Brass quality

[Apiidae]

Any thoughts on if reloading brass (new in bag) is any better than factory ammunition brass?
Factory ammo brass is probably going to be fired once, then dumped, by non-reloaders.
Reloading brass (new in bag) is for reloading. Multiple times.

Just wondering. I have never bought new in bag brass, just reload my factory ammo brass.

 

[FROGO207]

All the brass is originally NEW brass and the OF range brass has one less firing cycle than the unfired brass when you get it. For handgun brass it lasts a long time and that is a non issue IMHO. With bottle necked rifle brass the life is shorter (often 3 to 15 reloads) and when using rarely available calibers you might get better life out of new brass. Rifle brass like 223, 308, and 30-06 there is no worry using OF brass as it is plentiful. Some reloaders use new brass from the start exclusively----I am too cheap to do that. The closest thing I will do to that is to buy factory ammo and use the OF brass after that.

Some brands of brass are better than others however, I like Lapua and Starline should I buy new.

 

[USSR]

Some brands of brass are better than others however, I like Lapua and Starline should I buy new.

+1. Lapua for rifle and Starline for handgun, are the only new brass I would ever buy.

Don

 

[jjjitters]

The only downside with new/unfired brass is for many guns to get best accuracy they usually need to be fireformed to that gun anyways. I had one .243VLS that it was pointless in trying to get good groups(300+ yrds) until the brass was first fired in that gun once, then it shot great. I bought crappy/cheap bullets and loaded reduced a bit with old unwanted powder and just shot the rounds into the ground, then loaded for keeps. Other gun weren't as fussy but did show better accuracy with fire formed. It comes down to the brass reacting/expanding the consistently ,shot to shot. New brass varies a bit.

 

[beatledog7]

I've never seen or read any evidence that bagged new brass is anything other than the same brass used by the ammo factories.

Most of the seasoned reloaders on THR and similar fora seem to buy very little new brass. Having learned from their experience and my own, if I must buy new brass I'll buy only Starline for 45-70, .44 Mag, and .44SPL. The rest of the handgun brass I use has been available for pickup/once-fired sale and/or I already have enough to last decades as long as I don't shoot at max pressure. I'll load just about any brand of handgun brass until it splits or I lose it.

For bottleneck rifles I'll buy once-fired Lake City, Hornady, Remington, Federal, Winchester, or PPU (PRVI?) and maybe some others I can't think of when I can find it at a good price. If I needed new brass and could afford it, I'd buy Lapua or Norma. But I don't really if I need the kind of consistency those makers are reputed to provide, so I load once-fired.

For .223 there's no need to buy since so much of it is readily available for free (at least it was for long enough to build up a good supply). Most of mine is LC and PMC.

 

[splattergun]

I think brass 'quality' is better looked at as manufacturer quality, not whether it's fired one time. Lapua or Norma brass fired 3 times is (IMO) better 'quality' than brand new Federal brass.

All brass will weaken each time it's used. But brass that's properly cared for will last several loadings, just some will last longer than others.

 

[45lcshooter]

New brass is always nice. But sometimes not plentiful. New brass is good to see how many fireings you can get out of a case. Range brass is a lot cheaper and a lot more plentiful, but since the panic hit, many folks think that brass is gold and want the price of gold for it.

But yet there is more brass out there than there has been. Think about this. Once the panic hit, there were people that never owned a gun, that went out and bought 1 or maybe more and ammo to go while it. Bought a membership to a club, and went and shot, and let the brass lay. Next guy at the club takes a grocery bag or bucket and picks up all the brass that the first people left because they don't know about reloading. 2nd guy resells the brass to make some money.

I only buy brand new brass if I buy a brand new unfired except for the factory firing. So I can see what the gun likes, and how it lines the brass.

 

[AABEN]

I think brass 'quality' is better looked at as manufacturer quality, not whether it's fired one time. Lapua or Norma brass fired 3 times is (IMO) better 'quality' than brand new Federal brass.

All brass will weaken each time it's used. But brass that's properly cared for will last several loadings, just some will last longer than others.

Federal brass is rated at 3 Lapua 1 Hornady 2 Lake city 4 WWC 5

 

[orionengnr]

I have bought new Starline brass for those cartridges that I cannot seem to find once-fired brass.
These would include .45 Super, .45LC, .41 Mag and 10mm.

 

[jjjitters]

Those high pressure calibers in pistol , Starline is a really good insurance purchase. The only new brass I have boughten was Starline in 40Super and 38Super. 45Super ,41Mag, and 10mm are good candidates also.

 

[kayaks]

The only new brass I have bought new is for my .458. There is no way I'm buying factory ammo for that thing at +$80 a box. I pick up plenty of brass for my other interests at the range...