best 9mm brass

Stick with Starline. My best brass is gifted or traded. I like it all. No investment if I lose it. I am sorry you have to wait so long to be granted your right. I cannot imagine waiting for something just sitting on a shelf.

If you don't have any to start out with use Starline. You can also buy a case of 9mm range fodder and pick up what you can find for reloading. This way you get a loaded round and brass after the fact.

I process and load range brass for 9mm and only sort by headstamp while developing loads. There are differences in wall thickness, but that can be accounted for. I’ve not discovered a particular HS that stands out as the best for 9mm.
I think you’d be happy with just about any brass you get. I saw the same notice from RMR and if I bought new, I wouldn’t hesitate to try them.

flexible said:

Getting a 9mm fairly soon

Any recommendations on brass? I've been using Starline

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When I needed new brass, I have used Starline with good results and would recommend them for 9mm. But Starline is selling 1000 for $161 with free shipping - https://www.starlinebrass.com/9mm-luger-brass

flexible said:

I've received a notice that RMR bullets is now making 9mm brass as well

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Me too and I PMed Jake and got following response:
RMR is selling them for $115/1000 with free shipping and offer 5% THR discount and I ordered 1000 to test and use them for reference baseline brass for my testing/myth busting - https://www.rmrbullets.com/shop/cas...parabellum/9mm-luger-new-brass-rmr-cases-new/

Jake had 20 lots of 1000 in-stock but they went fast and now sold out but he should get more soon.

You could wait until I review them before placing your order.

lordpaxman said:

I’ve not discovered a particular HS that stands out as the best for 9mm

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If you reload using progressive press that can experience shellplate tilt/deflection to vary OAL, headstamp/case wall thickness can contribute to finished OAL variance.

9mm case wall thickness .100" below case mouth (Where taper crimp is applied) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...nd-bullet-setback.830072/page-3#post-10712225

9mm case wall thickness .200" below case mouth (Where 115 gr FMJ/RN bullet base gets seated to for 1.130" OAL) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...nd-bullet-setback.830072/page-3#post-10713822

Of course it's not "finished OAL" rather "chambered OAL" that ultimately will affect chamber pressure and resulting accuracy on target and here's myth busting done for neck tension and bullet setback by headstamp - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...neck-tension-and-bullet-setback.830072/page-4


Here's measured OAL variance from Lee SPP/Pro 6000 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...r-oal-consistency.911743/page-3#post-12446468

• Blazer unsorted - OAL of 1.128"-1.133" (.005" variance)

• G.F.L. unsorted - OAL of 1.129"-1.133" (.004" variance)

• .FC. unsorted - OAL of 1.128"-1.131" (.003" variance)

• FC unsorted - OAL of 1.130"-1.132" (.002" variance)

• WIN unsorted - OAL of 1.131"-1.133" (.002" variance)

• R-P unsorted - OAL of 1.133"-1.134" (.001" variance)

• R-P "." unsorted - OAL of 1.134"-1.135" (.001" variance)

And OAL variance from 2023 (Gen3) Lee Pro 1000 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...pro-1000-unboxing.916672/page-2#post-12569726

1. Blazer - 1.128" - 1.126" - .002"
2. Blazer - 1.128" - 1.125" - .003"
3. FC - 1.131" - 1.131" - .000"
4. FC - 1.131" - 1.131" - .000"
5. WIN - 1.133" - 1.133" - .000"
6. WIN - 1.133" - 1.133" - .000"
7. R-P - 1.134" - 1.134" - .000"
8. R-P - 1.134" - 1.134" - .000"
9. R-P "." - 1.134" - 1.134" - .000"
10. R-P "." - 1.134" - 1.134" - .000"

I preferentially use WIN and FED range brass (my own mostly) and cull out the rest. If I were starting from having no brass, I would use Starline for sure. I use Starline in my 10mms with great satisfaction.

