Which brass is best?

I'm just starting up on the reloading front,
have been saving .243 brass for years.

I have sako, federal, Norma, Hornardy, geco and priv, brass
which brass will give the best results?

which will last the longest, how many loads will I expect?

Thanks
Pete
 
I'm just starting up on the reloading front,
have been saving .243 brass for years.

I have sako, federal, Norma, Hornardy, geco and priv, brass
which brass will give the best results?

which will last the longest, how many loads will I expect?

Thanks
Pete

theres no real set answer for this but it will really depend how you look after your brass and what loads you are using. I try to limit my brass to 10 reloads now as I load middle of the road sedate loads in most calibers I am loading in, but make sure you are thoroughly inspecting your brass before each load and if unsure have a look in loading manuals and the web for brass inspection criteria.

regards,
Gixer
 
mmm No state answer , only my opinion but try a few and ''stick '' to which ever combination of case power and Bullet produces the best results for the rifle you are using , their,s no short cuts , when comes to rifles you will know what they like when all your rounds end up on the target holding hands, trial and error welcome to the Head scratching Brigade
 
I load for primarily for accuracy, however find my most accurate loads are also some of the hottest.
I have tried a number of different cases but found Norma 'match' to be in a different league.
 
I've found hornady to be rubbish to reload, the primer pockets seem to have a crimp of sorts which makes seating new primers really awkward, fortunately I don't have many so it's not the end of the world!
I find federal and norma good, but that's all I have had experience of.......
 
I find federal brass good, dosen't stretch very much if any after firing. Mine must be onto its 10th reloading. I have only found one cracked case and have had no issues with slack primer pockets

Al
 
I get about 10 firings when using H414 and magnum primers, primer pockets just starting to slacken so now discarding; no problems around the neck after annealing a couple of times.
I find federal brass good, dosen't stretch very much if any after firing. Mine must be onto its 10th reloading. I have only found one cracked case and have had no issues with slack primer pockets

Al
 
For stalking i would use cheap as pos as it always seams to bugger off in the grass or fall from the high seat and as i'am watching the deer ,i can't see at what point it has landed and it only needs to go bang once!!! range if you wish to Norma or Lapua keep an eye out on the site i got a shed load of once fired Norma once cheaper than shop win brass.
Geco is very good (RWS )
Norma is very good my choice for .243
Lapua " "
Win "
priv not used it
 
I would recommend that before reloading for the first time, you buy a primer pocket uniforming tool. I have been obtaining various brands of range brass & own fired brass and there appears to be no uniform depth that manufacturers apply when designing their cases. Once this has been completed you will get a consistent seating depth for your primer thus avoiding crushed primers.


The brass which i have worked on the pocket areas are as follows:


S&B, lots of turning required very shallow and fairly hard brass prepare for blisters :(

Privi, requires turning but less than above,

Norma, requires a fair amount of turning but was easy due to softer brass, brass flows to neck requires frequent trimming,

Lapua, little or no turning of primer pocket, good lifespan,

Hornady, little or no turning required,

Federal, requires turning, necks can split early,

Winchester, little or no turning but remnants of crimp at neck,

RP, little turning & softer brass,

Federal, minimal turning, necks can split early anneal to maximise lifespan.

Geco, requires turning.


Hope this helps in some way to making your decision which brass is best to start with...
 
I would recommend that before reloading for the first time, you buy a primer pocket uniforming tool. I have been obtaining various brands of range brass & own fired brass and there appears to be no uniform depth that manufacturers apply when designing their cases. Once this has been completed you will get a consistent seating depth for your primer thus avoiding crushed primers.


The brass which i have worked on the pocket areas are as follows:


Norma, requires a fair amount of turning but was easy due to softer brass, brass flows to neck requires frequent trimming,

Lapua, little or no turning of primer pocket, good lifespan,

...

Can't say I have ever felt the need to ream primer pockets on new or fired Norma
 
Lapua, little or no turning of primer pocket, good lifespan,

I've found that Lapua can be a bit shallow on the primer pockets with Federal primers (.30-06 brass). Easily sorted though (easy to remove metal to suit, not so easy to stick metal on! :D ) and have had excellent longevity from them.

Alex
 
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In .243 i have all the same brass you have except privi. I found the hornady had the largest case capacity. I seem to renember it had nearly 4 grains more capacity than geco.
 
I was loading and firing new Lapua .243win brass with CCI STD+ Magnum and Federal STD and GM Magnum and Fiocchii primers no material removed from the Lapua batch i was using.
I've found that Lapua can be a bit shallow on the primer pockets with Federal primers (.30-06 brass). Easily sorted though (easy to remove metal to suit, not so easy to stick metal on! :D ) and have had excellent longevity from them.

Alex
 
Just measured FC primer pockets 0·125, RWS 0·127. Measured six of each randomly picked, both brands very consistent

Al
 
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