Lapua Brass

[longrange308]

I am new to reloading and in the process of purchasing handloading components. I have consistently heard that Lapua Brass is the best. My question is how many loads can one expect to get from a piece of Lapua Brass. I will be handloading for the .308 Winchester only. The rifle has a 20" barrel.

How does the brass life of Lapua compare with Federal, Hornady, Nosler, Remington, and Winchester.

Is their a particular primer that is known for its performance that works well with Lapua Brass.

As far as, bullets are concerned for paper punching are Berger and Sierra good choices, or are there some others I should consider.

Are there certain powders that seems to work best at say 100m-600m with the .308 Winchester.

I do not have an endless supply of money, so I'm attempting to cut a lot of the red-tape of the experimenting process and pinpoint what works best in general and go from there.

Any information given will be greatly appreceiated

 

[Kachok]

Lapua brass is the benchmark for reloaders, very very consistent, and their QC is second to none, but it is kind of pricey. If you are on a buget like me I would advise you to start off with once fired Rem brass at your local range for super cheap until you hone your shooting at extended range, then invest in the high dollar stuff to perfect your shooting. In my experience cheap rem brass does not hurt accuracy as bad as cheap bullets or powders. I shot my tiny little 1/12 MOA group last week with heavily used PPU brass, hey it's ugly but it still works.
As far as bullets go the VLD and SMK are about as good as it gets though I have been really supprised at Horndy SSTs in both 6.5mm and 30 caiber, they shoot remarkably tight for a cheap hunting bullet.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

On the brass...the best bang for your buck will be either Win or Rem...it won't last quite as long, but it is so much cheaper its still the better buy I think. That said...I'm gonna switch to either Lapua or Nosler brass for my 30-06 simply because I'm trying to milk it for all its worth (accuracy)


Target bullets...Sierra, hands down the best buy in decent target bullets. Berger used to be fairly cheap too...not so any more...still good bullets, but getting pricey. EDIT: I forgot about Hornady...their bullets are also a good buy most of the time (100 per box)...I like Nosler Ballistic Tips, not the least expensive but I'm more of a hunter than a paper puncher.

Powders...Reloder 15 or Varget (whichever you can find...either will do just fine)

I like CCI BR2 primers...

 

[Kachok]

If I were starting fresh on 308 my powder of choice would be.
150gr N140 or Varget
165gr RL15 or Varget
180gr RL15 or IMR4350
Hope that helps

 

[USSR]

My question is how many loads can one expect to get from a piece of Lapua Brass. I will be handloading for the .308 Winchester only. The rifle has a 20" barrel.

The number of loads for any brass is primarily determined by two factors; how far you bump back the case shoulder in relation to your chamber, and how hot your loads are. Bump your shoulders back too much, and eventually you will be seeing signs of an incipient case head separation. Load your ammo too hot, and your primer pockets will expand to the point where they won't hold a new primer.

How does the brass life of Lapua compare with Federal, Hornady, Nosler, Remington, and Winchester.

While I'm sure that there studies of this, personally I don't worry about whether one brand gets 2 more reloads than another. I do tend to stay away from Federal brass though, as their primer pockets seem to expand relatively easily. The beauty of Lapua brass is not in it's longevity, but rather in it's dimensional consistency.

Is their a particular primer that is known for its performance that works well with Lapua Brass.

It's not so much a particular primer working well with a particular brass, but rather a particular primer working well with a particular powder.

As far as, bullets are concerned for paper punching are Berger and Sierra good choices, or are there some others I should consider.

Most any commercially made match bullet is a good bullet. Berger, Sierra, Lapua, Nosler, Hornady, and Speer all make them.

Are there certain powders that seems to work best at say 100m-600m with the .308 Winchester.

Match your powder to the bullet weight you are using. For light bullets use a faster powder than you would use with a heavier bullet. I use IMR4895 for bullet weights up to 168 grains. For 175 - 178 grain bullets, I suggest RL15 or Varget. And for 190 grain bullets I use N550 exclusively. Hope that helps.

Don

 

[Jasper1573]

+1 for rl-15 and 175 grn matchkings...I have 11.25 to 1 inch twist. Also, as a less expensive alternative to Lapua brass, look into once fired Lake City brass; you can find it for about 12 to 20 cents per casing depending on how many you buy, but it requires a good bit of work to prep.

 

[Flatbush Harry]

I've been delighted with Lapua brass for my 6.5x55 SE. It's good to go as it comes from the box.

For my other calibers, my good loads go into WW brass (new and once-fired) and, as my range's leading scrounger, I have nice collections of once-fired FC and R-P brass.

I'm going to try some Lapua cases for my target .308s, but I've had very good results with WW.

Thursday's Range Session with Rem 700 SPS Varmint (10 rds in gusting 10-15 kts wind):



WW once-fired, CCI BR2 primers, 168 gr Hornady A-MAX bullets, 44.0gr RL 15

Last March with Savage 116 (3 shots):



2x R-P brass, IMR 4895 47.0gr, CCI BR2 primer, 168gr Sierra Match King bullet

FH

 

[Walkalong]

The beauty of Lapua brass is not in it's longevity, but rather in it's dimensional consistency.

Exactly.

The question is if it is worth it for the type of shooting you will be doing.

 

[Trent]

Norma brass for 308 is also outstanding. I got 4 boxes and couldn't find a flaw. And I looked. Hard.