Brass quality

[TradLife406]

Has anyone done any large sample testing on different brands of brass? As in noticing that your 20 shot groups are smaller with Lapua style brass vs say Hornady?
Got a ton of Hornady brass. It shoots .30 20 shot mean radian. Wondering if it's worth going to premium brass.


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[bober90]

I’m by no means an expert, but in my experience, I’m able to get more reloads out of premium brass.

I’ve used hornady in my 6.5 creedmoor and it shoots great. But switching to lapua brass I’m already 3 reloads over the hornady brass.

 

[wyosam]

Has anyone done any large sample testing on different brands of brass? As in noticing that your 20 shot groups are smaller with Lapua style brass vs say Hornady?
Got a ton of Hornady brass. It shoots .30 20 shot mean radian. Wondering if it's worth going to premium brass.


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Assuming your ES id doing what you need. I wouldn’t change a thing.


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[DEW0341]

This year Took 50 pieces of Hornady and 50 pieces of ADG. Ran the same powders, primers, bullets. 3x reloads on each over time. Groups were larger with Hornady, pressured out quicker with Hornady. ES/SD worse with Hornady.

Hope that helps. This is 7mm PRC. I’ve also done similar with Hornady and Peterson with 6.5cm. Pretty much sings the same tune.


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[35WhelenAI]

This year Took 50 pieces of Hornady and 50 pieces of ADG. Ran the same powders, primers, bullets. 3x reloads on each over time. Groups were larger with Hornady, pressured out quicker with Hornady. ES/SD worse with Hornady.

Hope that helps. This is 7mm PRC. I’ve also done similar with Hornady and Peterson with 6.5cm. Pretty much sings the same tune.


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Good information. Did you weigh the brass between the two brands before doing the experiment? Weighing before shooting can give a good indication of consistency and another data point to correlate with your shooting results. Inconsistent weights within a specific brand and lot of brass could potentially indicate you would get the results in shooting that you did.

When you say pressured out, is that meaning pressure signs came at lower velocity with one brass versus the other? Or the brass started to get brittle because of multiple firings, i.e. after being exposed to pressure multiple times?

 

[Castle Rock]

I have found all sorts of nasty stuff happening wit Hornady 6.5 CM brass that just doesn’t happen with lapua including pinholes half way down the case body and horizontal cracks half way up the neck after only a few firings, as well as too tight primer pockets that will not accept Fed 210 primers

 

[Castle Rock]

I hadn’t noticed on this case before until I saw it on a screen, but if you look half way up the neck you can see a horizontal crack starting to form like I have experienced wit others

 

[BallisticJesus]

I aways run Lapua brass, if I can’t find Lapua or if Lapua doesn’t offer it in a certain chambering. I run ADG. With that being said. I have shot allot of Hornady 6.5 CM. Hornady will serve you well. I don’t over pressure it chasing velocity, it gets a thorough cleaned and annealed after every firing and min shoulder bump. It will easily get you in the 1/4 MOA department. Truth is, most brass if prepped and loaded correctly with out shoot most factory rifles and their pilots.

 

[Wrench]

You can make non premium brass work, but you'll work harder sorting, culling, trimming and most of the time the pockets will not hold up as well.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Dang, that sucks with the brass in those pics.

 

[DEW0341]

Good information. Did you weigh the brass between the two brands before doing the experiment? Weighing before shooting can give a good indication of consistency and another data point to correlate with your shooting results. Inconsistent weights within a specific brand and lot of brass could potentially indicate you would get the results in shooting that you did.

When you say pressured out, is that meaning pressure signs came at lower velocity with one brass versus the other? Or the brass started to get brittle because of multiple firings, i.e. after being exposed to pressure multiple times?

I’ve never weighed brass, my anal retentiveness only goes so far lol. Never had results so bad I thought I needed to.

Pressured our meaning signs came sooner (heavy bolt lift, ejector marks) with Hornady, lower velocity.

FWIW I anneal after every firing as well.


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[TaperPin]

Plenty of custom rifles making little tiny groups with Remington, Winchester, Federal, Hornady and other similar non premium brass, since before premium brass was readily available. Nothing wrong with extra nice brass, but a half MOA or larger rifle probably doesn’t need it, or anything other than standard FL dies from any of the major brands.

Lapua is harder brass, so it handles pressure slightly better.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Thanks for all the backup information.

Years ago, in the Hodgdon reloading manual, bought in 1992, so that gives you an idea of the vintage...

Was an article about "precision" reloads versus "regular" reloads. It showed with careful case preparation and case segregation which included trimming, primer pocket cleaning, weighing cases, etc al that group size was reduced.

I took it to heart and the biggest eye opener was the weighing of cases. The difference between Remington, Winchester and federal was substantial. Which in turn was relative to case capacity. The heavier case, the less capacity.

For hunting accuracy, loads a half inch better or worse at 100 yds on a 1" load isn't make or break on deer or elk vital zones in the field out to 400 yds. But it got me in the habit of trimming cases, always cleaning primer pockets and weighing cases, even virgin brass, and getting them as consistent as possible within any given head stamp.

I have not used anything but winchester, Remington or federal brass in 30 years. Quite honestly, buying factory loads in any of those brands and reusing the brass for reloads gives me practice and plenty of brass to shoot small groups with once reloaded.

 

[Wrench]

Not going full nuclear on the first one or two firings can help harden the case heads which will help retain primers.


If you shoot a 6um you probably don't care, but if you shoot a 257 bob or some other hard to find brass for....it can add up.

 

[Wrench]

Flash hole uniformity, neck tension and brass volume play the biggest differences in my opinion.

Accurate loads come from consistency. If you reduce the variables you reduce the amount of influences that cost you accuracy.

Your rifle fundamentals will play a bigger role in accuracy until you get into the top 20% of shooters than brass headstamp will.

 

[Castle Rock]

Not going full nuclear on the first one or two firings can help harden the case heads which will help retain primers.

That’s an absolute
Work harden your brass before you step on it