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Nosler 6.5 Creedmoor Brass: Is it worth the $$

M

Max1

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Minuteman
Feb 4, 2013
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Colorado
Hornady brass has been OK for me, although primer pockets start to loosen with 2-3 "warm" loads.
Now that Nosler 6.5CM is available I have to ask if anyone has experience with it in other cartridges: Good, Bad or no difference compared to other brands.
Is it still made by Norma?
Is it worth 2x the cost of Hornady? BRASS 6.5 CREEDMOOR NOSLER 50 PIECES

Thanks in advance!
 
I made the switch. glad I did. On my 5th firing of warm loads. Consistent neck tension and weight. I hated the hornady
 
I would like to know as well. 3rd loading of my Hornady brass…..Just finished priming 50 with no resistance seating the primer on 100% of the 50 pieces….that really really sucks!!!
 
How hot are you loading your Hornady brass? I'm on 5th firing and have no issues and I'm about .5 grain from having a sticky bolt when I fire, which is getting hot to me.
 
JGorski said:
How hot are you loading your Hornady brass? I'm on 5th firing and have no issues and I'm about .5 grain from having a sticky bolt when I fire, which is getting hot to me.
Click to expand...

42.7 gn Hybrid100V, WLR primer, 139 Scenar.
I had tested up to 43.2 gn with an earlier lot of brass (that had been fired once before) and had no pressure signs, then settled on 42.7 gn for better ES.
This lot had ~10% showing gas leaks at 42.7 gn on the first firing. Also, decapping resistance showed ~40% with varying degrees of loosening pockets. Apparently a poor quality lot of brass from Hornady!
Rifle is a custom build on a Bighorn action, 26" Benchmark barrel, TBAC Brake & Suppressor.
BTW, I'm quitting this powder now that I have H4350. Looking for - you guessed it - more consistent grouping!
 
So far after 136 rounds fired my initial 50 Hornady cases have proven to be very consistent, and accurate, I'm using Hornady dies, my primer pockets are still tight, so far my 6.5 Creed is a hammer to say the least, factory 140amax grouped a tad less than .5 at 100, my reloads are hammering .2 and .3 groups with single digit SD/ES, I really can't see paying double at this point, I prep all my brass the same, primer pocket uniformed, flash hole deburred, I will be neck turning soon, all charges are to the kernel, all pills seated by ojive, can $1.42 each brass really be that much better.
 
On on my 4 and 5 loading on some cases with no primer problems. I'm loading with Re17 and pushing 130gr Berger VLD at 2943 average with Federal or CCI primers. Using Redding neck dies with a .002 neck pressure bushing. Accuracy is great as long as I do my part.
 
I will give the Norma brass a try when it gets here. If I understand correctly, all I have to do is run 6.5 Creedmoor brass through my Hornady 6 Creedmoor FL sizing die and I am good to go, or am I missing a step or two?
 
On my third firing and most cases are good but several are a little loose when seating primers and a few are very loose. None move or pop when case is tapped on the bench. I took a random sample of four that felt very loose and fired them ahead of a large reloading lot to check for problems ahead of a match, none popped so I'm not anticipating problems but I'm interested to see how the nosler does.

Hodgdon lists 44.8 as max for H4350 and 123gr bullets, I'm at 44.1 with good velocity and a 5fps SD. The Hornady is loading, firing, and cycling like a champ but those pockets are getting rode hard already.
 
MarinePMI said:
Um...Norma makes Nosler's brass. Not sure you're going to see much difference...
Click to expand...

I'd like to see you prove this statement? Not trying to start anything, but this has been spread on the net for awhile.
 
I still like Hornady brass it simply shoots great, I did trash my first piece due to the primer pocket being loose, it took about 10-15 firings to do it.
 
427Cobra said:
I still like Hornady brass it simply shoots great, I did trash my first piece due to the primer pocket being loose, it took about 10-15 firings to do it.
Click to expand...

I wish, I'll be lucky to get a half dozen firings at this rate...
 
milo 2.0 said:
I'd like to see you prove this statement? Not trying to start anything, but this has been spread on the net for awhile.
Click to expand...

Let me see if I can find the photos of the shipping containers on the Nosler loading dock. One of the members on Saubiers.com (who lives in Bend, Or) posted them a year or so ago, clearly showing the different calibers that had "Nosler" headstamps, but in "Norma" shipping barrels (and I do mean barrels; cardboard ones).

I will say, I don't think Norma makes all the Nosler brass, just some of it.
 
Last edited:
Marine, thanks for the link, I do believe Norma makes some of their brass also, but no where near all.
 
Norma makes a lot of brass for a lot of companies. John Haviland (Handloader magazine) showed pictures of 300WSM brass coming off the Norma line head stamped for Federal.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
What about case capacity difference? Does anyone have both brands and could measure case capacity of their fired brass?

Would be much appreciated!'
 
Interesting, I have never heard of swaging extending primer pockets, or even bringing them back to life
 
I saw a YouTube video from a guy who cuts the tops off small base dies and uses a hydraulic press to force a case all the way through. The claim was that it would squeeze the primer pocket back down and extend brass life if that was your only problem.
 
Go to shooters pro shop, click on nosler products, then click on blems, then brass.
 
sentry1 said:
I saw a YouTube video from a guy who cuts the tops off small base dies and uses a hydraulic press to force a case all the way through. The claim was that it would squeeze the primer pocket back down and extend brass life if that was your only problem.
Click to expand...

Yeah I gotta call BS on that, I run every single piece of 40sw through a Lee Bulge Buster, primer pockets that were slightly loose are still looser afterward
 
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