Using mixed brass?

MD

MD

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Will using mixed up brass empties affect my handloads?

I've been using Winchester brass for my 270, but some have been reloaded two or three times now.

I have nearly two boxes of Federal empties on hand. If I use the Federal empties for my next go-round of reloading and shooting will that make a significant change in my loads if everything else (primer, powder charge and bullet) remain the same?

What if I use some mixed Winchester and Federal?
 
Different makes of cases tend to weigh differently with differing internal volumes. This has an effect on pressures. Rule of thumb is if you change any component-brass, bullet, propellant or primer- you need to work up a load for that particular mix of components watching for signs of pressure.
 
Different makes of cases could have slightly different internal dimensions. So by keeping everything else constant but using mixed brass you will probably get some velocity differences. Also differences in the neck thickness could affect how firmly the bullet is in the neck.
IMO it would only make a difference if you are looking for very accurate reloads. For hunting I don't think that you will see any real difference.
However, I have not reloaded that many rifle cartridges. Lots of pistol over the years. So I am not an " expert ".
 
There will be a difference, but you may or may not notice it.

For real accuracy I would use the same stuff in a batch. If I made 20 (or 100)rounds up to sight in or hunt with I would use the same brand from the same lot/box/bag.

Also if you worked up a maximum load say with Federal brass, if you suddenly put the same bullet and powder in a Remington shell it may or may not be too high of a pressure. Same goes for changing powder or primers or bullets. But with minimum loads thats where you would be starting anyways.

If I was just plinking with say an M14 or AR etc and not to concerned about accuracy I would load a huge batch of minimum powder loads with any and all brass and shoot them all off with no worries.
 
I use the plastic 50 round boxes. Each box is similar brass.

I would not mix the Fed and the Win brass, but would load them with the same loads. A trip to the range will tell you if they shoot to the same place, or if one works better than the other.

If they do, put one box of the Feds aside for hunting, and keep loading and shooting the others for practice and plinking. I don't like to use real old brass for hunting.
 
I just changed brass tonight. Before loading them up I compared the weight of the new brass to the old brass. I figure if the weight is not any different than the capacity should be the same. Correct?
 
g-manz35 said:
I just changed brass tonight. Before loading them up I compared the weight of the new brass to the old brass. I figure if the weight is not any different than the capacity should be the same. Correct?
Click to expand...
Well since about all brass casings are made from the same 70/30 alloy, then regardless of manufacturer the densities will be the same. That means if the casings have the same weight, they also consume the same volume in your chamber. It doenst matter if one casing has a few molecules less in the head and more in the wall and visa versa.

The only issues I can think of between manufactuters is mech tension (due to annealed or not, work hardened through repeated reloading
And finally flash hole sizes.

All of which can easily be fixed. Anneal your cases and ream your holes.

But I'm no rocket scientist or professional shooter, just a grease monkey so take it or what it's worth.
 
Well, I've noticed brass makes the most differnece for me. I reload for a Benelli R1 and always load the same powder/bullet/primer. I go through lots of ammo and reload by the ice-cream pale (did 800 rounds the other day to get me through the summer). My gun shoots winchester brass the best. Other types of brass definitely/dramatically change the size of the groups. I use new winchester brass for hunting and shooting for $$, and the other stuff for plinking/practice.
Might be my gun is fussy, but it makes a difference for me.
 
Purple has said it straight and simple.

I have a couple of rifles that I shoot regularly that aren't so much maker fussy as weight fussy.

I tend to sort by weight, rather than maker.

I also tend to stay away from Winchester brass. Not because of accuracy issues but because it tends to work harden way to quickly with high volume cases.

Small cases, like the 223 rem or even the 7.62x39, really show the differences in accuracy if you don't watch the weights of the cases.

For 7.62x51, I really like the IVI brass. It is some of the most consistent weighted brass I have found, either commercially or surplus. The only brass that matches it in consistency is Lapua.
 
fuzzynuts54 said:
Well since about all brass casings are made from the same 70/30 alloy, then regardless of manufacturer the densities will be the same. That means if the casings have the same weight, they also consume the same volume in your chamber. It doenst matter if one casing has a few molecules less in the head and more in the wall and visa versa.

The only issues I can think of between manufactuters is mech tension (due to annealed or not, work hardened through repeated reloading
And finally flash hole sizes.

All of which can easily be fixed. Anneal your cases and ream your holes.

But I'm no rocket scientist or professional shooter, just a grease monkey so take it or what it's worth.
Click to expand...

Not true - two casings can weigh the same and have different internal volumes. Where the brass is thicker or thinner makes a difference. Volume depends on length and radius squared, so any brass that is on the walls will have a greater effect than on the web. Further, brass on the neck where it is in contact with the bullet has no effect on usable powder volume.
 
i have 4 or 5 diff manufacturer headstamps AND different chamberings that i convert to 8x57. My mauser is not picky, i just use it for plinking at the gong at 200 yards and i'm sure even with mixed brass with open sights i am the limiting factor, not the ammo. Shooting the 8x57 any other way just gets to damn expensive.

....now if i was reloading close to max loads and reloading with accuracy in mind it would be a totally different story.
 
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