, I would be first in line to challenge it. Case capacity drives pressure rise rate for any given powder. Accuracy and velocity are both functions of pressure. I would NEVER select a powder or brand of case on the basis of being able to save money on powder. Selecting the cartridge itself is a much better way to do that - assuming anyone would ever want to.

Frankly, trying to cost justify Lapua that way is actually a waste of money and time in itself. If you want Lapua (and I highly recommend it), just buy it and skip a few cups of coffee or beer to pay for it instead.

 

[NeedForSpeed]

I would use Lapua for those cartridges. I've been using Lapua for just a few years but my experience is you might have to open up the case necks on new brass and you're ready to load. On the 6mm Creedmoor brass I didn't even have to do that.

Lapua is generally considered a little less volume and therefore getting to pressure quicker. However I recently measured case volume on some .308 Win brass. Lapua came up with 55.4 gr of water weight and Federal Gold Metal Match had 55.3 gr of water weight.

I don't think the volume difference can be considered a significant powder cost savings.

How do you measure case volume with water? Im assuming you fill the case to the neck and weight it but what do you do to prevent leakage from the primer pocket? And is there a formula for converting grams of water to volume?

 

[MRROGERS1]

Peterson makes really good brass.

Peterson is great and also just started doing Prime's US line of ammo. I use their SRP and LRP 6.5cr brass and have done some comparisons to Lapua and Norma brass (measurements and capacity). The Peterson is right there in terms of consistency with both BUT priced better and made here.

 

[Ruger.204]

There's been a lot of good information given by experienced shooters that have done this for decades. The only thing I would add is that brass is the most expensive single component when it comes to reloading, but after you pull the trigger it's the only component you have left. Good quality brass can be reloaded many more times then the cheaper brands mentioned here which will usually only have 3-4 (or less). So I believe buying quality brass up front will pay dividends in the end by not only lasting longer but giving you better consistency throughout the case life and with much less case prep time, case culling and overall headache. I believe it's for these reasons mentioned that some people when trying to decide on a new caliber will actually see if Lapua and other top tier brass manufacturers make brass for that caliber before they build. Build the gun around the brass because that's what holds everything together!

 

[19elkhunter51]

I think you have made your decision. I believe, IMHO, that any of the mentioned manufacturers brass will do for your hunting demands.
You stated that these are hunting rifles, not two mile long range launchers. When you need to wring out every last possible degree of accuracy, then the brass becomes an issue.
You also stated that you were not going to shot thousands of rounds. The astronomically priced brass may last longer but only if you intend to shoot 600 rounds in a weekend, month after month.
I will say that most of my shooting has been done with off the shelf once fired commercial brass, meaning I purchased factory ammo and used the cases to reload. As I proceeded to shoot more I purchased virgin brass. I am not a long range launcher but I am really interested in small groups. I don't weigh the brass or measured capacity. I do the things that get the best mileage for the work that allows me to get a good group. Most of my rifles shoot way under an inch at a hundred yards and I have three or four that shoot less than a half inch at a hundred yards. This in my mind is quiet sufficient for "hunting" accuracy.
When you purchase virgin brass there may be some prep work that you will need to perform. Some of that prep work will be required every time you reload a case. None of the minor prep work on virgin cases is abusive or technical. Don't put yourself behind the curve trying to follow all of the multitude of operations long or benchrest shooter follow. As you become more astute in your reloading procedures you can pick and chose which of little operations you may want to try to gain a minor amount of accuracy.
More important than anything else is enjoy the process of reloading. Enjoy the fact that when you pull the trigger you know that you made that round that harvested your trophy.

 

[98Vandal]

How do you measure case volume with water? Im assuming you fill the case to the neck and weight it but what do you do to prevent leakage from the primer pocket? And is there a formula for converting grams of water to volume?

A lot of people cut a little rubber stopper that is nearly dimensionally similar to a primer (just a little bigger to ensure a tight fit and no leakage).

To the Original Post, as many others have indicated, Lapua Brass is great and money well spent. I've also enjoyed success with Norma but have no experience with ADG. My experience with Peterson has been decent but Nosler and Hornady have significant variance in weight (inevitably, volume) and I stopped using them. Most of my Hornady Brass has primer pockets that have loosened after the 5th reloading and rendered it unusable.

