Differences in different brand brass?

[owenbright]

I was wondering if there's much difference between brass from
major manufacturers such as federal, remington, speer, winchester, etc.

What do you prefer for 9mm and .45ACP?

 

[Walkalong]

I like Starline, Winchester, Remington, Federal, Speer, in that order. Saying that, I shoot an assorted batch (all kinds of headstamps) of brass scrounged from the range for most shooting.

The general consensus is to stay away from amerc and shoot everyting else.

 

[P0832177]

Handgun brass only really has a few bad ones
AMERC for sure one to stay away from.

S&B can be a bit tight to prime, but hell for stout.

For semi autos I shoot mixed head stamp brass.

I keep WW and Fed brass for shooting in my 625's so as not have bent rims and such.

 

[scrat]

i havent come across any really bad brands on long rifle. but then again i usually try to stick with brands i really know and trust.

 

[Mark whiz]

I concur with the others on pistols cases, there is really very little difference to worry about unless you're shooting at the 99th percentile level.

Definitely stay away from A-Merc cases and watch the S&Bs - as I've had factory loaded and once-fired S&B cases split their entire length in .38Spcl.

 

[armoredman]

Ditto A-Merc and SB, but my preferance in 9mm is PMP.

 

[ACP230]

Remington .45 ACP brass is usually thinner than other brass.
No real problems with it despite that.

TZZ (Israeli brass) is good tough stuff. I had some TZZ Match .45s that lasted real well.

WCC is also good. I just got a bunch of WCC Match .45s for my son to use in Bullseye matches.

Nickel brass seems more brittle than unplated brass. It seems to split sooner than regular brass, but I still use some of it because it was free.

I haven't loaded 9mm for many years due to the cheap surplus availble. That has dried up so I'll be back loading the 9 this summer.
I have used a bunch of different headstamps. Rem was also thin in 9mm.

 

[Matt Dillon]

I have seen PMC cases with offset flash holes, and while I love S&B brass, I have seen two cases split entirely lengthwise from brand new factory ammo in .38 special. That's a shame, because otherwise, I favor S&B brass.

 

[Steve H]

Nickel brass seems more brittle than unplated brass. It seems to split sooner than regular brass, but I still use some of it because it was free.

This is once fired Speer, they tell me that batch had a problem in the plating process.

 

[BeJaRa]

what is the purpose of nickel plated brass? Is it just cosmetic?

 

[The Bushmaster]

Nickle plated brass cosmetic? No...Not to me...I use a lot of leather accessories. Nickle brass will not corrode to a pretty green color when it is in my leather belt loops. Unplated brass will.

I use any brass that I can pick up at the range that I deem as once fired except A-Merc and GFL...

 

[Idano]

BeJaRa,

It is believed by some that nickle plated brass will cycle faster in an automatic because it doesn't expand as much as regular brass thus creating less resistance during extraction. It's a good theory but I don't know if it is actually true or not. I can say that nickel brass does appear to have more tensile strength and is tougher to trim. This is why it tends to split after fewer reloads then regular brass if you use a crimp. I have also noticed that nickle plated brass resizes easier which tends to support the theory that it doesn't expand as much that should make it easier to extract from the chamber.

 

[DBR]

Idano:

I think you have the right idea for the wrong reason. Nickle plating is unlikely to change how much the brass expands under pressure. Nickle plated brass is more slippery than plain brass. It will unchamber easier and the nickle will help when resizing. It can also make the brass less tolerant of stretching because the nickel will crack before the brass and it can carry the crack into the brass.

 

[The Bushmaster]

I read somewhere (and please don't pin me down on this) that nickle plated brass was originally made for police officers years ago when they carried revolvers and didn't have speed loaders and carried their extra ammunition in belt loops...

 

[JDGray]

I like Win brass for 9mm & 45. Had some issues with R-P brass, with my 357, no neck tension, but most brass works for the loads I shoot.

 

[Clark]

I like:
S&B 7.62x25mm brass pulls over Starline brass
Win 9x23mm over Starline 9mmSuperComp
Win 257 Roberts over Rem 257 Roberts
Lapua 7.62x53R over S&B 7.62x54R pulls
RP 9mm Luger primed brass for hot loads
Starline 45acp +P for poor case support barrels
Any other brand 45acp brass for good case support barrels

Generally, Win brass costs less than Lapua, but is offset by extra preparation time.

I like Win 8mm brass, but it is only made seasonally, while Rem 8mm brass is available year round.

American 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser brass is the same old .470" base, and is not .480" base like the European.

 

[LHB1]

+10**10th power: Stay away from AMERC.

I purchased several thousand new commercial Win .45 ACP cases for use in my Wilson 1911's but keep a stock of misc pickup brass also. The latter is for shooting without my brass catcher or letting others shoot my guns. Today a friend was shooting my new Wilson Protector and it jammed solid after a few rounds. I had fired nearly 500 rounds total thru this pistol with no problems to this point. After finally getting the slide open, out popped a handload with AMERC case that looked fine until I measured it. A dial caliper showed the diameter was .476. My other handloads measure .470-.471 using same bullet. Will have to screen my misc .45 ACP brass to remove all AMERC cases and any case using small pistol primer. Using all Win brass (or any other single brand) just helps to prevent problems.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[owenbright]

Thank you all for the input so far.

Thus far, I've had excellent results with Winchester and Federal brass for 45.