Brass manufacturer difference?

[orange1948]

When I measure case capacity I do it before depriming / resizing. I use distilled water and fill the case completely, using a paper towel to carefully wick the water that is "stacked / protruding" above the case rim. I have just started doing this in the last year so there may be a better "official" way of doing this. Started handloading in 1964 and still learning.
Duane
Edit...I see you asked about converting grams to volume. I weigh the cases in grains. The net weight of your water in grains is your case volume.

 

[NeedForSpeed]

When I measure case capacity I do it before depriming / resizing. I use distilled water and fill the case completely, using a paper towel to carefully wick the water that is "stacked / protruding" above the case rim. I have just started doing this in the last year so there may be a better "official" way of doing this. Started handloading in 1964 and still learning.
Duane
Edit...I see you asked about converting grams to volume. I weigh the cases in grains. The net weight of your water in grains is your case volume.

so the fired primer acts as a stopper? I wouldnt have expected it to be water tight

 

[orange1948]

Yup, works for me.

 

[Susquatch]

...... I would recommend that If you are just starting out that You find and use the Lapua brass if you can because it is the best in my opinion and ends up being cheaper in the long run because of quality and case life.........

J E CUSTOM

I read in another post that you are actually a few years older than I am. That was a bit of a surprise. I figured you for a 50 something fellow with a crap load of experience and knowledge. Now I know you are a 70 something fellow with even more of that good stuff but work hardened and tempered by the wisdom of age. Good advice in this post of yours and a nice story too.

Although I agree with all of it, I highlighted that one piece because the OP seems to be focussed on cost. I tried to cover cost by suggesting another way to come up with the coin. But you are bang on. Lapua will pay for itself in the long run - no need to give up coffee or beer for a while....

I'll add a few similar comments along that line. In my life story - which is similar to yours - I lost hundreds of Remington and Winchester cases from cracked necks and shoulders, bad heads, expanded primer pockets, and culling. I. 10s of thousands of firings, I've never lost a single Lapua that I can remember. I do have a few out of norm by weight that I use for barrel fouling, and I've lost a few out hunting too. Yup, in the long run Lapua will pay for itself even if it isn't on sale.

Then we need to consider sunk cost. If the OP does buy something else, he WILL eventually switch to Lapua if he is even half serious about our sport. In that moment he will have wasted his entire first investment as greenbacks down the hole in the outhouse.....

Buy Lapua first time around and as JE says, you will never look back.....

 

[Rflshootr]

so the fired primer acts as a stopper? I wouldnt have expected it to be water tight

It holds 60K psi when you fire it. Why wouldn't it be water tight?

 

[epoletna]

Someone has previously said that .223 ammo is so cheap, it's hard to justify reloading it. That was my experience until I bought a bolt action .223 -- now I am starting to reload it. Going the full Monty on case prep -- tumbling, sizing, primer pocket swaging, annealing (I just started this), resizing again, and reloading.

I don't know the results yet, and I have to admit it will be hard to improve on an already good experience with my new-to-me Cooper Model 21, but I should know by next week if I can improve on commercial.

I, too, have come to rely on Lapua brass. It is expensive for the first purchase, but if I can reload it two or three times more than other brass, I've broken even.

For hunting only, you might find yourself reloading with less absolute precision than the bench rest shooting I am doing. Good enough, after all, is good enough.

 

[Susquatch]

Is there any difference in .223 to 5.56 brass?

Not really. I suppose there might be some brass makers that might customize their brass to take advantage of the difference but I doubt it. However actual military brass will usually be a bit thicker in order to be more robust in the field. The difference is not in the brass or cartridge size. The difference is in the rifles. One is a military rifle cartridge designed for heavier bullets with fast twists and long throats and higher max pressure. The 223 is a sporting rifle usually with slower twists, lighter bullets, shorter throats, and lower max pressure. You can use factory 223 ammo in a 5.56 rifle, but not vice-versa. For us reloaders, it doesn't much matter. We can use both totally interchangeably.

Before I take the position I just took, maybe I should ask, why are you asking that?

 

[Gcan]

No

I am looking at getting into reloading (.223, 7mm-08 and 308 Win). I am trying to put my equipment list together. All rifles will be used for hunting purposes only.

I know Lapua and Norma seem to be the "best", but what are the differences between each brand? What makes Hornady brass not as good as Winchester, and what makes Lapua better than Winchester?

Does Lapua require less case prep tools than Winchester or Remington?

So many questions....

Thanks
Steve

Nosler brass. Hands down best IMO.
LAPUA 2nd.
In some cases Norma brass.

If you buy Nosler $$$ you want to be committed to getting the absolute most out of your guns. I would not run hi-q brass in a gas gun generally.

