Brass recommendation?

[RangerBrad]

Hey fellas, There is another thread along these lines on here but, I don't won't to steal their thread. I currently use Winchester brass however it has been brought to my attention that Winchester brass may be substandard for long range reloading. It was thought that Norma or Lapua brass may be much better but, I am looking for something a little bit more affordable and available. What are yal's thoughts on Remmington, Federal and Hornady brass as compared to Winchester. This is for a 25-06.

Also I have a .204 that I will only be shooting to 300 yds or so and I would like to know yals thoughts on mixing diffrent brands of brass as I have both Hornady and Winchester brass for this round. I also have them for the 25-06 but, was warned aginst mixing diffrent brands of brass for long range shooting by Shawn Carlock. Yals thoughts please. Thank's, Brad

 

[SavageShtr]

In my opinion the cost of the lapua brass is well worth it!! I have made caliber choices based on weather or not lapua makes brass for it. If you want the best save for the best. The Lapua brass will pay for itself with how long it will last. With my 338 Lapua I'm getting close to 10 firings with the origanal 100 purchased.

 

[dkhunt14]

If you anneal and get 20 to 30 firings on the brass; how much more does it cost you?If you mix different kinds of brass or cases with different numbers of firings, that is not a good thing. The capacities or work hardening of the case will give you different bullet releases and pressure. This shows up as vertical when you shoot long range. Matt

 

[RangerBrad]

I'm really not worried about the expense however, though it is expensive the problem is that unfortunatly, Lapua does'nt make brass for my 25-06 and though Norma claims they make it , it is out of stock everywhere. I evn thjought of Nosler but found it to be out of stock also. Brad

 

[MTBULLET]

FWIW, I've had my best luck in 25-06 with resized/annealed Lake City 30-06 brass.
Cheap, and darn good brass, just remember to keep it separated as it's heavier than std. factory brass and the load has to be worked up just for it.

 

[Korhil78]

In reality, your range with the 06 on deer is going to be 500 to 600 yds max if you are using the 115 gr Berger. Its not gonna matter too much on the brass out to those distances. I just use Remington and of course grumble about the quality as I fix all the mess ups on the brass. I can get .5 to .75 MOA out to 600 yds with it from my load of 54 gr of H4831 SC and 115 bergers. If you were going to shoot beyond 1k then I would worry about all the little things that add up for better accuracy.

 

[Joaquin B]

I use neck-turned and fire-formed Winchester brass in my 25-06 Ackley. I 've had the original brass for over 15 years now. The cases have gone through 4 or 5 reloads and I've had no problems with it.

 

[johnnyk]

I currently shoot Remington but have entertained the thought of using others. When I initially bought the Rem brass I lost about 20 on the 1st or 2nd firing to split necks. Even though I was pushing it, I thought it should have stood up a little better than that. It's OK at best but requires a lot of my attention.
I've never heard that about Winchester brass and don't understand how or why it would be any worse than Remington. I have one friend in N.C. and that's all he uses. He's no David Tubb but (what does he use, I wonder?) to each his own.
I have considered Lapua .30-06 brass but I really don't want to get in to neck turning brass. Lapua brass is really that good. I use it for my 6.5-284 and it makes reloading a pleasant past time and not a chore. It takes most of the negative variables out of the equation.

I was wondering about 2 months ago where all my .25-06 brass was at. I normally keep all my brass together, separated but bagged up in one central location. Looked and looked and finally opened a "empty" cartridge box I had setting on top of my powder cabinet. When I opened it I found 100 rounds of .25-06 loaded with 75gn Sierra HP's from Nov 2007! Load data was 49.5gn of IMR 4064/CCI BR2's/Rem brass and OAL 2.6100". I only have 12 left. It doesn't hit with the authority at 500yds that the 115gn does but still produces one-holers at 100yds and sub-MOA groups at 500yds.

Once I finish these last 12 off I'm gonig to prep and anneal them and then start loading the 115gn Ballistic Tip and Bergers.

Good luck with your choice. JohnnyK.