New brass, any difference?
- Thread starter Davevand
- Start date
- Status
ReloaderFred
Member
Generally, the Winchester brass is going to be heavier in construction than the others. This is true in .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .45acp, but not necessarily true in other calibers. If I were buying new .357 Magnum brass, I would opt for the Winchester.
Hope this helps.
Fred
Hope this helps.
Fred
Sheldon
Member
Any reason why you aren't using once fired brass instead of new?? Just curious as there is a big difference in price between the two.
ReloaderFred
Member
You might want to look at this link to Scharch. They've always had good products and make some of the best brass in the business.
http://secure.cartsvr.net/catalogs/catalog.asp?prodid=2317376&showprevnext=1
I've always been happy with what I've bought from them and purchases over $50.00 qualify for free shipping. They have once fired processed .357 Magnum brass for $69.99 per thousand.
Hope this helps.
Fred
http://secure.cartsvr.net/catalogs/catalog.asp?prodid=2317376&showprevnext=1
I've always been happy with what I've bought from them and purchases over $50.00 qualify for free shipping. They have once fired processed .357 Magnum brass for $69.99 per thousand.
Hope this helps.
Fred
Scrounging works real well for me. Do you have any friends with a .357, who don't reload? Ask them if you can ave their brass.
Or find a gunshop that sells used brass. I've been reloading for several years, and have never bought new brass. Though I occasionally buy factory ammo to compare to my reloads. I keep that brass...
Or find a gunshop that sells used brass. I've been reloading for several years, and have never bought new brass. Though I occasionally buy factory ammo to compare to my reloads. I keep that brass...
Smokey Joe
Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2003
- Messages
- 2,617
It depends...
On how much accuracy you want to build into yr ammo. Starline is as good as it gets in pistol brass; very uniform in case weight, dimensions, and wall thickness. It reloads beautifully, I don't know how many times in .357 because I haven't had any Starline case failures yet.
You get what you pay for. With the "lesser" brands, buying new, you'll get all-same cases, cheaper, but the case-to-case variablilty will be greater.
With buying fired cases, you get mixed manufacturers and you don't know HOW many times that case was fired before it was tossed. Some will be once-fired, some will be many-times-fired; you just don't know. Lots of case-to-case variability. .357's are mostly revolvers; it's easy to recover the cases and thus to re-use them. So in that cartridge, I'd say the liklihood of getting multiply-used cases is greater than, say, .45ACP, where the majority of the guns are autoloaders which throw their brass all over the range.
Now, if you just want blasting ammo, you need one level of case quality. If you're praciticing seriously, you need another level of case quality. For competition, you need the cases as uniform as you can get them. For personal defense, you need cases that WILL NOT fail.
Buy the level of quality you will be needing.
On how much accuracy you want to build into yr ammo. Starline is as good as it gets in pistol brass; very uniform in case weight, dimensions, and wall thickness. It reloads beautifully, I don't know how many times in .357 because I haven't had any Starline case failures yet.
You get what you pay for. With the "lesser" brands, buying new, you'll get all-same cases, cheaper, but the case-to-case variablilty will be greater.
With buying fired cases, you get mixed manufacturers and you don't know HOW many times that case was fired before it was tossed. Some will be once-fired, some will be many-times-fired; you just don't know. Lots of case-to-case variability. .357's are mostly revolvers; it's easy to recover the cases and thus to re-use them. So in that cartridge, I'd say the liklihood of getting multiply-used cases is greater than, say, .45ACP, where the majority of the guns are autoloaders which throw their brass all over the range.
Now, if you just want blasting ammo, you need one level of case quality. If you're praciticing seriously, you need another level of case quality. For competition, you need the cases as uniform as you can get them. For personal defense, you need cases that WILL NOT fail.
Buy the level of quality you will be needing.
To those of you using new brass for handloads, do you have to trim it first?
I personally find trimming to be a PITA. I do it with rifle brass because I have to but I refuse to trim pistol brass.
