Newbie loader question

[Wig-Hunter]

I have been saving brass from my .30-06 to reload. I have various brands of brass, ie Winchester, Remington, Federal. I want to reload my own shells once set up to do so, does using all the different brass make any difference? Or is there a reason I should stick with a specific brass only?

Thanks!

 

[colinjw]

Different makes of brass have slightly different thicknesses. This can change the pressures . For someone who is looking for the utmost accuracy then there are valid reasons to use the same make of brass ( Even the same lot number ) . There are other factors, amount & type of powder, type, size of bullets , type of primer etc etc.

What kind of shooting do you want to reload for ?
Plinking, hunting, general target shooting ??

Unless you are really serious about what you shoot, my opinion would be to use the brass you have. I would suggest though keeping the brands together when you shoot though rather than a real mix up.

Just my opinion though. I am sure others have different opinions which is as it should be.

Have fun & take your time.

 

[Paul Jacobsen]

Pretty much summed up there.....keep different mfg seperate as they do vary considerably in weight....extra weight means less powder capacity....less capacity with the same powder charge means higher pressures, so be careful.
I seperate and weigh all my cases according to weight after trimming to length, primer pocket uniformed, flash hole uniformed, case neck chamfered inside and out.

As for make. I personally really like RP...Remington Peters, Very consistant weight from case to case.....consistant weight means consistant loads with small standard of deviation...translated means good consistant accuracy if you do your part.

Get a good loading manual from any of the mfg's and READ IT thoroughly, and understand why you are doing what you are doing. If you are unsure, have someone with experience help you out.

Last thought about loading. Do it when you can give it your UNDIVIDED attention, dont watch TV, etc etc. Hell I don't even have a radio on ,so I concentrate on the job at hand. Loading is fun and safe if you follow the rules.

 

[Wig-Hunter]

Thanks for the info. I'm doing a fair amount of shooting at the range so, just trying to save a few bucks. Heck, if I can get them into a 6" circle at 200 yards, I'm happy. Eventually though, I'd like to work on the "best" load for my gun.

It's not for competitive shooting.

 

[dumbdawg]

what type of shooting are you doing

 

[sunray]

Ammo tailored for your rifle will get you a lot less than 6" at 200. It's entirely possible to get 2" at 200. That'd be one Minute Of Angle.
The '06 loves 165 grain hunting bullets(they'll kill any game in North America) and 168 or 175 grain match(if you plan on doing any serious target shooting) bullets using IMR4064 and regular large rifle primers. Sierra Matchking 168's for distances out to 600 yards, the 175's past there. Match bullets aren't cheap though.
I've never noticed much difference between one make of brass and another. However, Federal brass tends to be softer than other makes. Doesn't last as long. Winchester and Remington make good brass though.
Have a look at an RCBS Beginner's Kit. Gives you everything you need less dies and shelholder. It comes with a manual, but buy another one anyway. The Lyman manual is good. Has more loads with more bullet weights and powders than any bullet maker's book. Not that there's anything wrong with the book, Speer I think, that comes with the kit. The Lyman book is just more versatile.

 

[Ganderite]

keep saving your brass and collecting brass at the range.

Sort the brass by brand and inspect any strange headspamps to make sure the brass is reloadable with a Boxer primer. Some European brass uses two tiny flash holes instead of one big one in the center of the head. You need this large single hole so your die can punch out the old primer.

For your purposes the Berdan primed brass is not reloadable. I do it in one caliber 8x60R because that is the only brass i have. What a pain!!

get some plaastic 50 round boxes so you can easily load each brand of brass as a separate lot. Your commercial brass can share the same loads, but any military brass must be loaded about 2 grains lighter. It has less space inside the case.