different types of brass

G

guppie1160

Regular
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Location
Halifax Area
I am going to be reloading my own ammunition and to that end I have been collecting brass when the occasion arises....I have seen many different brands/names on the heads like RP...FC...Etc...my question would be is there really any difference in the brass from one manufacture to the other...if so is there one considered to be a better quality?
 
Yes, there is quality differences. Lapua is at the top. Nosler brass is also very good.

BUT, depending on what you are expecting from your rifle I wouldn't go the cost of premium brass.

I reload because I like to shoot and I reload my hunting rounds. Whether they group 1 1/2" @ 100 yards or 1/4" @ 100 yards is of "no consequence" to my style of shooting - 1 1/2" is "accurate enough" to take a deer, moose or bear.

So I load once fired brass regardless of the mfg stamped on the head and can say, for my style of shooting I don't notice a difference.

And if a Rem case "only" loads 5 times before it goes into the scrap brass pile, so what - after all, I didn't pay for it...
 
guppie1160 said:
I am going to be reloading my own ammunition and to that end I have been collecting brass when the occasion arises....I have seen many different brands/names on the heads like RP...FC...Etc...my question would be is there really any difference in the brass from one manufacture to the other...if so is there one considered to be a better quality?
Click to expand...

Yes there is differences,
1. Internal case capacity.
2. How hard or soft the brass is.
3. Variations in case wall and neck thickness.

Pick one brand of brass for a specific load and do not shoot mixed brass.
Our American Lake City military brass is very high quality, meaning the best brass for the lowest price.
The variations in case wall and neck thickness will have the greatest effect on the accuracy of your reloads.
I was given a five gallon bucket of Remington .223 brass fired by our local police depts., and this lower grade practice ammo had the "WORST" case wall uniformity I have seen.
I hunted in the woods and at these close distances and brass quality didn't matter.
And if you are shooting longer distances the quality of the brass will matter.

As silverfoxdj stated above Lupua is noted for its uniformity and quality.

And a low cost neck thickness gauge will tell you a great deal about your brass.

Below one of the "better" Remington cases given to me, some had .006 to .008 variations in neck thickness.
The problem with this type of brass is the case will warp when fired because the case will expand on its thin side more when fired.

IMG_2137_zps66bcfc13.jpg


IMG_2136_zps079ece9b.jpg
 
I agree that Lapua is probably the best out there.

Nosler brass, in my experience at least, is a bit on the "soft" side, but to some, that is not an issue.

Norma also makes excellent brass, but is also "soft", but not in all chamberings. My 308 Norma Mag brass has proven quite durable.

Domestically, I consider Federal [FC headstamped] brass the poorest of all, since primer pockets quickly become loose, even with moderate loads.

As bigedp51 has stated. if prepping your brass for precision shooting, watch neck wall thickness variations.

As for weight differences, don't get me started...I have seen 30+ grains difference in weight of cases from 2 different manufacturers.

Regards, Dave
 
It sounds like you are just starting out.

I can remember when I first started 50 years ago. OHHH the way things have changed for the better.

The premium brass these knowledgeable folks mention is very good but they don't explain why. The metallurgy between batches is very consistent and with proper care will form easily and last a long time. It seems to be softer than most North American offerings.

As you the OP mentioned you have a mixmaster's bag of brass. The first thing you need to do is separate it by manufacturers headstamp. Then, lube it properly inside the neck and on the whole outside of the cartridge case, then, run it through your die which should be set up to give you cases that are as close to factory size as possible. Now, for the biggie, trim it all to the same length and clean all the lube off, then weigh each piece. If your brass is going to be used for general purpose/hunting/range practice anything that is within +or - .3 grn in weight from a standard made up by taking the average of all the pieces you have they should be close enough. If you want match standard. Then there is quite a bit more to it.

Follow those general rules and you shouldn't have any issues as long as you do the rest of the procedure properly.
 
bearhunter said:
It sounds like you are just starting out.

I can remember when I first started 50 years ago. OHHH the way things have changed for the better.

The premium brass these knowledgeable folks mention is very good but they don't explain why. The metallurgy between batches is very consistent and with proper care will form easily and last a long time. It seems to be softer than most North American offerings.
.
Click to expand...

Please do not take this the wrong way but Lapua brass is the "HARDEST" of all commercial made cases with the military NATO 5.56 cases being the hardest. Below is from a posting from http://www.accurateshooter.com/

Below the forum member who works in a ballistic lab gave the hardness readings, and ended a "discussion" I was having with another forum member about which brass was the hardest.


The actual measurements were (.062"x100kg, Rockwell "B")

LC 2008 = 96

Lapua 223 Match = 86

Winchester 223 = 69

Remington "R-P" = 49

For all you guys that have believed that Winchester cases were tougher than Remington... you are vindicated, they are a lot tougher!...

