Brass... a discussion

[The D]

I don’t even have my press set up to start reloading but I can already feel myself tumbling down the gear whore rabbit hole. My inquiry is about best brass manufacturers regardless of cartridge availability. And by “best” brass I mean, in no real order: uniformity(runout and weight consistency) and longevity potential( will include annealing at some point)

I think I have discerned a few tiers of brass quality that I’d like everyone’s opinion on

1) Peterson, alpha, adg, maybe lapua but not necessarily that order

2) definitely lapua at the top of this class, Norma, Nosler

3) Federal, Hornady, Winchester

I will definitely buy some finished ammo and/or reloading components from all 3 tiers. I won’t be competing, at least not for a long time if I do, I’m just going to be shooting paper and steel. I’d like to hunt at some point but that won’t require the super ultra mega home brew ammo. This is just for my own curiosity

 

[Supersubes]

If you’re just starting to reload, don’t complicate things with multiple different brass makers. Just no need.

Some would say learn on cheap brass first, but I don’t really agree with that. Good brass relieves you of several concerns related to consistency. Less to think about.

Lapua tops the list generally imo. Rock solid consistency over every cartridge they make for a very long time. Very strong regardless of cartridge. Contrast that with Norma. More expensive than lapua, still consistent, not nearly as strong. In fact some cases seem ridiculously soft. Alpha was well regarded at first. Now there seems to be a pretty steady stream of negative experiences with it. Peterson is nice at the price point. Strong, consistent, etc.

In the past Lapua had a small menu of brass. They’ve expanded that menu more in the last five years than they have in the 20 years before that. Any cartridge for which lapua makes brass is going to be a winner, whether it’s used natively or as the parent case for a wildcat.

 

[The D]

I’m going to try to buy complete ammo that utilizes great brass first, then save and reload the cases. I also understand the importance of not being complicated, I’m going to try to keep my really nice stuff limited to small batches and organized separately.

 

[Supersubes]

No need to buy ammo. Just buy your components and git-r-done.

 

[The D]

I’ll go through a search of Alpha brass but what are a few cliff’s notes about some negative experiences?

 

[spife7980]

You are going to get lots of disagreement on your "tiers" as its way too general.

(and I would also say wrong)

 

[Supersubes]

I’ll go through a search of Alpha brass but what are a few cliff’s notes about some negative experiences?

What cartridge are you starting with?

 

[b2lee]

Before 1. you should have 0.5) RCC brass....my 300PRC shows a price of $5.65/ea for some lathe turned brass.

I'll opine that you should start with once fired brass....you are going to screw up a lot of brass when you first start out. You are going to bump back the necks too far....or size the necks too much....or crush this...or bend that....and a year later you are going to look back and laugh at yourself.....so I wouldn't try learning on premium brass that you may not get the benefits of shooting super tight groups with...because you simply don't know enough yet....and please don't over trim your brass every time.

 

[The D]

You are going to get lots of disagreement on your "tiers" as its way too general.

(and I would also say wrong)

I’m looking for all opinions. How would you rank a semi-arbitrary list of brass manufacturers?

What cartridge are you starting with?

My rifle is chambered in .30-06 but I have plans to remage it to include some sort of 6.5mm cartridge also. I’m thinking of 6.5x47 Lapua, sort of just because

 

[The D]

Before 1. you should have 0.5) RCC brass....my 300PRC shows a price of $5.65/ea for some lathe turned brass.

I'll opine that you should start with once fired brass....you are going to screw up a lot of brass when you first start out. You are going to bump back the necks too far....or size the necks too much....or crush this...or bend that....and a year later you are going to look back and laugh at yourself.....so I wouldn't try learning on premium brass that you may not get the benefits of shooting super tight groups with...because you simply don't know enough yet....and please don't over trim your brass every time.

Maybe buy some cheap(er) ammo, shoot and reload that until I sort of know how to not fuck it up too bad and the cases aren’t worth saving, then start experimenting with better quality pieces?

 

[b2lee]

Me personally.... thirty aught six? It's not like I'm going to try shooting bugholes with it. I'd grab some range brass or some hunting rounds....or cheap mil surplus and have fun shooting...then come home and learn your craft of reloading.

