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what brass should i use?

chris223

chris223

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Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 10, 2009
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chicago
Ive got a remington 700 26in barrel chamb 308.
Ive been using once fired brass bought here and im shooting sub moa but im looking to suck in my groups alittle more
I understand there is a difference in brass.
But what would you reloaders reccomend? I was thinking of buying a couple of small batches from diffrent manufacturers . what do you guys say?
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Winchester is good stuff for not a lot of money. It's tough too, I have a batch that's on #6 loading in a semi and it's not a light load.

Lapua seems to be very popular but it's a bit expensive. I've also used Lake City 1X fired and it has worked fine although the case capacity is low so I am about 50-70fps slower than my winchester brass loads using the same powder.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

ok I understand they are typically the most expensive
and im fine if that is the best but what makes there brass better than say winchester?
is it the consistency?
or is it the cool box they deliver it in ?
 
Re: what brass should i use?

right about the l.c. i have had good luck with the once fired stuff
im wondering also how the case life is effected over time and im sure that has to effect accuracy as well?
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Lapua is known for their better consistency than most other makers of brass out there. Their special blend of brass alloy is known to last through more reloads then most of the other brands. If you want the best in accuracy, then Lapua is what most people will recommend.

Personally I use Winchester brass as it is about half the cost and does everything I want it to. I sort by weight, turn the necks, and uniform the primer pockets. With Winchester brass, I still get under .5 MOA when I shoot, so I don't feel the need to spend the extra money on Lapua.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

I twice bought Lapua .308 brass when it was on sale so the prices weren't so bad. Winchester just wasn't on my radar at the time or I would've considered that. It would be interesting to see which would last longer. You certainly can't go wrong with Lapua, but I'm also not sure what improvement you'll see on sub MOA groups just by switching brass. There are so many variables.

Consider that a better seating die might reduce runout. Seating depth changes might help. Sorting whatever brass you have by weight, etc., etc., etc. I'd try to stick with one brand and lot if you can.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Lapua or Lake City (L.C.) don't do what I did and buy a bunch of Win/Fed/Rem. Just buy L.C. or Lapua right off the bat.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Fuck Winchester brass, go Lapua and dont look back! Take this from someone who is forced to use Win brass.

When is Lapua going to wake up and make 7WSM brass?!?!?
 
Re: what brass should i use?

I have ~ a dozen 308s and have never got any of them to consistency shoot sub moa.
I have every brand of brass possible, and the brass is not what is holding me back in 308.

In .223, I can shoot groups from .4" to .5" 100 yard 5 shot with mixed used brass.
Using Lapua .223 brass does not measurably tighten up those groups.
I have every brand of brass possible, and the brass is not what is holding me back in 223.

What does it all mean?
a) A controlled test of 308 brass done by me would be of little value.
b) I can infer from my .223 tests that changing brass brand could have only tiny effects on group size.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

well i guess ill order some of both and give em a shot
thanks for the insight.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Lapua. One reason for me is, it takes so much of my time to prep the cases. Why not buy the one that will last the longest? Also with different brass manufacturers, your load will change a little due to different case capacity.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

i was told the lapua brass requires little to no case prep?
any truth or a rumor/ myth?
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Its true, you can shoot it out of the box. But I still like to uniform the primer pockets, just for my peace of mind.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Ive found the primer pockets and the consistancy of weight to be far superior over anything else.

Winchester isnt bad but lots weights vary too much. Time is money and Lapua is worth it because I'm not wasting as much time.

Federal sucks BTW.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tangodown911</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Federal sucks BTW. </div></div>

Almost as bad as Rem. brass.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

My personal choice is Hornady Match. We had a 5 day training event at our local range. A fella from Colorado brought 1K rounds of TAP. He didnt reload so I took his empties. Weight consistancy was very, very good as was the neck thickness. I'm having a new barrel put on my .308 and took some time to put together 100 pcs of sorted / prepped brass for this new barrel. Took out 2 bags of 100 and came away with 100 pcs within 1 grn weight spread. Not bad for freebee's
laugh.gif
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Hornady/Norma/Nosler match brass cost as much if not more than Lapua, and they arent even as good as Lapua. Stick with Lapua and you wont be sorry.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

You can see the consensus is for Lapua first, then Win or LC second. I have Lapua and Win in 308. My match loads are all Lapua, but I don't mind loading up Win if I have to.

Having said that, buy once, cry once. Get the Lapua.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

You can certainly load Lapua brass right out of the box no problem. However, I still give them a quick chamfer and run them thru the bushing neck sizer to be certain that my bullets won't slide out after charging and seating.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ZLBubba</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You can see the consensus is for Lapua first, then Win or LC second. </div></div>

Actually Win and LC is third behind Lapua (1st) and Norma (2nd).
 
Re: what brass should i use?

well does anyone recommend me purcasing from anyone whos cheaper than the other?
 
