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Old 11-15-2018, 05:36 PM
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Default Choosing good brass??

Hey guys, I would like to start fresh and replace the brass that I have for my .243 and 30-06.I have a mix of win,r-p,hornady and federal. They have been reloaded anywhere from 1 to 5 or 6 times.
What brass would you recommend as being the best? Nosler, Lapua,Peterson or....
These are strictly hunting rounds.
Thanks
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Old 11-15-2018, 05:40 PM
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Lapua
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Old 11-15-2018, 05:43 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is online now
 
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Lapua.
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Old 11-15-2018, 05:44 PM
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Best place to buy Lapua ?
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Old 11-15-2018, 05:47 PM
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I have seen it at the Neerlandia Coop, but I normally get my from either Paul at Rsngesports Unlimited in Kamloops or Peter at Hirsch Precusion in Nova Scotia
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Old 11-15-2018, 05:52 PM
Faststeel Faststeel is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sitting Bull View Post
Hey guys, I would like to start fresh and replace the brass that I have for my .243 and 30-06.I have a mix of win,r-p,hornady and federal. They have been reloaded anywhere from 1 to 5 or 6 times.
What brass would you recommend as being the best? Nosler, Lapua,Peterson or....
These are strictly hunting rounds.
Thanks
Nosler brass is made by Norma. Lapua brass is not going neccesarliy make your rifle shoot any better, but if money is no object then buy Lapua. I some cases Lapua brass holds a few grains less powder than other manufacturers
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Old 11-15-2018, 06:07 PM
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Lapua and Alpha are excellent, IME. Worth the extra up front cost for sure.
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Old 11-15-2018, 07:26 PM
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Lapua, and second choice Lapua.
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Old 11-15-2018, 08:18 PM
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Lapua, and second choice Lapua.

^this.
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  #10  
Old 11-15-2018, 11:56 PM
Capt. awesome Capt. awesome is offline
 
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Lapua all the way
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Old 11-16-2018, 06:34 AM
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Lapua!!

Nosler seems to think very highly of their brass, and prices it accordingly.
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Old 11-16-2018, 07:12 AM
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Lapua is GREAT brass and is now priced very close to Win and Rem. Nosler/Norma/Weatherby is all made in the same place; is okay brass but it is priced past ridiculous.

If you can find loaded ammo in the caliber you want at Tradex you can often get Sellier and Bellot , or Privi ammo for the same price as brass and their brass is excellent for reloading. If you order 5-10 boxes at a time the shipping is pretty cheap, same cost as one box. You get some free target shooting put of it as well.

RWS is also top notch brass.
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Old 11-16-2018, 09:22 AM
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why is Lapua better than Nosler and what benefits would "better" bras get me.
I'm reloading 7mm STW and I've only seen Nosler available, but I haven't really searched. I am using the once fired factory loaded Nosler
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Old 11-16-2018, 09:31 AM
Drewski Canuck Drewski Canuck is offline
 
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All brass stretches. That is how the gas seal is formed.

The issue is too much stretch over time and cases splitting as a result, usually called a "head separation". Necks can crack as well over time from full length re sizing and trimming.

The Question is how much thicker are these cases compared to standard fare?

Older Federal Brass was pretty good at standing up to hot loads for target shooting, and reloading, but in the end all Brass fails anyway.

So the trade off is the risk of a case separation and a stuck case from too many re loads of expensive Brass, as opposed to using good Brass a few times and buying new brass once in a while.

Drewski
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Old 11-16-2018, 09:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jayhad View Post
why is Lapua better than Nosler and what benefits would "better" bras get me.
I'm reloading 7mm STW and I've only seen Nosler available, but I haven't really searched. I am using the once fired factory loaded Nosler
Nosler is softer than Lapua but also well made from a consistency perspective. Problem is it is four times the price. Better brass gets you consistent neck thickness which provides consistent neck tension and reduces the chance your bullets are not concentric. That is the single biggest benefit of good brass, in addition to longer case life.
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Old 11-16-2018, 09:38 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck View Post
All brass stretches. That is how the gas seal is formed.

The issue is too much stretch over time and cases splitting as a result, usually called a "head separation". Necks can crack as well over time from full length re sizing and trimming.

The Question is how much thicker are these cases compared to standard fare?

Older Federal Brass was pretty good at standing up to hot loads for target shooting, and reloading, but in the end all Brass fails anyway.

