Gentleman ( Ill use that term loosely) I have been using Winchester brass for ever for my 300 win. mag. However it is almost non existent in my part of the country, Mont.. and cant be found on line. Hornaday brass in this cal. seems to be available on line. My question is, has anyone out there used it and how good is it compared to win. By that I mean number of times reloadable, weight, case neck thickness,case prep, you know where Im going with this, the quality of the brass for long range shooting, hunting.
Hornaday brass verse Winchester brass
- Thread starter elkhntr
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MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
I just got 150 new Norma brass cases in the mail today from Midsouth Shooters Supply. I'd look that way.
They don't have the 100 packs, so I had to get six 25pk's.
They don't have the 100 packs, so I had to get six 25pk's.
gohring3006
Well-Known Member
Capacities are different between the two in 30-06, I couldn't reach the same charge weight without ejector marks in the Hornady. Inconsistent neck tension was also suspected. I don't know how many firings but I did load them 4 times without issue but quit and found more Win. Brass. But it seems to be hit and miss some people have no issues.
Well given that Winchester brass is the worst junk brass you may purchase. I would say you are much better off with Hornady. I have had 28% cull rate with Winchester last batch, elongated flash holes, dents and silly weight differences. I have used Hornady in both 300 Win and 30-06 and find it to be good quality brass.
g0rd0
Well-Known Member
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Federal is the worst brass you can use... Period. Federal is too thin and likes case/head separations.
The only good Federal brass is Lake City brass.
I try to avoid Remington brass like the plague, too...But I had a lot of range pickups for .30-06, so I use it for my .30-06 AI. If I do choose to stay invested in this caliber long-term, I will buy some Nosler brass for it, like all my other calibers.
I use Winchester .270 Win brass to form for my .25-06 AI, because I got it really cheap ($25 per 100 1x-fired), and it is working out great. I also have a bunch of Winchester 7mm RemMag brass that has been excellent, too.
Norma for .300 Win Mag.
And Nosler for everything else.
The only good Federal brass is Lake City brass.
I try to avoid Remington brass like the plague, too...But I had a lot of range pickups for .30-06, so I use it for my .30-06 AI. If I do choose to stay invested in this caliber long-term, I will buy some Nosler brass for it, like all my other calibers.
I use Winchester .270 Win brass to form for my .25-06 AI, because I got it really cheap ($25 per 100 1x-fired), and it is working out great. I also have a bunch of Winchester 7mm RemMag brass that has been excellent, too.
Norma for .300 Win Mag.
And Nosler for everything else.
Outlaw6.0
Well-Known Member
Mud, i'm afraid I can't agree with your sentiments regarding Federal brass. I've had resounding good luck with Federal. However, I am not saying you cannot get bad Federal brass; or in any brand for that matter.
If life has taught me anything, it's that consistency in brass, lot to lot is a lot like playing craps. Case in point, the very worst lot of brass i've ever bought in my life, was made by Norma.
Back to the original question. I'd personally hold Hornady & Winchester fairly equal in quality with an edge in capacity going to Winchester. I haven't pushed Hornady to see how well they hold up but i'd say it will not hold Lapua pressure, neither will Winchester.
If it's all you can get, buy it. Worst case scenario, you end up selling 1x in the Classified section. At least you get to shoot!
t
If life has taught me anything, it's that consistency in brass, lot to lot is a lot like playing craps. Case in point, the very worst lot of brass i've ever bought in my life, was made by Norma.
Back to the original question. I'd personally hold Hornady & Winchester fairly equal in quality with an edge in capacity going to Winchester. I haven't pushed Hornady to see how well they hold up but i'd say it will not hold Lapua pressure, neither will Winchester.
If it's all you can get, buy it. Worst case scenario, you end up selling 1x in the Classified section. At least you get to shoot!
t
Engineering101
Well-Known Member
Checkout this article about the metallurgy of cartridge brass.
X-Ray Spectrometry of Cartridge Brass within AccurateShooter.com
Pretty interesting. I now lean toward Winchester (even though you have to pitch some of it) because of the properties listed in this article. I am setup to anneal brass easily and that does effect the brass you might prefer.
X-Ray Spectrometry of Cartridge Brass within AccurateShooter.com
Pretty interesting. I now lean toward Winchester (even though you have to pitch some of it) because of the properties listed in this article. I am setup to anneal brass easily and that does effect the brass you might prefer.
HNDLDR
Well-Known Member
I bought 50 pieces of brand new Hornady brass for a Browning X bolt in 25-06. After trying a ton of bullet, powder, primer combinations, the gun now shoots well under an inch with any brass but the Hornady. Inconsistent neck tension is suspected.
gohring3006
Well-Known Member
I have a 178 Amax load that is very accurate and it was developed with Fed. Brass, and it is a max charge of IMR 4350 I have 11 firings on that brass and its still good.
Thanks to all for your opinions. As I suspected when I made this post you will find bad brass made by all manufactures. I myself have noticed that Winchester has been a little sloppy with their specs. Untill win brass becomes aval I get some hornady to keep shooting
Outlaw6.0
Well-Known Member
On a side note, I've been told that the RWS 300winny brass is very strong & quite good. It is thicker resulting in less capacity & thus slightly lower velocity potential but will last quite a long time.
Just another thought to throw out there.
t
Just another thought to throw out there.
t
I was given a bunch of Federal Brass from factory 30-06 and I am pleased with it. Out of approx. 150 pieces no bad flash holes and close enough for me in weight. Also given over a 100 pieces of Federal nickel 300 Wby, not fond of nickel but found these cases to be good as well. They have 4 loads through them with zero issue (except the initial resizing struggle)
I wonder sometimes if there are different standards for the factory ammo brass and what we are buying off the shelf to reload.
I wonder sometimes if there are different standards for the factory ammo brass and what we are buying off the shelf to reload.