Best brass is hard to define. Every gun is different, chamber specs all over the map, as well as the bore size. Some bullets (lead) are sized larger than jacketed. Depending on chamber and bore combo you may have to use a thinner wall brass so it will pass the plunk test. Rem has been known for having thinner wall which works well with over size bullets. I save all my Rem brass for when I want to shoot lead bullets with my tight chambered guns.

Be aware that Starline 9mm Luger brass is not the strongest. They have a warning on their website that it is not appropriate for all 9mm guns.

" **NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN S&W SHIELD PISTOLS WITH NEAR-MAX OR +P LOADS, DUE TO LACK OF CHAMBER SUPPORT IN SOME PISTOLS** WE ALSO DON'T RECOMMEND USING THIS BRASS IN S&W 929 OR 986 REVOLVERS (OR ANY OTHER REVOLVER WITH A TITANIUM CYLINDER) DUE TO POSSIBLE HARD EJECTION ISSUES."

fxvr5 said:

Be aware that Starline 9mm Luger brass is not the strongest. They have a warning on their website that it is not appropriate for all 9mm guns.

" **NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN S&W SHIELD PISTOLS WITH NEAR-MAX OR +P LOADS, DUE TO LACK OF CHAMBER SUPPORT IN SOME PISTOLS** WE ALSO DON'T RECOMMEND USING THIS BRASS IN S&W 929 OR 986 REVOLVERS (OR ANY OTHER REVOLVER WITH A TITANIUM CYLINDER) DUE TO POSSIBLE HARD EJECTION ISSUES."

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Thanks for posting this.

I don’t have the “offending “ firearms but for anyone who does and doesn’t buy their loaded ammo, you’ve just revealed important stuff. Check’s in the mail.

flexible said:

I maybe getting a case of factory

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You can get Winchester 115 gr FMJ white box for $249/1000 and free shipping - https://shop.free-comm.org/products/winchester-usa-9mm-luger-115gr-full-metal-jacket-1000-rounds

In my testing, WIN headstamp 9mm brass have produced .000"-.002" OAL variance, only bested by R-P and newer R-P "." brass with .000"-.001" OAL variance - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/best-9mm-brass.918907/#post-12623037

fxvr5 said:

Be aware that Starline 9mm Luger brass is not the strongest. They have a warning on their website that it is not appropriate for all 9mm guns.

" **NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN S&W SHIELD PISTOLS WITH NEAR-MAX OR +P LOADS, DUE TO LACK OF CHAMBER SUPPORT IN SOME PISTOLS** WE ALSO DON'T RECOMMEND USING THIS BRASS IN S&W 929 OR 986 REVOLVERS (OR ANY OTHER REVOLVER WITH A TITANIUM CYLINDER) DUE TO POSSIBLE HARD EJECTION ISSUES."

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Thanks for posting that.

CQB45ACP said:

Thanks for posting this.

I don’t have the “offending “ firearms but for anyone who does and doesn’t buy their loaded ammo, you’ve just revealed important stuff. Check’s in the mail.

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I do have them, two of them and they are my CCWs

If Starlines brass is so bad that it's not recommended for Shield pistols with near max loads then it must be the worst brass on the market.

My normal Shield load is a +P loads of Titegroup with 124gr bullets and I've put 13,000 of them through my Shield Gen 1 and have never had to do anything to it other than one new recoil spring.

None of the different head stamp even bulged let alone failed.

I use the same brass over and over again and 9mm is my primary shooting cargtridge. If there was a problem with the Shield's chamber, I think I would have found it.

My new one is the +P PC version of the Shield Plus.
I pulled both barrels after reading this and looked at them really well, and I wouldn't consider them unsupported.

I guess if I need new brass I'll be going to RMR for it.

There's a brief discussion and comparison of 9mm brass expansion of different brands in the article below.

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2018/1/9/how-to-use-9-major-in-a-short-barrel/

tightgroup tiger said:

Thanks for posting that.