Nosler brass is weight sorted and ready to load with exception of your particular specs for neck tension. Lapua is same. Seldom do I get more than a few 10ths weight difference in a lot of Nosler brass. Primer pockets and flash holes look like they were done by magic. They constantly give me the lowest deviation and spreads. The cases look like jewelry.
In my precious precision rigs I shoot Nos or Lapua only.

When I hunted I shot Nos or Lapua.
I would occasionally weight sort hundreds of Rem or Win brass to get 50, then clean primmer flash holes spending hours on prep. I would hardness test OEM brass and discovered that neck tension with most of it was a wish and an illusion. One day I finally decided my time was worth more than the cost of Premium brass. I started buying Nosler and Lapua and some NORMA brass and never stopped. Note: I have found the brass you get in Nosler ammo is not weight sorted. So don't buy Nos ammo to get the brass thinking you are beating the system. Expect to pay up to $75 per 25 for Nosler. And you pretty much need to buy in lots of 100 to be worthwhile. It's worth it to me.

If you are not prepared to keep accurate counts on loading cycles and keep different batches separate, if you are not going to push your guns to their max distance and accuracy potential for a good reason, if you are not going to measure concentricity or use an accurate chronograph to ensure the smallest SD and ES, if you are not going to use HI-Q competition dies and scales, just load good Rem, Norma, Hornady brass and enjoy your guns. Buying top tier brass leads to all kinds of other psychoses and mental maladies that can often cause - obsessive behavior, sleeping disorders, a never ending need to buy new powders, bullets, primers, guns and barrels. It can occasionally even result in divorce, unless you infect your wife/husband et al.

Bon appetite!

 

[Old Rooster]

I once shot a 3 shot 1/2 inch group at 200 yards and felt pretty good but a gentleman next to me said he would re-barrel if all he could get was a 1/2 inch group.
His groups looked like a single shot but on close examination it was a 5 shot group at 600 yards slightly larger than a 22 cal single bullet.(22PPC I think)
That's the guy that's after the most accuracy possible.
He shot the best brass,bullets and powder to shoot competition matches.
If that's where you want to be then the best brass should be used but I use Hornady,Norma,and even Remington/Peters brass that I weigh and cull if over my specs.
I salt bath anneal and don't load max pressures so my brass lasts.
You decide how far you want to take it.

 

[John@redmt]

Before I take the position I just took, maybe I should ask, why are you asking that?

I have 2 rifles capable of the 5.56. I keep the casings separated and wondering if it's necessary.

 

[skipglo]

I am looking at getting into reloading (.223, 7mm-08 and 308 Win). I am trying to put my equipment list together. All rifles will be used for hunting purposes only.

I know Lapua and Norma seem to be the "best", but what are the differences between each brand? What makes Hornady brass not as good as Winchester, and what makes Lapua better than Winchester?

Does Lapua require less case prep tools than Winchester or Remington?

So many questions....

Thanks
Steve

There is nothing wrong with Hornady for hunting so don't discount them to early.

 

[ronstone09]

I am looking at getting into reloading (.223, 7mm-08 and 308 Win). I am trying to put my equipment list together. All rifles will be used for hunting purposes only.

I know Lapua and Norma seem to be the "best", but what are the differences between each brand? What makes Hornady brass not as good as Winchester, and what makes Lapua better than Winchester?

Does Lapua require less case prep tools than Winchester or Remington?

So many questions....

Thanks
Steve

usually uniformidty throughout example is they will all weight the same are champhered in the necks primer pockets are uniform (lupus) nosler is also good and is made by norma ! i would only use those three for accuracy !

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

Great advice IMO from lancetkenyon. While you can get good results from "average" brass (most being better today by a wide margin than 20 yrs ago) I find after you've had to carefully sort the brass winnowing your stash down considerably, then spend a lot of hours doing extensive case prep, you probably haven't saved much. I'm getting lazy as a gentleman of a certain age and prefer to buy the good stuff and just load it. I like Lapua, then Norma, Nosler custom--I resize the first time even though its supposed to be load ready, then just shoot. With all that said, I find bullet selection, optimum powder match, best primer and loading density to be more important than brass.

 

[jimirwin]

I am looking at getting into reloading (.223, 7mm-08 and 308 Win). I am trying to put my equipment list together. All rifles will be used for hunting purposes only.

I know Lapua and Norma seem to be the "best", but what are the differences between each brand? What makes Hornady brass not as good as Winchester, and what makes Lapua better than Winchester?

Does Lapua require less case prep tools than Winchester or Remington?

So many questions....

Thanks
Steve

I've done extensive measurements and found lapua to be unbelievably more uniform than any other. Dimensions and weight. All very good signs. Winchester are the lightest by caliber, so thinner brass with higher case capacity. Most American brands vary widely. Lots of case prep required to get to a golden (small) batch of "best" brass.