Brass Which Brand

[truck driver]

I'm sure there is a post here somewhere but I haven't been able to find it.
I have used Remington ,Federal, Nosler/Norma and Winchester rifle brass over the years and got good service out of most of it.
What I'm looking for is good serviceable brass that won't break the bank. I'm not looking to shoot world records and would like to keep the price under $1.00 apiece.
See where Sig Sauer has a plant in the USA and are selling brass for reloading and wondering if anyone has tried it.
Had a bad experience with the last batch of Nosler/Silver State brass I bought and don't think it's worth the asking price. Please don't ask me to elaborate in what was wrong lets just say not the usual quality I had come to expect.

 

[Anonymous]

I use quite a bit of Hornady brass due to that's what the local shop carries the most of. I've been pretty happy with it overall- mainly in 6.5, 270, and .308- and the cost seems pretty reasonable compared.

I've used some Nosler brass in .300WSM and it did fine.

I did not like Federal brass, mostly once fired that i reloaded. The primer pockets got loose after 1 or 2 loadings that were well in the middle of the charge range.

 

[mjcmichigan]

Using Norma in my 300WM and loving it. Using mostly Remington otherwise.
The 300WSM gets Winchester brass..

The magnums get anealed.


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[TackDriver284]

I mostly use Lapua and Norma for all my rifles, and Nosler for the 6.5 Creedmoor. I like quality brass because its less prep than the cheaper brass which needs more prep time IMO.

 

[joelkdouglas]

Honestly I think all the companies make some good lots of brass and some not-good lots of brass. I’ve gotten bad batches of Lapua even.

To pointedly answer your question I think Hornady brass is a good compromise between cost and quality. I like Winchester magnum cases but they don’t have near the standard measurements as the Hornady.


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[Nimrod84]

TD,

I haven't used SIG brass, but general rumblings indicate that it is generally pretty decent; but bad batches do get out. It supposedly tends to be tougher than Hornady... I think ADG made some batches for SIG; I think what I've heard / read is for current SIG production rather than ADG but I could be wrong.

Remington brass was my go to for years, but I've had some bad experiences like cracked necks on the first firing...

Hornady tends to be the best bang for the buck for me. Periodic oblong flash holes and mediocre life expectancy (loose primers at 5-8 firings) seem to be the primary complaints on them. I have experienced both... Oblong flash holes don't bother me, flyers occur out at 300+ yards; but for general use they don't impact me. I don't anneal or spend a lot of time uniforming my brass, so the mediocre lifespan doesn't impact me too much.

 

[SJB358]

For the under a buck brass, Winchester and Hornady are my picks.

I’ve made 7 MSM brass with the SIG 300 Win brass. Works great there as well.

 

[jimbires]

my pick on econo brass is Winchester .

 

[Alderman]

I mostly use Hornady, Remington and Winchester.
I don't mind the prep time as it gives me a chance to do a good inspection of the cases before I put them to work.
I have found imperfections in each of the brands, but not often. I have some Nosler brass and no issues there either.
I normally don't load to high pressures. If I need more speed, I just grab a cartridge that will do what I want without pushing the envelope.


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[ShadeTree]

I've had good results and good service life with Remington once fired brass in numerous calibers. You can pick up once fired brass from some of the online brass distributors pretty cheap sometimes.

A little bit off the path, but I got a 50 count bag of PRVI brass for my 8x57 for around $32 and was impressed with it. Comes annealed, and the flash holes were all clean and uniform. Nice brass but they mostly make brass for the Euro calibers. 6.5x55, etc.

 

[mjcmichigan]

The Savage 303 brass we found was PRVI. Also excellent.


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[Desert Fox]

I use Federal quiet a bit.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

Had a bad experience with the last batch of Nosler/Silver State brass I bought and don't think it's worth the asking price. Please don't ask me to elaborate in what was wrong lets just say not the usual quality I had come to expect.

I also had problems with the 100 count Nosler brass I just bought for my .204 Ruger. It was very oversized. I have not had this problem with Hornady or Winchester brass in this rifle. I have had no response from Nosler when I contacted their customer service, either. I ended up buying a Redding Body Die that I hope will fix it.