I do have them, two of them and they are my CCWs

If Starlines brass is so bad that it's not recommended for Shield pistols with near max loads then it must be the worst brass on the market.

My normal Shield load is a +P loads of Titegroup with 124gr bullets and I've put 13,000 of them through my Shield Gen 1 and have never had to do anything to it other than one new recoil spring.

None of the different head stamp even bulged let alone failed.

I use the same brass over and over again and 9mm is my primary shooting cargtridge. If there was a problem with the Shield's chamber, I think I would have found it.

My new one is the +P PC version of the Shield Plus.
I pulled both barrels after reading this and looked at them really well, and I wouldn't consider them unsupported.

I guess if I need new brass I'll be going to RMR for it.

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Hack w/disinformation posted by RMR? Bad joke, but almost like a junior version of Lee’s “campaign” against Federal primers.

The best 9mm brass to me. Is what i pickup at the gun club. Free is best.

If you arent doing anything special, range brass will be good enough.

Live-

When you say -

• Blazer unsorted - OAL of 1.128"-1.133" (.005" variance)

What do you mean by unsorted?

Thanks

I recommend you look for a CCW trainer in your area. Most sell brass by the bucket full. I separate out the Win and Fed, but all brands work well for general use.

Starline is good brass. New Winchester is also good brass. You might check your local SG and see what brass they are selling new.

I don't know about best? If I didn't have any and was going to buy new I would buy Starline. I sort mine by headstamp. FC, RP, Win, all other commercial and all military. I just loaded 500 plus and used Winchester. They seemed to be consistent!

I've had good service from military brass but you have a crimp to deal with.

gifbohane said:

When you say -

• Blazer unsorted - OAL of 1.128"-1.133" (.005" variance)

What do you mean by unsorted?

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By "unsorted", I mean by resized case length to better reflect "real world" reloading condition of using mixed range brass with differing number of reloadings which can vary resized case lengths (Straight wall semi-auto brass tend to get shorter with repeated shooting and resizing).

When I want to control more reloading variables for greater consistency, since resized case length can contribute to bullet seating depth from shellplate tilt/deflection, I sort by resized case lengths. I also tend to use shorter resized cases to set the case mouth flare/taper crimp amount as longer resized cases will receive more flare/taper crimp. (If I used longer resized case to set the flare/taper crimp, shorter cases will receive less flare/taper crimp)

And even with using unsorted brass in progressive mode with shellplates full, Lee SPP/Pro 6000 produced very tight OAL variance of .001" to .005" and not surprisingly, 2023 (Gen3) Pro 1000 produced .000" OAL variance for unsorted brass except Blazer of .002"-.003" using RMR 115 gr FMJ. No/very tight OAL variance is due to smaller shellplate diameter size, ram under station #1 design, and "free-floating" shellplate that is limited by carrier core surface like that of Dillon 550.

flexible said:

Hi everyone, flexible here.
Getting a 9mm fairly soon (live in NJ so the application process is extremely difficult and will take months so I have time for loading research.
Any recommendations on brass? I've been using Starline Super Comp in my .38 Super for years and wouldn't use anything else in the Super.
I've received a notice that RMR bullets is now making 9mm brass as well.
I have time because of the NJ legal process and I have 9mm dies from Dillon on backorder.
thanks

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I'd just buy factory ammo, then use the spent cases for your loading brass. You get to shoot it, and it's cheaper.

Don't be a brass snob, if its on the ground it worked in somebodies gun. Consider anything you find on the ground to be new/once fired because a reloader wouldn't have left it behind. Certainly look at it for splits or flat primers but otherwise it's good to go. I'm sure I have lots of 9mm that has been reloaded more than fifty times.

Wow, 50 times! I usually loose them a long time before that.

In order of fav.
FC old
FC new w/ two dots on either side of the FC
SPEER (Same mfg as the new FC)
BLAZER (Same as Speer)
RP- just fine

Basically if it's made out of brass, has boxer priming system, and doesn't have a crimped primer, I'm fine with it.