Bought two boxes of .308 new brass, fired them 5x necked sized each time. Performed well and case length held at 2.000. So I bought two more boxes and after one firing, cleaning and neck sizing a good 30% are 2 to 4 thousands UNDER saami minimum spec! I didn't measure them out of the box but I'm sure they came short. What happened to quality control. $1 a piece for brass I would expect better. I emailed nosler and have yet to get a reponse. I tried full length sizing the shorts but. They still fall below specs. I fired them in a Sako TRG which to me was a high priced rifle so I will scrap the shorts. Might be time for Lapua!
Really disappointed
- Thread starter Benny
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Thebear_78
Handloader
- Sep 30, 2004
- 3,097
- 859
If precision is what your looking for you should have started with lapua!
The nosler brass I have used has all worked out well but I have been using for hunting ammo. All my target ammo is lapua.
That said I did have some nosler 260 brass when I couldn't get lapua and it all produced some very accurate ammo
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The nosler brass I have used has all worked out well but I have been using for hunting ammo. All my target ammo is lapua.
That said I did have some nosler 260 brass when I couldn't get lapua and it all produced some very accurate ammo
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Darkhorse
Handloader
- Mar 14, 2014
- 822
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Are you saying that your .308 brass 1.991" long won't hold a bullet? I agree that all new brass should be delivered within specs but I wouldn't discard those shorts. Just shoot them a couple more times and they should be within specs.
I would probably put them in a separate container with a note inside and use them for practice.
I would probably put them in a separate container with a note inside and use them for practice.
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RiverRider
Handloader
- Dec 9, 2008
- 1,450
- 102
I trim my brass to at least ten thousandths under SAAMI spec length. If I happen to trim the first one a little short during setup I go ahead and trim ALL of them to that length. It doesn't hurt a thing.
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Fwiw.... I use Sinclair caliber specific inserts to check the trim length of every chamber in every gun I load for. I've easily checked the chambers in over 100 guns and some of them are some very nicely made custom rifles. I haven't found a gun yet that wasn't at least .010" over Sammie SPEC in trim length needs. Many are .015-.020" over and I'll bet all your guns fall along the same situations. Bottom line is if you are using a chart to judge your trim length you're probably already trimming way too soon. That extra .004" isn't making any difference whatsoever. Those little $7 reusable inserts have saved me a pile of time trimming over many years.
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- #13
elkeater2
Handloader
- Jan 5, 2009
- 761
- 85
If you are going to scrap them, I'll pay the shipping! Since most bottleneck case specs allow .020" between max and trim length, and I've never seen an accuracy test comparing specific length variations within that range, I'm kinda thinking .004" one way or the other doesn't matter much to me. It's clear it matters to you, and that's fine.
EE2
EE2
Dr. Vette
Handloader
- Apr 16, 2012
- 1,480
- 365
Benny,
I'm usually happy to pay $1 each for used Weatherby brass, and as a result happily pay $1 each for new Lapua or Nosler brass in comparison. It's all relative, and when amortized over the course of several firings the brass cost isn't much at all.
I'm usually happy to pay $1 each for used Weatherby brass, and as a result happily pay $1 each for new Lapua or Nosler brass in comparison. It's all relative, and when amortized over the course of several firings the brass cost isn't much at all.
Brass is funny stuff. I've had cheap PRVI brass that was much more consistent than some Lapua in your caliber, also seen the opposite. Some brass/rifles shrink, some stretch, hard to say.
I guess if you want to hedge your bet, just buy the Lapua or track down some pre-1970 LC or WCC national match. You'd probably be appalled at the variation in the national match brass, but a lot of jewelry has been won with it! My guess is, so long as you segregate your lots of brass, you will never notice the difference. You state that you fired your brass once before measuring length. How do you know what length it was to begin with? It doesn't always get longer.
Nosler brass is Norma brass, which has almost as high falutin' a reputation as Lapua among match shooters. You say you expect a quality product for a buck a case, and I think you got it. You just got 2 different lots of it and the 2 lots behave a bit differently. Trim the short lot back to the length of the shortest case and fire away. Good luck.
I guess if you want to hedge your bet, just buy the Lapua or track down some pre-1970 LC or WCC national match. You'd probably be appalled at the variation in the national match brass, but a lot of jewelry has been won with it! My guess is, so long as you segregate your lots of brass, you will never notice the difference. You state that you fired your brass once before measuring length. How do you know what length it was to begin with? It doesn't always get longer.
Nosler brass is Norma brass, which has almost as high falutin' a reputation as Lapua among match shooters. You say you expect a quality product for a buck a case, and I think you got it. You just got 2 different lots of it and the 2 lots behave a bit differently. Trim the short lot back to the length of the shortest case and fire away. Good luck.
Divernhunter
Handloader
- Apr 1, 2009
- 812
- 171
Someone need their diaper changed? Just kidding. For some it is a big deal for others not
Divernhunter":l3xoqhzt said:
Yep.
Sounds like a great reason to pop some caps need some brass to get flowin!
Ain't a single bad reason to get out and pop caps IMHO
!Honestly I haven't cleaned a primer pocket or trimmed a casein a long, long time. Lee Collet Neck Sizers and AI chambers work wonders for stretch but even so you wouldn't catch me complaining about cases being short.
To each his own; shooting more is never a bad solution to whatever ails ya tho!!
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