Does the bulk brass from Winchester or Starline need to be trimmed or is it of uniform length when you get it?
Thanks.
I personally find trimming to be a PITA. I do it with rifle brass because I have to but I refuse to trim pistol brass.
Does the bulk brass from Winchester or Starline need to be trimmed or is it of uniform length when you get it?
Thanks.
ReloaderFred
Member
I don't trim new pistol brass, but I do run it through a sizing die. I do this for two reasons. The first is that I buy bulk brass and the case mouths get all dinged up in handling and shipping. The second is the brass comes from many different dies on the manufacturing line and I prefer it all be the same size when I load it.
Hope this helps.
Fred
Hope this helps.
Fred
Smokey Joe
Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2003
- Messages
- 2,617
Trimming pistol brass
Goon--With the pistol brass, as to trimming, well, it depends.
For a revolver it is almost never necessary. You check 'em every now & again to make sure they aren't so long they will stick in your chambers, and finding that this is (again) not the case, you keep on reloading.
With auto-pistol cases that headspace on the case mouth, case length is critical. With new cases, check 'em for length--they will almost always be correct--and load 'em. Just got into auto-pistol myself; expect to check 'em for length at every reloading, and expect to find that mostly they haven't changed enough to warrant trimming. But with auto-pistol cases I wouldn't begrudge trimming 'em because the headspace depends on it.
Goon--With the pistol brass, as to trimming, well, it depends.
For a revolver it is almost never necessary. You check 'em every now & again to make sure they aren't so long they will stick in your chambers, and finding that this is (again) not the case, you keep on reloading.
With auto-pistol cases that headspace on the case mouth, case length is critical. With new cases, check 'em for length--they will almost always be correct--and load 'em. Just got into auto-pistol myself; expect to check 'em for length at every reloading, and expect to find that mostly they haven't changed enough to warrant trimming. But with auto-pistol cases I wouldn't begrudge trimming 'em because the headspace depends on it.
Reloader Fred and Smokey Joe -
Thanks. The reason I ask is that I like to put a good crimp on my handloads (for revolvers) and I have run into the probem of uneven case length messing up my crimp and causing some loads to not chamber right. I have never had any problems with "automatic cartridges" because the brass has always been short enough.
I have used new brass for rifles before but it has never been necessary with a handgun because I just tend to have more once fired brass around for them.
But .357 ain't really all that cheap to shoot to get the once fired brass.
So....
Thanks.
Thanks. The reason I ask is that I like to put a good crimp on my handloads (for revolvers) and I have run into the probem of uneven case length messing up my crimp and causing some loads to not chamber right. I have never had any problems with "automatic cartridges" because the brass has always been short enough.
I have used new brass for rifles before but it has never been necessary with a handgun because I just tend to have more once fired brass around for them.
But .357 ain't really all that cheap to shoot to get the once fired brass.
So....
Thanks.
The Bushmaster
Member
If it is new or used (once fired), pistol, revolver or rifle it is ran through my sizing die and measured and trimmed if it is not within spec. I have found new brass that is in need of TLC before it's loaded.
Ben Shepherd
Member
I have shot A LOT of 357 over the last 10 years. Most likey over 100,000 rounds. Yes I can back that statement up, folks.
So while not a metalurgist or anything, I have come to these conclusions:
Case quality, 1 being best:
1. Starline
2. Federal
3. Winchester
4. Anything else USA made, exept remington.
I WILL NOT use remington pistol brass, it's pure JUNK, IMNSHO. Too many bad experiences regardless of caliber.
PS: ALWAYS run new brass through a sizing die for 2 reasons:
1. Flash hole verification.
2. Measure the new cases diameter before and after sizing, you may be suprised.
So while not a metalurgist or anything, I have come to these conclusions:
Case quality, 1 being best:
1. Starline
2. Federal
3. Winchester
4. Anything else USA made, exept remington.
I WILL NOT use remington pistol brass, it's pure JUNK, IMNSHO. Too many bad experiences regardless of caliber.
