Brass can make a difference in precision

[clearwater]

Loaded some 223 grain cast bullets for the 30-06. 25 grains Reloder 7. Seated to the lands. 100 yards with some wind. Everything the same except the brass.

Top of photo old military brass I found at the range. Foreign stuff with a 1969 date.

Bottom same load but with RP brass. I stopped shooting and will pull and reload the mil rounds into the RP brass and see if they continue to shoot better.

 

[DrMike]

Brass definitely can (and does) make a difference in accuracy. Great reminder!

 

[Charlie-NY]

If the old military brass was from mixed lots or various manufacturers, then the test wasn't very fair. I've reloaded military brass and had very good results but .......... switching to Lapua cases did result in reduced groups. The reduction was not as much as you'd expect.

 

[TackDriver284]

I have experienced better groups by switching brass. I use three brands of brass, from best going down would be Lapua, Nosler and then Norma. I have ditched Hornady, Remington, Winchester and Federal brass back in the days for some of those reasons. Some of the other reasons are cracking at the neck, loose primer pockets after a very low number of firings, inconsistent case volume and badly dinged case mouths upon arrival of the product.

 

[RL338]

inconsistent case volume

This is why keeping brass lots separated is important.

 

[TackDriver284]

This is why keeping brass lots separated is important.

I do this too. I check both lots by checking H20 capacity as well to see if they are very close in volume. I would check them out again by shooting them at long distances.

 

[clearwater]

I sort my brass and bullets by weight when loading for jacketed bullets, not so much for cast. These military cases were not weighed, but the all had the same headstamp and date, even had the pastboard box they came in, so presumably were from the same lot. I haven't annealed them either, so the brass may be stiff and give varying neck tension. The commercial brass is 40 years newer.

 

[xphunter]

Brass, Bullets, Barrels...The 3-B's to accuracy

 

[xphunter]

I do this too. I check both lots by checking H20 capacity as well to see if they are very close in volume. I would check them out again by shooting them at long distances.

Long-Range...The distance you are competing at or the MAX distance you are hunting at, is the ultimate proof of your load, if the distances you will be shooting is beyond your 100, 200 and sometimes 300 yard load development.

For many people, what I wrote above will not apply, as they do not shoot the distance or their max distance at game is such, that any good 100 yard load will work fine on the vitals of game at their max hunting distance.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

I have experienced better groups by switching brass. I use three brands of brass, from best going down would be Lapua, Nosler and then Norma. I have ditched Hornady, Remington, Winchester and Federal brass back in the days for some of those reasons. Some of the other reasons are cracking at the neck, loose primer pockets after a very low number of firings, inconsistent case volume and badly dinged case mouths upon arrival of the product.

Years ago, Federal in the red and white box was good brass. Anymore the primer pocket loosens up after a couple firings. Have seen this in different calibers. Sometimes it is just getting a bad lot of the more common brands. Do agree that Lapua and Norma are worth the price.

 

[Firebird24]

I haven’t seen the difference in accuracy but I have seen a big difference in velocity-and velocity certainly affects accuracy.
Have you just for fun, shot both over a chronograph?

 

[Hunter26]

I honestly have had pretty good luck with most major brands of brass. Pistol brass doesn't make near as much difference. In rifle, Hornady, Federal & Winchester used to be my go to's for the price. After trying some Nosler and then Lapua, I spend the extra for good rifle brass now for bolt guns. Recently got some ADG 7mm PRC brass that I'm excited to try as well. I think in the long run, good brass pays for itself with better consistency and longevity in rifle brass.

 

[FOTIS]

Metallurgy matters

 

[TackDriver284]

Long-Range...The distance you are competing at or the MAX distance you are hunting at, is the ultimate proof of your load, if the distances you will be shooting is beyond your 100, 200 and sometimes 300 yard load development.

For many people, what I wrote above will not apply, as they do not shoot the distance or their max distance at game is such, that any good 100 yard load will work fine on the vitals of game at their max hunting distance.

I agree.

 

[PJGunner]

For more years than I care to count I have gone with Winchester brass first, Remington second and federal so far behind they think they're in first place.
The last big batch of brass I bought was three hundred something Winchester and two hundred plus rounds of 7x57 brass, That was probably about ten or eleven years ago. Even now that Winchester brass is hard to find and that Remington brass was the first I'd come across. I do have one red box of Remington 7x57 brass for reloading that came with a rifle I bought. The brass us marked RP 7MM, no x57 or anything else. I'm thinking that stuff might be as early as pre-WW2 to sometime shortly after the war. Box is full and brass has never been loaded. There were some loose cases that had been loaded and fired but primer pockets on thoser were too loose to be of any use. IIRC, I may have used them to make dummy rounds with different bullets to adjust dies.
The only Federal I even bothered with was eleven hundred rounds of .308 Win. Gold Medal brass once fired. Primer pockets are quite loose and some wont even hold the primer. That brass was given to me by a Border Patrol agent who I sometimes shot with.
Paul B.

 

[xphunter]

Brands of Brass I use the most:
Lapua, Norma, Alpha, ADG, and Peterson.
Mainline brass I use the most is Hornady-Mainly because I use factory match ammo for Loaner guns for WY-SHOT, so I have a lot of it