 

[omgtkk]

While they only produce a few calibers, the best brass i've used so far is Peterson. It generally runs about 65-75 cents per piece. Very consistant weights and heavier thuckness than most of the other brands. Downside is that you'll have to re-do your load work-ups as the brass generally has less case volume. When i switch over to it in my 6.5 Creedmoor loads I saw my SD's drop into the low single digits.
Its being distributed by Grafs. I give it a very strong recommendation

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[truck driver]

While they only produce a few calibers, the best brass i've used so far is Peterson. It generally runs about 65-75 cents per piece. Very consistant weights and heavier thuckness than most of the other brands. Downside is that you'll have to re-do your load work-ups as the brass generally has less case volume. When i switch over to it in my 6.5 Creedmoor loads I saw my SD's drop into the low single digits.
Its being distributed by Grafs. I give it a very strong recommendation

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When all the boo-ha-raw was going on over on 24hrcampfire I got a 10 piece sample pack which I checked over pretty good and found it to be very consistent, fire formed and it was with in a couple of grains of the Winchester I'm using. The Winchester Red & black bag I'm using is junk compared to it.
I have some test loads loaded to compare velocities but haven't got a chance to shoot.
I'm also considering ADG brass which is highly talked about on Longrange hunting forum.
Peterson is hard to get since they don't seem to make a lot of 300 Win mag brass and I was told by one off the employees they were having trouble with making the belt consistent so that could explain why there isn't any available.

 

[Cleveland48]

While they only produce a few calibers, the best brass i've used so far is Peterson. It generally runs about 65-75 cents per piece. Very consistant weights and heavier thuckness than most of the other brands. Downside is that you'll have to re-do your load work-ups as the brass generally has less case volume. When i switch over to it in my 6.5 Creedmoor loads I saw my SD's drop into the low single digits.
Its being distributed by Grafs. I give it a very strong recommendation

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I have had great luck with Peterson small Rifle primer Brass In 6.5 Creedmoor. It does have a good Bit less capacity than hornady Brass My load went from 42.5 grains in hornady brass to 40.5 grains in Peterson. Also used 41 grains, but always kept getting random pressure signs. Sd's have always been in single digits. Thinking about trying ADG out this summer in one of my creedmoor's. It has a solid reputation so far.

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[diverdown]

Agree with Cleveland, Peterson brass has worked very well for me and doesn't break the bank. I've also used Sig Brass for my .300WM and it has held up well. I'm in agreement with the Federal Brass. Primer pockets do not hold up well, even with mid range loads.

 

[truck driver]

Agree with Cleveland, Peterson brass has worked very well for me and doesn't break the bank. I've also used Sig Brass for my .300WM and it has held up well. I'm in agreement with the Federal Brass. Primer pockets do not hold up well, even with mid range loads.

What is your H2O cap for the Sig brass?
Trouble with Peterson 300 Win mag brass is it's not available.

 

[Dwh7271]

Unfortunately they don’t make 300 WM but Alpha is terrific brass. Their 260 is awesome.
While I realize the price is high and I do believe that you recoup that in longevity and performance, RWS is pretty amazing also.

 

[truck driver]

I keep looking at RWS but I get cold feet every time I look at the price and the same with Norma.
If Winchester had gone to heck in a hand basket I would stick with it but the Red and Black bag they sell now is right down terrible, deformed case necks. split necks,fluted shoulders, out of round base and rims.
QC doesn't exist at Olin manufacturing any more.
I picked up some Win 30-06 range brass once fired factory ammo and I had to deburr the flash holes since it wasn't done at the factory before loading, they must think it's not necessary.

Edit;
I just received an email from Ben Peterson of Peterson brass and he informed me that they will be releasing 300 Win mag bras sometime in 2019 so if you can wait or want to try some of their magnum brass it is on the way next year.
Unless the 10 I have is tougher then a 10 penny nail I'll have to get something else before it hits the stores.