... but LC and Lapua are the "The pick of the litter"!

The difference between Lake City and Lapua is NOT enough to account for the problems that the OP is talking about...

... but the difference between LC and commercial cases IS enough to account for what that Pesky Ed is talking about.

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3843906.msg36399848#msg36399848

The hardness of the brass enables the brass to better withstand the chamber pressure the brass is subjected to. Military 5.56 brass is made harder to better withstand larger diameter military chambers without distorting.

Many of the competitive shooters at AccurateShooter.com will keep working up their load until the brass flows into the ejector and then back off 1 or 2 grains and look for the best node nearest the max load.

Below, the brass flow into the ejector means the elastic limits of the brass have been exceeded and the brass is being over stressed by high chamber pressures.

marks_zps63d0459a.jpg
 
for a fella who is just getting into reloading and is going to be reloading hunting loads what should i buy?

i was just gonna order a bag or 100-200 from a supplier.
but now im wondering if i should maybe try for a specific brand so i can use them for a while?

starline?

i dont need the best of the best, these will be for hunting loads.
but i would like a mid range brass that i can trust and get a few years out of them.
 
Thanks BigED. I just find Lapua easier to form, new or used. I find Winchester brass to be extremely hard and find Privi to be very consistent from lot to lot.
 
wayupnorth said:
for a fella who is just getting into reloading and is going to be reloading hunting loads what should i buy?

i was just gonna order a bag or 100-200 from a supplier.
but now im wondering if i should maybe try for a specific brand so i can use them for a while?

starline?



i dont need the best of the best, these will be for hunting loads.
but i would like a mid range brass that i can trust and get a few years out of them.
Click to expand...

For your purpose I would get Starline or Remington. Winchester was good for a lot of years, almost the go to brass for ordinary use, then maybe about eight or ten years ago they went all to pot and I haven't trusted them since.
Federal also used to be pretty good, but now they are so soft that normal loading will often swell the primer pocket to beyond use in one shot.
I think Privi is terrible.
I highly recommend taking home all the range brass that is your calibre that you can use. At our range they have a box for people that don't want their brass to put it in. A sign over the box states to help yourself, if you can use it and please leave other calibres for people who can use it.
This is always once fired brass and so many rifles now have tight chambers and short head space clearance that the brass looks just like new.
 
Best brass we can buy out of the box today... NORMA USA. This is not norma of yore. The stuff is essentially all that we love from gold box Lapua from Nammo. But bring $$$.

Unfortunately, most US domestic brands have discovered selling factory ammo is far more profitable then selling components so... scratch Win, Rem and Fed off you list.. unless you find range pick up.

Hrn and Nosler have pros and cons. Can vary from lot to lot... and bring $$$.

The brass I now use for my competition and precision shooting.. PRVI. They are supplying a very tough, strong and durable brass with very good manf. A bit of neck turning to get to perfection and away you go. Well priced too.

Jerry
 
Great info here. Nice to read how many shooters have different experiences with the same head stamp.

OP, are you talking pistol or rifle brass? Or both?

If looking at reloading a few K of pistol brass per year, it is a different ball game.
 
UR2X3M4ME said:
Great info here. Nice to read how many shooters have different experiences with the same head stamp.

OP, are you talking pistol or rifle brass? Or both?

If looking at reloading a few K of pistol brass per year, it is a different ball game.
Click to expand...

I should have been clearer...at first I am mostly going to be reloading pistol with some 30-30 and 303 thrown in but the bulk for now will be pistol....really sorry for any misunderstanding
 
Yes brass quality will vary with manufacturer/headstamp as well illustrated in previous posts.

However, accuracy wise and with a 5" barrel and at distances typically well within 50 yards, I find slight quality variations that exist a very forgiving... if any noticed. Just make sure you are seating to the desired COAL when switching headstamp or allow for a greater tolerance for mixed brass.

Reloading wise, you could call "quality" the pistol brass headstamps that can be safely reloaded a higher number of times. My non-scientific/perceived/arguable appreciation in decreasing order is IVI, Starline, Blazer, Federal, Winchester, Sellier & Bellot, PMC, Speer, Remington. Others will likely chime in with their own experience.

To many high volume shooters (i.e. IPSC), it's all good brass. Some meticulous reloaders will sort their pistol brass by headstamp; some won't bother; and others will use once fired only.

I do recommend to carefully inspect range brass. Reject/scrap anything bent out of shape; overly bulged at the base; deeply scratched; with evidence of many-many previous lives; cracked; or fitted with berdan primer pocket.

You must set aside any crimped brass. Common examples are FC NT, Win NT and any military headstamp ( a circled "+" sign for NATO brass). The primer pocket crimp must be removed to made them suitable for reloading. Forcing a new primer in a crimped case may lead to a very unsafe and undesirable thing...

Cheers,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom