scott, ive been reloading for quite a while and i usually get remington or winchester brass. these two usually hold up better than the off brands. federal brass is good too. if you want the best get norma but you will pay more for it. good luck with your reloading and please be careful.
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guns dont kill people, people kill people
Scott, I usually stick with remington or winchester. Usually because of availability and I get once fired free sometimes from ranges. I like federal but it only last maybe 3 fires before primer pocket becomes loose, but its more consistent and softer than the rest. Norma or Lapura are probably the best but you pay for it. I heard the Nosler brass is A1 but you pay even more.
There is some fine brass out there I like Starline I like for straightwall.
Lapua seems to be better than Norma and is cheeper, compared to Rem and Win the price of Lapua is worth every penny. To me the whole purpose of reloading is to improve over factory ammo, so why use crappy brass!!! Hornady claimes to have top quality brass but it doesn't help when they don't have the calibers I need. Nosler may have some good brass but I haven't tried it yet. The thing that catches my attention most is how someone will pay $40-$60 for a box of 20 factory cartriges and then skimp on component brass. Just weigh some of them and you'll see the difference!! I know that Black Hills uses Winchester brass in their match ammo but I suspect it's a better variety than we buy for home use, like the difference between match bullets and plinking bullets.
why buy that expensive brass when its not needed? If your getting subMOA accuracy, its a moot point, unless your one of those folks that "well its more expensive so its better".
Let me tell ya, theres alot more than buying expensive stuff in making straight ammo. Only experience will show that.
My thoughts, too. For my .223, 100 brass costs about:
[ul][*]$40 for Lapua[*]$64 for Norma[*]$45 for Nosler[/ul]
The same brass in Winchester or Remington costs me $12. I still get sub-MOA groups when I do my part. For hunting, trying to tighten groups another .05" is trivial. And when I'm hunting, I lose brass, especially when trying to make a quick follow up shot or shoot multiple targets. For what I do, the only thing buying more expensive brass would do for me is lighten my wallet.
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You may beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride!
why buy that expensive brass when its not needed?[/blockquote]
My thoughts, too. For my .223, 100 brass costs about:
[ul][*]$40 for Lapua[*]$64 for Norma[*]$45 for Nosler[/ul]
The same brass in Winchester or Remington costs me $12. I still get sub-MOA groups when I do my part. For hunting, trying to tighten groups another .05" is trivial. And when I'm hunting, I lose brass, especially when trying to make a quick follow up shot or shoot multiple targets. For what I do, the only thing buying more expensive brass would do for me is lighten my wallet.
I agree, the remington or winchester brass will do just fine.
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Vegetarian - Old Indian word for lousy hunter.
"The rich... who are content to buy what they have not the skill to get by their own exertions, these are the real enemies of game." -Theodore Rosevelt's Principals of the Hunt
The objective of my reloading at this point in time is quality, not quantity. I don't reload enough any more towhere the cost of premium brass is an impediment. I like Lapua best and havebecome very fond of the new Nosler brass also. These brands have been very consistent in terms of wall thickness, weight, etc... I've also hadgood luck with Norma,though now that I don't have the .300 Wby I'll probably only use it for the 7.65mm Mauser.
The most expensive brass I've used is RWS and while it wasvery consistent and of good quality overall, I never liked it much. Itwas more difficult to work with because it was so thick and the primer pockets were tighterthan a pair ofSpeedos on a Sumo wrestler. I've still got some, but I really don't have any desire to ever use it again.
I still like Winchester anduse it for my son's .243.It has always produced good results. However, I never took a liking to Remington. It wastoo inconsistent and out of any particular batch there were always too many pieces thathad to be culled.I haven't usedany in several years now.
new to reloading which brass
