Why Lapua Brass???

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fclassguy

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Asking around the range, guys seem to cherish thier Lapua brass as it's often touted the best, but why exactly do guys like Lapua brass so much?

Is it more conistant in weight or hardness, or does it just produce more consitant velocity?

Does it last longer?

Is is more accurate somehow?

... what?

I have some Lapua cases and found the necks to be quite a bit thicker than Winchester... The Lapuas are about .015 thick where the Winchester are more like .013 thick.

I'm thinking that is the "real reason" guys like it. The thicker neck material reduces the neck clearance in the chamber and acts like a tight neck in a spec chamber.... Maybe Winchester is just as good if the neck diameter on the chambering reamer is .004" diameter smaller.

Plus Winchester cases are about 10 grains lighter than Lapuas in 308 Win, so you could run winnys a smidge faster.

What do you guys think?
 
fclassguy said:
1)Is it more conistant in weight 2) or hardness
3) does it just produce more consitant velocity?
4) Does it last longer?
5) Is is more accurate somehow?
Click to expand...

1, 2,3,4,5: Yes.

You need a good rig to tell the difference, but it's better-made, resulting in more consistency, better life (better annealing), and therefore easier better accuracy. Requires less effort to uniform case to case.
 
I use Norma brass and found it to be good................I also have used Winchester with good results................Federal brass is iffy...........their primer pockets have been known to enlarge after one or two firings..................
 
I have a friend in the States who has used it all, and has been reloading longer than I have been alive.

He prefers Lapua and Norma because the flash holes are drilled and not pressed in like Win/Fed/Rem brass. It is less work for him to deal with when he preps his cases.

Overall, he finds the Lapua is the most consistent in case weight. He finds he has to weigh and sort Norma cases into separate batches more. This is from cases he took from the same lot.

However, other than the flash hole, he claims he hasn't noticed much difference from Norma and Winchester, so he uses a lot of Winchester brass when reloading.

On his advice, I bought Winchester brass for reloading .303 British and 7.92x57mm Mauser. I wouldn't buy Lapua unless I was doing some serious target shooting, or had a caliber not available in Winchester brass.....like the 9.3x62mm Mauser.

When I mentioned I wanted to buy 1000 Lapua cases each of .308 Win and .223 Rem for target shooting, he and his son looked at me funny and asked if I was rich. They claimed that Winchester gave them the same results of Lapua and wasn't worth the extra cost.

I shouldn't have listened to them though, that was back in 2004 when the price of brass was way cheaper.:(
 
I just picked up 100 Norma brass for my .338, and it cost $170.00 plus tax for the virgin brass.

For the same Lapua brass, it would have been $300.00.

Maybe there is enough of a quality difference to make the extra $1.30 a case worth it, but I am sure I will try both eventually.
 
Lapua brass is superlative.

Extremely consistent dimension-wise, very consistent weight wise, primier pockets stay tight - period. I have never discarded a piece of Lapua brass for a primer pocket issue (except when I have loaded way too hot in load development). I have only had to discard ONE piece of 6BR brass in 5 years, due to a case neck fracture.

I have no problems whatsoever with using virgin lapua brass. Now... if they would only make 6XC, RM, and WSM brass....

I have Norma brass for a 6XC and it is very very nice stuff. No issues there either (except its ridiculous price).

I use federal, Remington, winchester and Hornady 204 Ruger brass. Remmy bras was a joke... Dented, bent.
 
Having access to everything on the market, I can use whatever and in some cases, DO.

I have found Win brass to be as durable as Lapua BUT does need brass prep.

Lapua is hell for stout but not a good option for wildcatting - neck down especially due to very tough and thick necks.

don't bother sorting by weight as it just doesn't matter. Same brand, same lot, sort case volume if really curious about case consistency (but fireform the cases first)

If you load to normal magnum pressures, ALL brands of brass hold up well. Win and Lapua will stand up to toastier loads or more reloads. As long as a case/load survives, 6 reloads, I consider that normal. Win and lapua can last as long as the barrel, or more, if properly cared for.

All brands should get annealed after a few firings for best consistency.

All brands can benefit for a light outside neck turning.

All brands work their best after a fire forming charge which pretty much eliminates any issues that happen during transit.

If case dimensions matter to you, Norma and Lapua are at the top but if comparing holes in paper, have used most everything and shot teeny tiny groups.

A good scale will have a larger benefit to your groups then brass.

US commercial cases will need more brass prep - Rem, Fed, Hrn, NSL is not as durable as Win.

My smallest 1000m group scored was with Rem brass

Etc, etc, etc.

Jerry
 
I think that Lapua is better, more consistant, etc....However I think it takes a very accurate set-up to tell the difference on paper, esp. if your Rem. or Win. brass is properly prepared. I certainly wouldn't pay the price they're asking for it.
 
ben hunchak said:
I think that Lapua is better, more consistant, etc....However I think it takes a very accurate set-up to tell the difference on paper, esp. if your Rem. or Win. brass is properly prepared. I certainly wouldn't pay the price they're asking for it.
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Ben, with the OP having a nickname like "fclassguy" I am going to assume that he either has the "accurate set-up" or soon will have that will be able to show a difference.