So the trade off is the risk of a case separation and a stuck case from too many re loads of expensive Brass, as opposed to using good Brass a few times and buying new brass once in a while.

Drewski
You can create case head separation with any brass and you are the cause of it. It’s a result of poor reloading practices. Good brass will resist cracked necks, but all cases should be periodically annealed.

What we are talking about with good brass is consistent case wall thickness, concentricity, reasonable weight distribution/volume, proper hardness, and the ability to withstand repeated firing.
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Old 11-16-2018, 04:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean2 View Post
If you can find loaded ammo in the caliber you want at Tradex you can often get Sellier and Bellot , or Privi ammo for the same price as brass and their brass is excellent for reloading.
Question on S&B for the reloaders here. I have reloaded once fired (by me) 8x57 S&B, full length resized and followed a safe reloading/checking procedure. Rounds chambered fine before shooting as a final check.

I did a ladder test using the Lyman 49 manual's data with IMR4895. At the bottom of the ladder I got case head separation right away. This occurred at all loads, with either full separation or incipient separation. I didn't go anywhere near max load. I did the paper-clip check thingie after on undamaged casings, and couldn't find any evidence of problems.

I've got S&B bottle necked brass in a couple other calibers but I am worried the brass is too way brittle. Anyone else have this problem or am I just a klutz? (Yeah, probably me).

I switched to PRVI brass and have had zero problems. edit: I am on my 9th load with PRVI brass, and it is still going.

I've reloaded S&B 9mm brass without any problems. It's the bottle necked stuff that worries me.

TIA

p.s. My 15 year old and I have used PRVI and Starline brass without problems. I get him to load for his 45/70 using Starline (he bought the gun with his snow shovelling money, he gets to reload for it).

Last edited by tranq78; 11-16-2018 at 04:07 PM.
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  #18  
Old 11-16-2018, 04:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tranq78 View Post
Question on S&B for the reloaders here. I have reloaded once fired (by me) 8x57 S&B, full length resized and followed a safe reloading/checking procedure. Rounds chambered fine before shooting as a final check.

I did a ladder test using the Lyman 49 manual's data with IMR4895. At the bottom of the ladder I got case head separation right away. This occurred at all loads, with either full separation or incipient separation. I didn't go anywhere near max load. I did the paper-clip check thingie after on undamaged casings, and couldn't find any evidence of problems.

I've got S&B bottle necked brass in a couple other calibers but I am worried the brass is too way brittle. Anyone else have this problem or am I just a klutz? (Yeah, probably me).

I switched to PRVI brass and have had zero problems. edit: I am on my 9th load with PRVI brass, and still going.

I've reloaded S&B 9mm brass without any problems. It's the bottle necked stuff that worries me.

TIA

p.s. My 15 year old and I have used PRVI and Starline brass without problems. I get him to load for his 45/70 using Starline (he bought the gun with his snow shovelling money, he gets to reload for it).
Don't know what to tell you. I have reloaded a ton of Sellier brass in many calibers and never had this problem. I am using it in a 7x57 that have 5 reloads on them and they are fine. Now I must say I neck size 98 percent of the time. You might have got an overhard batch but my more likely bet is you had the fl sizer set way too tight. If privi works keep using it but I would check the die settings just to be sure.
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Old 11-16-2018, 04:52 PM
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Definitely not Winchester, seems to be the most common.

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Old 11-16-2018, 04:58 PM
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Best place to buy Lapua ?
Deadcenterreloading.com
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  #21  
Old 11-17-2018, 08:32 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean2 View Post
Nosler is softer than Lapua but also well made from a consistency perspective. Problem is it is four times the price.
Thank you Dean, that is really what I was getting at, and yes Nosler brass is crazy expensive, a box of 25 is $75USD.

I recently found a box of factory Remington ammo that I had shot in the late 90s and it has a price of $42.98 on it, the current price on nosler ammo is typically $129.99-149.99. About this time next year I should have 260 once fired brass ready to start loading.
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Old 11-17-2018, 02:26 PM
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Unfortunately Lapua has not yet seen fit to produce brass for some very popular
cartridges such as 7mm Rem or 300 Win mag.

Which brass manufacturer has the best quality brass for old school cases (Nosler excepted) such as these?

When I started reloading in the '70's it was Winchester...
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Old 11-17-2018, 03:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brewster29 View Post
Unfortunately Lapua has not yet seen fit to produce brass for some very popular
cartridges such as 7mm Rem or 300 Win mag.

Which brass manufacturer has the best quality brass for old school cases (Nosler excepted) such as these?