PS: ALWAYS run new brass through a sizing die for 2 reasons:
1. Flash hole verification.
2. Measure the new cases diameter before and after sizing, you may be suprised.
Paul "Fitz" Jones
Moderator - Emeritus
I agree with Ben On the Brass
As a Star Reloader Dealer and Lifetime Die Dealer that provided Star. Many of my customers reported finding LOTS of Remington Nickle plated brass on the ground at the ranges they used and complained that the brass would not hold their bullets reliably. The bullets would move and become loose under recoil in revolver cylinders and even while riding up the .45auto feed ramp.
Since the guys insisted on using the abundant free brass I had made a supply of double carbide ring Lifetyme sizing dies for the second further in ring to take the case mouth down another thousanth. I sold dozens of them to my Star and C-H Auto Champ customers and may have a couple left in .38/.357 and .45.
Remington nickle plated brass splits the soonest and has the least life of the main 4 brass makers Ben mentions. Remington ammo was also the most often on sale and I would not recommend anything but the big three Starline, Federal and Winchester. I have boycotted CCI products for decades from their primers causing explosions in reloaders with injuries and even today they have unreliable ignition in matches I have been advised.
As a Star Reloader Dealer and Lifetime Die Dealer that provided Star. Many of my customers reported finding LOTS of Remington Nickle plated brass on the ground at the ranges they used and complained that the brass would not hold their bullets reliably. The bullets would move and become loose under recoil in revolver cylinders and even while riding up the .45auto feed ramp.
Since the guys insisted on using the abundant free brass I had made a supply of double carbide ring Lifetyme sizing dies for the second further in ring to take the case mouth down another thousanth. I sold dozens of them to my Star and C-H Auto Champ customers and may have a couple left in .38/.357 and .45.
Remington nickle plated brass splits the soonest and has the least life of the main 4 brass makers Ben mentions. Remington ammo was also the most often on sale and I would not recommend anything but the big three Starline, Federal and Winchester. I have boycotted CCI products for decades from their primers causing explosions in reloaders with injuries and even today they have unreliable ignition in matches I have been advised.
Thanks for the heads up on the Remington brass. I have some nickel plated stuff for my .357 that I have been using. I always pay attention to the general condition of the brass but I will exercise some extra caution with this stuff and throw it all away if it starts giving me problems.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Ben Shepherd
Member
Watch for flaking near the case mouth. It'll usually split within two firings after flaking.
The Bushmaster
Member
And then again...What is it with you guys and Remington cases. :banghead: I'm still using some that I bought 2 years ago. They are on their 5 loading (.357 magnum). And I load them hot and sometimes I load them warm. I use predominately R-P for my .30-30 and .30-06 and have had no problem after 5 or 6 loadings to date. If you all want to send me all your R-Ps, both in brass and nickle I sure could use them. The calibres that I shoot are 9mm X 19, .38 Spec, .357 mag, .45 ACP, .30-30 and .30-06... I have had no more problems with Remington then I have had with any other brand. I think that Winchester probably stands up better them most, but R-P is right there serving just fine.... 
Must be something in your loading practices. Do you over bell them when preping for bullet seating???
Must be something in your loading practices. Do you over bell them when preping for bullet seating???The Bushmaster
The problem I had with Rem brass was that it did not have enough neck tension to hold the bullet properly. I had this problem in 44 and 357. I annealed the 44 brass once and then it held the bullet properly and in 357 I ran it through a 9mm die. After I shot both of these I bought Starline brass and have had no problems. Maybe I just got a bad batch of Rem but I’ll stick with Starline.
The problem I had with Rem brass was that it did not have enough neck tension to hold the bullet properly. I had this problem in 44 and 357. I annealed the 44 brass once and then it held the bullet properly and in 357 I ran it through a 9mm die. After I shot both of these I bought Starline brass and have had no problems. Maybe I just got a bad batch of Rem but I’ll stick with Starline.
The Bushmaster
Member
O K...Just askin'
- Status
