Last night I was prepping .300 WSM cases made by Norma alongside some 6.5 x 284 Norma cases made by Lapua and found some pretty surprising differences that clearly contraindicate what most, if not all, of us believe about the superiority of the latter over the former.
1) In a random sample of 100 new (never spent) cases from each manufacturer, the extreme spread in the weights of the Norma sample was < 6 grains while in the Lapua lot it was approx. 8 grains. The fact that the Norma brass was of a considerably heavier species than the Lapua brass compounds the significance of this difference, too.
2) In the same random samples of Norma and Lapua brass, the extreme spread in neck wall thickness of the Lapua 6.5x284 Norma cases was over 0.004" while in the Norma .300 WSM cases it was approx. 0.0005". I won't even have to turn the necks of these cases !
Has anyone else who uses both of the subject brands for manufacturing their ammunition found similar differences? If this isn't just a fluke, wherein by some extraordinary confluence of errors I got a really inferior batch of Lapua brass and a really superior batch of Norma brass around the same time, then I won't be purchasing Lapua brass again ! Mind you, Lapua does not manufacture .300 WSM cases. And I haven't ever even bothered purchasing 6.5x284 Norma cases made by Norma. Consequently, I can make no immediate caliber specific comparison of the two brands at this time.
1) In a random sample of 100 new (never spent) cases from each manufacturer, the extreme spread in the weights of the Norma sample was < 6 grains while in the Lapua lot it was approx. 8 grains. The fact that the Norma brass was of a considerably heavier species than the Lapua brass compounds the significance of this difference, too.
2) In the same random samples of Norma and Lapua brass, the extreme spread in neck wall thickness of the Lapua 6.5x284 Norma cases was over 0.004" while in the Norma .300 WSM cases it was approx. 0.0005". I won't even have to turn the necks of these cases !
Has anyone else who uses both of the subject brands for manufacturing their ammunition found similar differences? If this isn't just a fluke, wherein by some extraordinary confluence of errors I got a really inferior batch of Lapua brass and a really superior batch of Norma brass around the same time, then I won't be purchasing Lapua brass again ! Mind you, Lapua does not manufacture .300 WSM cases. And I haven't ever even bothered purchasing 6.5x284 Norma cases made by Norma. Consequently, I can make no immediate caliber specific comparison of the two brands at this time.