Re: what brass should i use?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: varmint6</div><div class="ubbcode-body">well does anyone recommend me purcasing from anyone whos cheaper than the other? </div></div>

Yeah for Lapua it's Bruno's shooter supply. They are outragious on everything but ironically they are the cheapest on lapua brass that I can find... about 55 cents each if you buy in bulk. I just ordered 700 over the weekend, and probably took the last ones...sorry. But call and check for yourself.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Shot In The Dark</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Lapua or Lake City (L.C.) </div></div>

+1 on that. I prefer LC when I shoot matches, but Lapua is almost as good.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Why is Federal Brass regarded as junk? Just curious, thx.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Federal is very soft I had primers falling out after 2-3 loads. Winchester, Remington, LC all last twice as long. Also Federal grew to 2.015+ for me after one firing. Rem, Win, LC, CBC, MKE brass all didn't grow more than 1-2 thousandths with the same load. I ended up giving away all the federal once fireds I was saving and buying a big bag of LC once fired instead.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

LAPUA brass is the best. It is very well made, very uniform, and will last longer. I spend a lot of time prepping my long range brass (neck turning, primer pocket uniforming, and flash hole uniforming), and then sorting in lots by weight (I prefer to keep my "lots" within a range of 2 grains). My Lapua brass lasts over 15-20 reloads.

Federal Gold Medal Match brass is also very good, but will only last for 4-5 reloads--and then the primer pockets won't hold the primers well. Given the initial cost, and then time spent, and the number of reloads possible, the Lapua works out to be "cheaper" in the long run... Just my 0.02.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Some worse than others, depends on what lot you end up with. If you want them to be anywhere near Lapua quality, you have to do a full BR prep to them and anneal them before first use.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Is the brass used in FGMM the same as the brass that's used in the Federal 180 gr Power-Shok load like from wal-mart?

Cause i have once fired of both and they look indentical. I am getting into Reloading for the very first time so I'm wondering if I should ditch all my Federal brass and buy Lapua or work with what i've got and learn from it.

thanks
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Win.

As long as you're not rolling crazy hot loads it lasts quite a while.

If it comes down to the brass you use you're doing pretty damn good!
 
Re: what brass should i use?

"Federal sucks BTW. ---- Almost as bad as Rem. brass."


Odd. I've never found that to be true of any popular brand of cases. There are small differences between brands for sure but it's a matter of opinion if those differences are good or not. Actually any better "quality" in one area makes for a trade off in another; there's no free lunch in anything is there?

To each his own, according to his own desires.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Probably the main thing is to pick one type and stick with it. I found that in the .338 Lapua Mag we got velocities that ranged from 2750 fps in the hornady brass to 2950 in the PPU (privi partizan) with the Lapua in the middle at about 2850. All the velocities were consistant with one particular type of brass but mix them and you are all over. This is due to brass thickness and case capacity which are related of course. Each maker is a little different and consistancy is the key to good accuracy.

Frank
 
Re: what brass should i use?

If you were wanting to shoot heavy bullets (200+gr), I would recommend the Winchester brass, it's thinner and has higher powder capacity for using more RL17 powder to get better velocities (your 26" barrel really can use it). Otherwise, I would definitely recommend Lapua, it's what I use, even for the heavies.

Branden
 
Re: what brass should i use?

+1 for Lapua brass

Straigth necks, drilled primer holes, annealed necks, nice and shiney, bugger all prep work needed.

Hell, ive even loaded lapua virgin brass without even resizing it and ive acheived sub MOA groups !!!

Opened box, took the brass out, primed it, put in my charge, loaded projectile, then shot them.

This is not the way you would normally go about things, chamferring and neck sizing is recommended... But just shows how good the brass is out of the factory.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: vman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
This is not the way you would normally go about things, chamferring and neck sizing is recommended... But just shows how good the brass is out of the factory. </div></div>

That's what I do with all new brass I get. Only stuff I have to occasionally neck size is Winchester because some of them end up bent from shipping. UPS man is not gentle, yesterday I get a box that was bent in half - it also said "Fragile" in big letters on the side, was a framed picture ;(
 
Re: what brass should i use?

A question I have is this: does all of the above apply to .223?

Seems like all of these "which brass" kind of threads apply to .308 and a few mentions of .223 get thrown in. But what if we are talking .223? I don't want to hijack this thread but would like to hear a few opinions.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: FoxtrotBravo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A question I have is this: does all of the above apply to .223?

Seems like all of these "which brass" kind of threads apply to .308 and a few mentions of .223 get thrown in. But what if we are talking .223? I don't want to hijack this thread but would like to hear a few opinions. </div></div>

If shooting bolt gun, Lapua for sure, if autoloader, LC. Because Lapua is to expensive to sling out of a autoloader and loose.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: USMCj</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: FoxtrotBravo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A question I have is this: does all of the above apply to .223?

Seems like all of these "which brass" kind of threads apply to .308 and a few mentions of .223 get thrown in. But what if we are talking .223? I don't want to hijack this thread but would like to hear a few opinions. </div></div>

If shooting bolt gun, Lapua for sure, if autoloader, LC. Because Lapua is to expensive to sling out of a autoloader and loose.</div></div>

Thanks for your response, USMCj. Glad you specified both types of actions, because I did not think to!
 
Re: what brass should i use?

regardless of the caliber, bottleneck cases from lapua and norma are generally of the highest quality.

If you can afford them, by all means go with them.

If you have a bazillion 1x fired cases lying around, then get some cheap prep tools and use those first you would be crazy not to
 
Re: what brass should i use?

For 223 I like 1X fired anything I can get my hands on. Currently working my way through a bucket of LC cases. 223 has been very easy for me to load and get good accuracy out of vs. 308.
 
Re: what brass should i use?

Thanks for the responses regarding .223. On the LC cases for autoloaders, is it a good idea to sort by year, or just throw them all together and reload 'em? (Not an accuracy rifle.)
 
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