I'm having my 1983 Remington 700 Classic fitted with a new Brux barrel for extended range use, and am looking at the inventory of brass I've collected over the years. On hand are over 300 rounds, roughly equal amounts of Remington, Winchester, and Federal.
Most of the Remington brass was a 100rd lot purchased from Midway in 2002, once-fired in the original Remington 7 Mag barrel, 25 remaining unfired. This was my go-to hunting brass when I got the rifle.
The Winchester brass dates from the late '70s to the early '80s, was purchased as bare unloaded components by the rifle's original owner, my Dad. The number of firings vary from 2-4, and it's all been annealed after the 2nd firing. It was all badly tarnished when I got it, but a lot of time in the tumbler and some soaking in Lyman case polish has pretty well restored it. It all appears safe to use, without any cracks or corrosion. Some of it was fired in an older Ruger rifle.
The Federal brass is a mixture of 50rds new, unfired, bare component cases given to me by a friend that re-chambered his rifle to 7 STW, as well as 40rds of once-fired factory loaded ammo fired in his original rifle.
Bottom line is, all the brass appears useable in the new barrel, dedicated to different purposes. I figure the Winchester will be dedicated to general hunting use with the hordes of 154gr Hornady Inter-Locks that Dad collected, with the likely expectation of lasting one or maybe two more firings due to age. Accuracy will not be especially critical at the 200-400 yard ranges I'll use this load at. The question is whether to use the Remington or Federal brass in the dedicated long-range application, with 180gr Bergers. I've mostly used Remington, Lapua, and Lake City (30-06) in my other hunting rifles, and have no experience with Federal. In anyone's experience, is the standard Federal brass to be preferred over Remington, or is it about a wash quality-wise? Sorry for the long read, thoughts and opinions are appreciated.
Most of the Remington brass was a 100rd lot purchased from Midway in 2002, once-fired in the original Remington 7 Mag barrel, 25 remaining unfired. This was my go-to hunting brass when I got the rifle.
The Winchester brass dates from the late '70s to the early '80s, was purchased as bare unloaded components by the rifle's original owner, my Dad. The number of firings vary from 2-4, and it's all been annealed after the 2nd firing. It was all badly tarnished when I got it, but a lot of time in the tumbler and some soaking in Lyman case polish has pretty well restored it. It all appears safe to use, without any cracks or corrosion. Some of it was fired in an older Ruger rifle.
The Federal brass is a mixture of 50rds new, unfired, bare component cases given to me by a friend that re-chambered his rifle to 7 STW, as well as 40rds of once-fired factory loaded ammo fired in his original rifle.
Bottom line is, all the brass appears useable in the new barrel, dedicated to different purposes. I figure the Winchester will be dedicated to general hunting use with the hordes of 154gr Hornady Inter-Locks that Dad collected, with the likely expectation of lasting one or maybe two more firings due to age. Accuracy will not be especially critical at the 200-400 yard ranges I'll use this load at. The question is whether to use the Remington or Federal brass in the dedicated long-range application, with 180gr Bergers. I've mostly used Remington, Lapua, and Lake City (30-06) in my other hunting rifles, and have no experience with Federal. In anyone's experience, is the standard Federal brass to be preferred over Remington, or is it about a wash quality-wise? Sorry for the long read, thoughts and opinions are appreciated.