When I started reloading in the '70's it was Winchester...
I tryed a few brands in my 300win because i couldnt get lapua unfortunately i had my best luck with consistency and case life with nosler out of the few I tryed fed, win, hornady. Its a hard pill to swallow buying new nosler brass man is it overpriced but gotta go with what works
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Old 11-17-2018, 03:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brewster29 View Post
Unfortunately Lapua has not yet seen fit to produce brass for some very popular
cartridges such as 7mm Rem or 300 Win mag.

Which brass manufacturer has the best quality brass for old school cases (Nosler excepted) such as these?

When I started reloading in the '70's it was Winchester...
I load for a 300 Win and a 7 Rem, I still use Win brass in both of them. It is still good brass, just not as good a Lapua and at near the same price I will take Lapua if they make the Cartridge I want. If you can't find Win, Sellier and Bellot as well as Privi makes it for both and like I said before I have had very good luck with both those brass makes too. We are after all talking hunting loads, not 1000 yard match ammo. Most brass will do the job.
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Old 11-18-2018, 07:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sitting Bull View Post
Hey guys, I would like to start fresh and replace the brass that I have for my .243 and 30-06.I have a mix of win,r-p,hornady and federal. They have been reloaded anywhere from 1 to 5 or 6 times.
What brass would you recommend as being the best? Nosler, Lapua,Peterson or....
These are strictly hunting rounds.
Thanks
Lapua is losing in the race of quality brass. Takes time but are blessed with quality producers now. Lots to chose from: peterson, ADG - atlas, Robertson (cnc machined), norma and nosler. Nosler contracts their brass production out so you never know who will supply it but they do have specifications the brass is made to in addition to the general saami requirements. Lapua has made junk too. They too have sub contracted out production. X reload sells a good variety of makers at reasonable prices. Happy shopping.
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Old 11-18-2018, 08:38 AM
Pathfinder76 Pathfinder76 is online now
 
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Quote:
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Lapua is losing in the race of quality brass.
I wouldn’t dive off of that cliff just yet.
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  #27  
Old 11-18-2018, 09:01 AM
Don_Parsons Don_Parsons is offline
 
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Lapua brass is good, it is the most used brass in competion all around the world, and you can't go wrong with the price point.

At just over a buck a peace,,, $125 per 100.

Profit River has been my supplier, fast and reasonable priced, most orders show up at my door with in 2 to 3 days.

I'm pretty fussy when it comes to brass spec,,, about 7 to 10 chunks are scrapped at the 3 firing unless I see anomalies from the first round.
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Old 11-18-2018, 09:16 AM
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You can buy the most precise brass on the market, but if you’ve got a chamber that’s un true to the bore or bolt face, or if your press to die alignment induces run out, or your dies are inducing runout when the bullet is seated, or your own loading practices are squashing the brass back to far, it’s all for not.

I’m getting consistent 0.5MOA results with Winchester brass in one of my rifles, and 2 other rifles yield the same results with Remington brass.

There’s a lot more to be said for the rifle, and our own loading practices.
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Old 11-18-2018, 09:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick284 View Post
You can buy the most precise brass on the market, but if you’ve got a chamber that’s un true to the bore or bolt face, or if your press to die alignment induces run out, or your dies are inducing runout when the bullet is seated, or your own loading practices are squashing the brass back to far, it’s all for not.

I’m getting consistent 0.5MOA results with Winchester brass in one of my rifles, and 2 other rifles yield the same results with Remington brass.

There’s a lot more to be said for the rifle, and our own loading practices.
And the opposite is equally true. And I can guarantee you that if the loader isnt wrecking cases Lapua brass is way cheaper in the end.
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Old 11-18-2018, 12:57 PM
Oldan Grumpi Oldan Grumpi is offline
 
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I think 'premium' brass has a home in 'premium' bench rest rifles. Beyond that, it's no so important for 90% of casual shooters.

I've had very good luck (and shot very good groups, and plenty of game animals) with most brands of 'every day' brass by Winchester, Remington and Federal.

BUT - I always sort by head stamp and weight, keep track of how many times each batch has been loaded, and check for incipient head separations by 'scratching' the inside with a sharpened paper clip after the first reload. In addition, you'll always see the 'bright line' appear at the top of the web before the head is ready to separate.

Yes, Lapua is great brass, like Rolls Royces are great cars and Rolex are great watches. But a Chevy and a Timex will get you there on time too.
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