9mm Brass? Is one better then another??

In order of favorite to least favorite, in my experience.

Win by far, esp w/o a crimped primer
Blazer
R.P.
F.C. way at the bottom.

Winchester just feels better during the process, lasts a very long time, dimensions are good, primer pockets last a long time. Really don't like any Fed brass I have used, especially so in rifle calibers. Good luck.

I can't shoot the difference between any brass. I don't shoot tiny groups on paper though I mostly shoot steel. I do sort out crimped primers and the cases with the internal step. They are a pain. You may not notice any difference and I loaded a bunch without any problems but it does reduce the internal volume so I choose to sort them out and recycle them.

For general range ammo I can't tell the difference. I probably have no fewer than 20 different HS in my 9mm mix - probably a lot more.

When I want to load something for accuracy I use WIN brass - don't think it much matters - but my HAP load is real accurate & I did it up with WIN so just stick with that. But even the cheapest stuff like Tulammo, ZVS, Blazer Brass, Independence, seems to keep going. I have a lot of X-Treme in the mix now. Read some unfavorable reviews on it, but seems fine. Only on 2nd loading for any of that, but even it seems to be ok.

I have something with a Cyrillic HS that looks similar to nny. There is some reason I discard any of that I come across, but reason escapes me. I know it gave me trouble at some point in the past & I made the mental note to trash it so must be a good reason - or at least there used to be. ANYTHING AMERC in any caliber is trash. Dunno if they even still make it - haven't come across any in a while, but found it useless.

As far as the stepped cases, there's either a degree to that or Lee carbide resizing die isn't sensitive to it. I've read others say they cull it, but I have a lot in my mix and never noticed anything at the sizing die from it. Maybe there is type with a larger shelf than what I have & I never ran across the other kind...

It all works for me because it's all free.

I have something with a Cyrillic HS that looks similar to nny. [/QUOTE]

That may be Browning, what I call the Elk Horn.

I handload about 12,000 9mm per year. Not a lot compared to others but still it's 1000 per month on average. I shoot 9mm revolvers mostly and since 9mm is a rimless cartridge in a revolver it is almost necessary to use moon clips. Not all 9mm extractor groves are the same so for that reason I use nothing but WIN brass in my revolvers. In a pinch I can use FC or Blazer so when I collect brass I separate out those 3 head stamps and combine all of the remaining. All together I have about 50,000 pcs of 9mm brass maybe a bit more. Initially it took me weeks to separate all the brass and when I come into a large pile of range brass it again takes time but I personally like to keep mine sorted.

So I find that WIN works best for me. But starting this season I'm expanding my horizons a bit and will use my 9mm auto loaders more than normal. For that I will use anything other than WIN, FC or Blazer. My experience with my Glocks is they don't care what brass I use and I don't think brass plays any huge role in accuracy. And If picking it up off the ground looks easy I will but if it looks to be a chore I will let it lie. It will depend on the day I guess. It is easy to purchase 9mm once fired clean/mixed headstamp brass for 2 cents each so at this point in my life I almost would rather buy it than bend over and hunt and peck around for it. But it is hard to just leave it sometimes.

Had a bunch of 9mm brass that I was using. At first it was everything and anything. But sat down and sorted a bunch and have kept the CBC, WIN, RP, FC, and SIG. Put the Blazer and everything else in the recycle bucket. Have notice and fair amount of Xtreme showing up lately...hmmm. Waiting to see where my differences my show up with reloading. As of now keeping the CBC separate to see how that does by itself. Curious to see what everyone elses thoughts are on the subject.

Walkalong said:

I'd be happy with any of them. I am shooting a big batch of FC (no dot FC dot) brass right now. I think having all the same head stamp vs mixed makes for fewer errant shots over time and reduces group size a little bit. it's hard to shoot the difference though.

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Me, too, I'd be happy with any of those listed for the 9x19 shooting that I do. I'll agree that shooting one head stamp would minimize variations in the ammunition. But, I primarily plink and "shoot targets of opportunity" with my 9x19 guns so mixed head stamps is no big deal.

I have had some reloading issues with some non domestic head stamp cases and I tend to shy away from them. Also, I have some WCC cases that would not fit well in my shell holder/plate.

I have a supply of Starline 9x19 cases on hand for when my existing supply of 9x19 cases wear out. I have no doubt that the Starline cases will function very well.

CBC is magtech IIRC and it works just fine for me

jeeptim said:

Any better then another?

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I have variety of 9X19 head stamps and I was looking for 9x19 to trim down to 9x18 Makarov, based on case weights I use Win. brass to make 9x18 mak.

They all shoot well in all my 9mms. I did have issues with some RP brass; seems like the rim is slightly smaller than the rest and would pull free of the shell holder. I use the Lee shell holder which is also used for 10mm/40SW and others, so it may have wider tolerances than other brands. I tried a total of three Lee shell holders, all has same result. I don't use the RP cases anymore; problem solved.

Seeing other posts about rims/extractor grooves, is what I was eluding to in my post where I say WW dimensions are good. I should have mentioned I too find R-P rim diameters small with a different cut, and have a strange feel in my progressive. I cut down 9mm into 9x18 too, and doing any final trimming with FC brass has a lot of chatter, rougher results than with others. Can't say what brass formula FC uses, but for both rifle and pistol I find it not to my liking.

Saw CBC brass mentioned, and IME I find the mouth wall thickness rather thick, and can't use it in 9x18. Even with fatter sized cast in 9x19, it can be hard to use because of excessive bulging with CBC. FWIW, over the chronograph I find FC brass to consistently produce lower velocities, all other components being equal. Lastly, I have noticed a slight 'dishing' of CCI brass at the case head, and think this is because of the impact extrusion method used to make the cases, where others use a more traditional cup and draw method.

Win and Blazer are good.
FC is good, but not .FC.
Never like RP
I also sort my brass, especially in 9mm, lotta crap out there.

who sorts?

I used to segregate by brand, but found no noticeable difference between various headstamps.

I do, however, like nickle plated, 'cause it's pretty. Still no difference between brands.

It all works for me because it's all free

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For general range ammo I can't tell the difference. I probably have no fewer than 20 different HS in my 9mm mix - probably a lot more.

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I agree.

I do sort out crimped primers and the cases with the internal step.

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Had one of the ones with the step separate at the step, PITA, lucky it was not in the middle a a stage at a match.
All the ones with the step and crimped primers go in the recycle can.

Definitely, watch out for and DO NOT use....

• Berdan primed brass (obviously)
• Steel cases (Wolf, Tula, but also some Hornady)
• Brass plated steel cases (you'll need to test for these with a magnet)
• Cases with the internal step (Freedom Munitions used these for awhile)

Freedom Munitions really had their name cursed for a while with those stepped cases. The population of a typical USPSA club-level match is about half folks who reload their own ammo and about half who buy ammo. FM got really popular among the latter group about 2-3 years ago - they were extremely price competitive, and their ammo did generally work. But much of it had the stepped brass, shown above. When the other half of the shooters picked up that brass, they had issues.

What really compounded things was that this was the same time that Pistol Caliber Carbines (nearly always 9mm) started being allowed, and then rapidly became quite popular, in USPSA matches. Most of those guns are/were simple blowback guns (no locking mechanism), so cases get extracted while there is still some pretty good pressure in the bore (though well below peak). Those steps became stress risers, and the case would separate during extraction right at the junction - leaving a hollow ring of brass in the chamber, and jamming the gun up quite comprehensively.

It is perhaps some evidence of the power of prayer that, not long after hundreds of PCC shooters began praying for bad things to happen to FM, FM's parent declared bankruptcy.