Interesting that your weights on Frontier are very close to Winchester. I suspected back then that Frontier and Winchester brass was one and the same. Frontier weight has been the same for me. Yet the newer Hornady brass has been consistently the lightest brass I have checked and has showed as much as 1.5 more grains of H2O capacity than other brands. I suspect and this is just my theory that Hornady went that route to be able to add a couple more grains of powder in lines like their Superformance. But that's just a guess. I appreciate you taking the time to give me your numbers. Hopefully I can add to them shortly.
What is the approximate case weight for 30-06 Lapua Brass?
- Thread starter Turpentine21
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TRexF16
Well-Known Member
Out of a sample of over 200, Hornady 30-06 average 176 grains. And they are very consistent. Necks are thin, averaging .012" +/- .0005". This is excellent neck wall consistency but some folks might prefer thicker necks depending on their chamber.
Winchester and Remington vary much more widely but Winchesters live in the "180s" and Remington in the "190s". Federal 190s to 200s.
I haven't measured enough Gucci brass to know those trends.
Of US-made "working man's brass" I find Hornady to be head and shoulders above the other brands from a case-to-case precision standpoint. I measure a lot of brass.
Rex
Winchester and Remington vary much more widely but Winchesters live in the "180s" and Remington in the "190s". Federal 190s to 200s.
I haven't measured enough Gucci brass to know those trends.
Of US-made "working man's brass" I find Hornady to be head and shoulders above the other brands from a case-to-case precision standpoint. I measure a lot of brass.
Rex
I have a brand new box of Hornady 30/06 brass and you are correct. Mine are just a shade heavier at 178 and neck wall thickness shows very little variation. The once fired 270 hornady brass i have is the same way. The little bit I have worked with it I do have to increase powder charges a bit to get the same velocity as Remington or Winchester. Haven't spent enough time with it to see how primer pockets will hold up. Ive never used Lapua brass but have always wanted to try it and found some at a good price so figured I'd see.
All my reloading gear is put away presently. I couldn't remember where, but I have large and small primer pockets plugs. Besure and get come additional rubber orings.
This thread got me thinking and that generally starts a dive down the rabbit hole...
I weighed a lot of Win brass I have loaded and shot 7 times. The loads have been full pressure for a top velocity node in 30-06 AI. The brass has been trimmed after fire forming and again every 3rd firing. 3 trimmings total to the same length. Annealed before sizing each time. Always interesting how some cases grow more than others.
The results. I grouped the weights by whole numbers because the variation was so great within those numbers. I did record each individual weight.
4 cases at 181
4 cases at 182
11 cases at 183
15 cases at 184
19 cases at 185
8 cases at 186
2 cases at 187
Observations this lot is starting to show higher stds than previously. I haven't taken the time to compare case capacities to the case weights. I also don't have a large sample of base line virgin brass, but there is measurably less brass remaining after 7 firings. Primer pockets are still good, but it is probably time to retire this lot.
I weighed a lot of Win brass I have loaded and shot 7 times. The loads have been full pressure for a top velocity node in 30-06 AI. The brass has been trimmed after fire forming and again every 3rd firing. 3 trimmings total to the same length. Annealed before sizing each time. Always interesting how some cases grow more than others.
The results. I grouped the weights by whole numbers because the variation was so great within those numbers. I did record each individual weight.
4 cases at 181
4 cases at 182
11 cases at 183
15 cases at 184
19 cases at 185
8 cases at 186
2 cases at 187
Observations this lot is starting to show higher stds than previously. I haven't taken the time to compare case capacities to the case weights. I also don't have a large sample of base line virgin brass, but there is measurably less brass remaining after 7 firings. Primer pockets are still good, but it is probably time to retire this lot.
I checked six cases for capacity at the extreme ends this lot. I used H4831sc verses water because they were primed and ready to load.
Cases weight - Powder fill to the top.
181.6 - 69.6 gr
181.7 - 70.2 gr
181.8 - 69.5 gr
186 - 69.5 gr
187.1 - 69.2 gr
187.2 - 68.9 gr
Results confirm there is no consistent correlation between case weight and case capacity.
Cases weight - Powder fill to the top.
181.6 - 69.6 gr
181.7 - 70.2 gr
181.8 - 69.5 gr
186 - 69.5 gr
187.1 - 69.2 gr
187.2 - 68.9 gr
Results confirm there is no consistent correlation between case weight and case capacity.
During the times I weight my cases, I did find a great variance in case weight and a greater amount between manufactures, and even as much as 15gr with the same manufacture. It did help in my SD, but not as much as I would have liked. My groups did improved to about 1/2". That's when I called it good and my cold bore shots were dead on too. That was a must with me, because I hunted in greatly different weather. -20 to 110+ temps. I also changed my powder to mostly H4350. It one of the best for not changing much in temp variances.
