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different brass?

JW21

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Minuteman
Oct 5, 2013
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northern CA
So im getting all my supplies together to start reloading 308. I have 100 pieces of lapua, 50 pieces of winchester, and various range brass that i policed up. My question is given that brass various from company to company, would I have to work up a different load for all the different peices of brass? Im not a bench rest shooter, but Im getting into longer ranges so accuracy matters. How do you guys deal with your brass?
 
Considering what you have I would work up a load for the Winny first, just to get your feet wet. Setting the sizing die, proper bump, then work up an OCW. When you are comfortable, then work up the Lapua, should be pretty close, but the case capacity is different.

You can use the off headstamp stuff for plinking rounds, fouling shots etc.
 
I know to separate the cases but would I need to make different loads for the different cases? Maybe Im WAY over thinking this. Yeah Ive never used Lapua but heard its the one of the best
 
Different cases would have different loads, but they would be very similar. I agree that you should save the Lapua brass until you feel more comfortable with the process. I personally haven't even gotten any yet until I am good on annealing as well.
 
if you separate the odd lots of brass into 5 grain batches, load with a ball powder and FMJ bullet, you can still get sub 1.5 moa performance
 
Like you have heard already, separate it! If I had the most of any brand, I would use only that. Lapua is king. I use only one headstamp, never mix, why, it is too much work to keep em sperated. Buy some more Lapua and don't look back.
 
great advice guys. I find myself always picking odd headstamps up off the range so maybe I can use these as plinkers
 
Separate the brass and get what you have the most of and do load work up with that.


Brass isn't going to pressure spike your gun enough for an explosion of your gun. But it will creat enough different of your load to not be as accurate in another case. Unless your pushing high pressures to begin with then of course the risk of the pressure spike could be great but not as bad as people talk about.

Find a medium range powder load that works well then run that and work your brass and if you have the time learn the variance of each brass type and what they require to all be consistent. But if your just plinking f it load them all as long as the not looking for match winning groups it will work.
 
Save all the headstamps, use one for your rifle. Go find second rifle in same caliber and use another headstamp for it. Continue this process until you have enough rifles for each different headstamp. Easy simple! :)
 
I grade my brass Lapua first, followed by Winchester, Remington, and Federal, in that order. Separate by brand, then start your loading and testing in the reverse order (Federal first, etc.); so your learning curve begins with sparing the better brass until later when one may assume you are a bit further along that curve. If your first 'beginner' batches are like mine were, it helps to have something 'sacrificial' to get started on.

As a beginner, the odds suggest that brass brands and their variations will not be a key limiting factor in your startup handloading process. Whatever else you do, read and reread a reputable handloading manual, and seek out the help of an accomplished handloader to watch over your first few sessions. Stay away from high and low powder charge limits and religiously follow all safety advice the handloading manual provides. Of all the various factors involved with handloading, safety is the most important.

Greg
 
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And to tag onto what Greg has said - yes, your 'best loads' are likely going to be slightly different between cases with the greatest capacity (Winchester most likely) and least capacity (Lapua for example.) Same powder/bullet in different brass WILL shoot different velocity and point of impact - sometimes only slightly - but enough that if you mix and match you are going to be confusing reloading technique/shooting technique with brass induced variables.

Unless you are just blasting holes in a mud bank with your AR and shouting 'hey yall watch this' - then you won't notice. :)
 
And to tag onto what Greg has said - yes, your 'best loads' are likely going to be slightly different between cases with the greatest capacity (Winchester most likely) and least capacity (Lapua for example.) Same powder/bullet in different brass WILL shoot different velocity and point of impact - sometimes only slightly - but enough that if you mix and match you are going to be confusing reloading technique/shooting technique with brass induced variables.

Unless you are just blasting holes in a mud bank with your AR and shouting 'hey yall watch this' - then you won't notice. :)

You bring up a good point. While all the "Top Guns" in the high-power competition world use Lapua, I've found that the Winchesters have given me the best, and most consistently best, loads. I like the extra powder capacity of the Winnies but I do like the longer case life of the Lapua's.

One thing I have done that has contributed to accuracy is to sort the Winchester cases into batches. I started with well over 1K and have now segregated them into 50 round boxes where the case weights (after neck turning and trimming) were all +/- .5 gr. Helps when you're starting with a huge "pool".
 
For case life, I like Remington. It takes a little more case prep, but I have been happy with over 20 reloads (with proper annealing regiment). Also you can find RP once fired pretty cheap.

Here is snip from a Handloader Mag article on rifle cases shot from virgin and reloaded to failure. Now of course results may vary depending on chamber size and proper bump, neck sizing etc. My results have been consistent with this article.

53211d1342631332-quality-report-brassendurancetest.jpg
 
Ive been reloading for a couple years now (I know thats not a long time to some of you) so im not completely new to reloading, just to reloading 308 for precision. Any reason you like the win brass over the rem ie to you get more loads out of them?
 
I do not remember the particulars it was from a Handloader Magazine #257 December 2008. The test was run by the team at Handloader Mag, so other folks results may vary. I have found that RP brass has the longest life and because of the cost, I dont beat my self up if a few cased get lost while hunting or in the field. Since I have two Rem700 in 308, one is fed Lapua and the other RP. The chambers vary by a few thou, so setting bump is very important to case life (if you full length size).

For many new reloaders the primer pocket will open up before the case body or necks fail (due to hot rodding ammo).
 
OK, I'm going to try and get this across to the OP while they are still new enough for it to make a difference.

Delete the word 'best' from your shooting and handloading vocabulary. It has been the ruin of many a great shooter. Best is expensive, and in nearly every instance where it is passionately pursued, has led to frustration and disappointment, and in all too many cases has failed to win through to satisfaction.

Replace the word with 'better'. Crawl, walk, run, in that order. Set your goals on 'getter'. Better is achievable.

Greg
 
OK, I'm going to try and get this across to the OP while they are still new enough for it to make a difference.

Delete the word 'best' from your shooting and handloading vocabulary. It has been the ruin of many a great shooter. Best is expensive, and in nearly every instance where it is passionately pursued, has led to frustration and disappointment, and in all too many cases has failed to win through to satisfaction.

Replace the word with 'better'. Crawl, walk, run, in that order. Set your goals on 'getter'. Better is achievable.

Greg

Very true man. Ill just do some load developement with brand x and go from their