For a hunting gun one can pick whichever brass their local dealer has in stock be it Win, Rem, 1F Federal, etc, etc.....
 
I have mostly only ever used Winchester Brass for target shooting because it's light and allows for a slightly hotter load and I have always found consistancy to be good, though I do weight sort everything anyway on a milligram scale. I dont really mind the case prep - it keeps me busy in the wee hours of winter. I figure once cases are fire formed and weight sorted there're consistant by volume by default.

I just bought 400 rounds of Lapua 308 Brass and hope the extra $$$ shows up on target

I designed a new chambering reamer around lightly turned Lapua cases with a .339 neck/.002 clear, though with thinner necks on Winchester brass they are well clear more like .004-.006 whithout turning.

Just second guessing myself if the results would be the same with turned Winchester brass and a .336 neck.
 
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fclassguy said:
I figure once cases are fire formed and weight sorted there're consistant by volume by default.

I just bought 400 rounds of Lapua 308 Brass and hope the extra $$$ shows up on target

I designed a new chambering reamer around lightly turned Lapua cases with a .339 neck/.002 clear, though with thinner necks on Winchester brass they are well clear more like .004-.006 whithout turning.

Just second guessing myself if the results would be the same with turned Winchester brass and a .336 neck.
Click to expand...

Bad assumption. Variations in the extractor groove machining is more then enough to put a case into the 'bad' pile.

If all the cases came from the same lot, odds are they share the same volume regardless of what they weigh. Test it and see - I use Win680 which is an ultra fine powder.

All trimmed to the same length after fireforming and sizing. Dump into one case, tapping until it is full. Dump into the next case and you will need to tap the case to get it all in. See where it fills to. Dump into the next case and so on.

Takes a few minutes to compare alot of cases and there is no mess.

As long as the volume is within a 1/16" of height in the case neck, that is essentially all the same case volume.

Stopped doing this as I never found any cases to vary enough to toss. But you never know....

Look forward to hearing your test results with the Lapua brass and if it will indeed shrink your groups.

The loads between the Lapua and Win will be different to get the same velocity (or very close to the same) as the Lapua case volume is smaller. Accuracy loads will of course be different.

As long as the necks can expand and release the bullet, the extra clearance is just that...clearance. Will not affect the accuracy of your barrel BUT can affect the lifespan of your case necks.

Look forward to hearing your results.

As I said, I sell them all, used them all and have no axe to grind. But it will be interesting to see another shooters results for S&G's.

Jerry
 
you can use any brass you want to shoot a 300M match. If your load is tuned, you will likely notice little inconsistencies secondary to brass. When you start shooting palma distances, 900M or 1000 yards, it is a completely different game. The most accurate rifle in the world is reduced to the accuracy of the loads you put in it.

Sorting components by weight and length and iniforming that which can be uniformed are all factors that influence accuracy. Having accurate loads allows you to become an accurate shooter - not the other way around.

Top long distance shooters use top quality components. I do not know of a single TR or F-Class shooter using Federal 308 brass; they use lapua because it requires very little prep. It is annealed to make it absolutely consistent from the box. Its flash holes are dead center and uniform. neck thicknes is more uniform than any other brass.

Read the reviews and recommendations on-line from credible websites such a 6mmbr . com and see what brass they recommend.

Can you shoot accurately with cheap brass? Absolutely, but it takes far more work to make it that way, and you will even have to throw some out to keep your tolerances close enough. If that is ecomomical for you, fill your boots!
 
Obtunded said:
Top long distance shooters use top quality components. I do not know of a single TR or F-Class shooter using Federal 308 brass; they use lapua because it requires very little prep. It is annealed to make it absolutely consistent from the box. Its flash holes are dead center and uniform. neck thicknes is more uniform than any other brass.

Read the reviews and recommendations on-line from credible websites such a 6mmbr . com and see what brass they recommend.
!
Click to expand...

Actually, quite a number of them shoot Win and what is called 'WIN LITE' - if they can find it.

Reread your German Salazar Palma article on 6mmBR. He is one.

I was lucky enough to get a bunch on a previous shipment and when word got out, it lasted all of a few hours;)

There is nothing wrong with Lapua brass either. I sell a bunch in various chamberings. I even sell Hrn and Rem to competitive F Open shooters - their choice, not mine.

Just need to keep things in perspective. There are precious few absolutes in the world and shooting is no exception.

YMMV

Jerry
 
Jerry,

I mentioned Federal, NOT winchester. Not all factory brass is created equal. I am fairly sure that some of the team savage dudes shoot winchester brass.

As for me, if Lapua doesn't make it, I don't like to shoot it.
 
You are absolutely correct....kind of.

Fed made some Gold Medal match at least a decade back and it was THE most durable brass I have ever had the pleasure of punishing. It even was on sale but didn't know what I had in my hands or else I would have bought it ALL.

It was so freaking good, they stopped making it as a component.

Bizarre....

Jerry

PS but if Fed brass is so horrid, why is the GM ammo the gold standard for 308Win?
 
never mind.....

I'll just have to write and tell every successful benchrest TR and F-Class shooter that they are crazy for using the best equipment out there when they can make crap work if they try hard enough.

Carry on.
 
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