Spend a little more money up front and you'll reap the benefits down the line.

 

[Kaptoe]

There is nothing better than harvesting an animal with a rifle you have tuned and a cartridge you worked up to and loaded

I think you have made your decision. I believe, IMHO, that any of the mentioned manufacturers brass will do for your hunting demands.
You stated that these are hunting rifles, not two mile long range launchers. When you need to wring out every last possible degree of accuracy, then the brass becomes an issue.
You also stated that you were not going to shot thousands of rounds. The astronomically priced brass may last longer but only if you intend to shoot 600 rounds in a weekend, month after month.
I will say that most of my shooting has been done with off the shelf once fired commercial brass, meaning I purchased factory ammo and used the cases to reload. As I proceeded to shoot more I purchased virgin brass. I am not a long range launcher but I am really interested in small groups. I don't weigh the brass or measured capacity. I do the things that get the best mileage for the work that allows me to get a good group. Most of my rifles shoot way under an inch at a hundred yards and I have three or four that shoot less than a half inch at a hundred yards. This in my mind is quiet sufficient for "hunting" accuracy.
When you purchase virgin brass there may be some prep work that you will need to perform. Some of that prep work will be required every time you reload a case. None of the minor prep work on virgin cases is abusive or technical. Don't put yourself behind the curve trying to follow all of the multitude of operations long or benchrest shooter follow. As you become more astute in your reloading procedures you can pick and chose which of little operations you may want to try to gain a minor amount of accuracy.
More important than anything else is enjoy the process of reloading. Enjoy the fact that when you pull the trigger you know that you made that round that harvested your trophy.

 

[Zep]

I like LC for the 5.56 platform. For my bolt 223 I use Lapua. Everything else is Lapua or Starline. For some handgun I buy bulk Federal FMJ.

---

lancetkenyon - Most grateful if you could tell me where you purchase LC. My source (Brass Bombers is out of business). Thanks.

 

[J E Custom]

I am looking at getting into reloading (.223, 7mm-08 and 308 Win). I am trying to put my equipment list together. All rifles will be used for hunting purposes only.

I know Lapua and Norma seem to be the "best", but what are the differences between each brand? What makes Hornady brass not as good as Winchester, and what makes Lapua better than Winchester?

Does Lapua require less case prep tools than Winchester or Remington?

So many questions....

Thanks
Steve

The difference is in the allow, design and quality control. the Lapua's come properly annealed (Some don't do a final anneal after tumbling like they use to to save money.

I used to use mostly Remington Brass because it held up good, was readily available and the rejection rate was not bad. I size, trim and weight sort new brass to find consistency. Normally I buy at least 200 rounds to start with and of that 200 I would normally find only 3 to 5 cases that exceeded the weight variance that was acceptable to me.

Some of the premium brass was not available in the cartridges that I used, so rather than spend double or triple the money and not see any usable difference in accuracy the Remington brass did well for me.

Later Remington started playing games with cartridge cases and most of the time they were not available. listening to some of the older sage members I tried the Lapua brass. ( I had used all of the current brands before trying the Lapua) and found No real rejects but the cost was still high and many cartridge cases were not available, so I stuck with the Remington.

Then one day I found some 223 Lapua brass On sale for pennies more than the Remington brass and bought 300 rounds for my 223 AI and never looked back. Now Lapua seems to be manufacturing more different cartridge cases, so I watch for them to go on sale and load up on them. I am replacing all of the cases that They make one cartridge at a time and now more that half of my rifles are loaded with Lapua brass.

I have written Lapua and ask/recommended that they consider making the RUM series of cases because of the failure of Remington to support the cartridge But have not had any response yet.

I would recommend that If you are just starting out that You find and use the Lapua brass if you can because it is the best in my opinion and ends up being cheaper in the long run because of quality and case life.

Catch it on sale and buy 2 to 300 rounds at one time and your worries are over. There are other brands of brass that are good but none of them are as good as the Lapua. Norma Brass is good but many times more than the Lapua and cant quite match the Lapua's quality and case life.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[John@redmt]

Is there any difference in .223 to 5.56 brass?