I am one of the few people on here it seems....that actually ENJOYS reloading. I have soo much money in reloading equipment...it is absolutely embarrassing. And before the year is done...I'll probably spend a few more grand on it.

 

[Supersubes]

6.5x47 ammo only comes from Lapua, and the only other maker of brass for the 47 is Peterson. Both premium.


I disagree with b2lee, the people who screw shit up blaze ahead without asking/ researching first. In fact most of that would be sorted if they would just A) read the die instructions and B) buy a hornady headspace comparator (and read the instructions). Very few other topics get beat to death around here more than sizing and shoulder bump.

 

[Dthomas3523]

Lapua and possibly Peterson in tier 1. The others in tier 2. Tier 3 the same.

Been through too many brands of brass to not consider lapua the gold standard. Peterson is catching up.

 

[b2lee]

6.5x47 ammo only comes from Lapua, and the only other maker of brass for the 47 is Peterson. Both premium.


I disagree with b2lee, the people who screw shit up blaze ahead without asking/ researching first. In fact most of that would be sorted if they would just A) read the die instructions and B) buy a hornady headspace comparator (and read the instructions). Very few other topics get beat to death around here more than sizing and shoulder bump.

Lot's of "If's" and "Instruction Reading" in your comments....come on...we are men...we can admit we dive head first into new tasks....

 

[Supersubes]

Lot's of "If's" and "Instruction Reading" in your comments....come on...we are men...we can admit we dive head first into new tasks....

Ya, reading instructions and measuring is probably too much to ask most dudes.

 

[The D]

Thanks everyone for all the info so far. I most certainly will be reading directions and proceeding slowly, I don’t rush into anything

And I have quite a few cases from various hunting rounds for my -06 so far. I will be experimenting with those a bit before I venture too far

 

[ditter]

Go buy Berger factory ammo. Then keep the Lapua brass and use nothing else. It's actually the cheapest consumable (other than primers) if you ammortize it out over ten firings or so. I use Hornady for warm up shots.
go to the precsion rifle blog and see what the pros use. I think virtually everyone (90% or so) is using Lapua.

 

[The D]

Go buy Berger factory ammo. Then keep the Lapua brass and use nothing else. It's actually the cheapest consumable (other than primers) if you ammortize it out over ten firings or so. I use Hornady for warm up shots.
go to the precsion rifle blog and see what the pros use. I think virtually everyone (90% or so) is using Lapua.

I will be using Berger ammo, maybe not exclusively but I’ll definitely get some. I’ve read plenty of the “what the pros use” articles and definitely pay attention to the component choice. I would definitely be ok if the only brass I could get was Lapua but I’m also interested in the smaller companies pushing Lapua’s standards higher

 

[RTH1800]

If you can find a local, experienced reloader it will save you A LOT of problems in the long run.

 

[Steel head]

With a bit of work you might be amazed what the cheaper brass can do.
I’ve been using necked up Winchester 243 brass in my 260 for over a decade.
My original batch of 250 killed a few barrels and accuracy and extreme spreads were excelled.

 

[The D]

If you can find a local, experienced reloader it will save you A LOT of problems in the long run.

My dad has been reloading since before I was born and had a small reloading side business when I was really young so I do have a resource to ask. The only problem is that I live a few states away if something can’t be answered by text/call

With a bit of work you might be amazed what the cheaper brass can do.
I’ve been using necked up Winchester 243 brass in my 260 for over a decade.
My original batch of 250 killed a few barrels and accuracy and extreme spreads were excelled.

Wow, nice. I’m sure even the cheapest brass will be ok for now. I’ll make my mistakes with the cheaper .30-06 cases I have and work into some good stuff.

I have a tendency to let my mind wander waaay waaaay too far ahead of me when I start to formulate a tinkering plan. So of course, why wouldn’t I jump to multi thousand dollar reloading setups with nothing but monolithic bullets of every caliber loaded in multiple cartridges in a diy clean room behind a vault door in my basement

 

[Ryridesmotox]

My rifle is chambered in .30-06 but I have plans to remage it to include some sort of 6.5mm cartridge also. I’m thinking of 6.5x47 Lapua, sort of just because

Just be aware that the magazines may not feed well with such a short cartridge in a long action.

Other than that, take care of your brass and it will take care of you. No matter which brand you get, or how much it costs