.308 Win. brass???

[hubee_7j]

Im just getting in to reloading and i have alot of brass from different manufacturers (saved brass from factory loads) like hornady winchester federal and remington. Im wondering if i will see a noticeable change on the range using the same load with all the different brass? Also id like to hear oppinions on which brass is better out of the 4 if ther is any difference. Thanks

 

[Natty Bumpo]

Do not develop loads with a mix of brass. In my experience, Remington .308 brass is heavier than Winchester .308 brass. The remington brass is, presumably, thicker and has less case capacity. A load safe in the Winchester brass might develop too much pressure in the Remington brass.

I've never used Hornady or Federal brass for .308 Win. I've never noticed much difference in quality between Remington and Winchester brass. I use Winchester more I guess because I've got more of it. Most around here concur that Lapua's .308 brass is the cat's meow. Of course it costs more.

Maybe others who know more will disagree; but I've always felt comfortable using a given load in lighter brass than it was originally developed in. Then again, I generally don't run real hot loads. But you need a good estimate of each brand of brass' weight. Don't rely on just weighing one.

 

[Buffalobob]

While the brass is still just once fired:

1. Prep it all to include flash holes, primer pockets, case length
2. Sort it all by brand
2. Sort each brand by weight into three or four groups
3. Throw away about the five heaviest and the five lightest in each brand.
4. Devise a method of keeping the weight sorted groups separate.

Doing this will reduce your group size by about 25-30% for a reasonably accurate rifle.

Anneal the case necks about every four firings.

 

[liltank]

While the brass is still just once fired:

1. Prep it all to include flash holes, primer pockets, case length
2. Sort it all by brand
2. Sort each brand by weight into three or four groups
3. Throw away about the five heaviest and the five lightest in each brand.
4. Devise a method of keeping the weight sorted groups separate.

Doing this will reduce your group size by about 25-30% for a reasonably accurate rifle.

Anneal the case necks about every four firings.

+1, that is what I was thinking. If you weigh them you will be able to see which ones will have similar case capacities and pressures.

Tank

 

[Kevin Thomas]

I'd suggest Lapua as being the best on the market, anywhere, but then again, I'm biased!

Kevin Thomas
Lapua USA