Is there a big difference in reloading components?

[teddy12b]

I'm not talking about bullets here, just brass, primers and powder.  Bullets are already being talked about everywhere else so I'm just trying to keep it brass, primers, and powder here.

I'm curious if anyone has found much difference between different reloading components.  I first started reloading in 2002 and I do a fair amount of reloading, but I know there are guys that shoot a ton more than I do and guys that have been reloading for longer than I've been alive.  When I started I just decided to use all Remington products for no real reason other than to keep my grocery list simple.  I see all the expensive brass and expensive primers and wonder if it would actually do me any good to try them or would I just be paying more for the same thing. 

For brass what's the difference between Remington, Winchester, Lapua, Norma, and the rest of them?

For primers does it even matter?  All the thing has to do is make a spark.

I've never really tried to get too creative with my powders either.  I try to use the ones that everyone else is using for that cartridge.  For example IMR 4350 for 30-06, H4198 for 45-70, Varget for .223, H322 for 6.8, H110 for magnum handguns.  I try to stay relatively mainstream reading from different websites what guys are getting there best accuracy with and using that.

Is there really much difference between any of these?

[skb2706]

Bound to generate a ton of opinions....this one is mine.

Brass - yes there is quite a difference but in the low end grades ...Winchester, Federal, Remington it is as much lot to lot as it is brand to brand.

The step up brands are more uniform in weight, length, flash hole and even/round necks. They also tend to last longer while requiring less work to prep.

Primers - all are good, some are better for different applications (ie  Federal 215 for the big mags) I have seen several tests showing all kinds of different results but none have conclusively convinced me one brand is better than another. I like CCI but thats because I have used them for 35 years.

Powders - lots of difference from one end of the burn rate to another ....personally I believe that several powders are the same product in different packaging. But don't assume anything.

[teddy12b]

So if you loaded the same round with lapua brass instead of Winchester or whatever how much will it really effect the accuracy or velocity.  For instance I have a savage 12BVSS in 223 and I use Winchester brass.  If I switch to Lapua, or Norma, or Nosler, Lake City, or whatever is that going to cut my group size down enough that I can measure it? 

Are these the kinds of things that come into play the farther out you intend to shoot?

I still consider myself a beginning reloader so I'm open to anything.

[myronman3]

So if you loaded the same round with lapua brass instead of Winchester or whatever how much will it really effect the accuracy or velocity.  For instance I have a savage 12BVSS in 223 and I use Winchester brass.  If I switch to Lapua, or Norma, or Nosler, Lake City, or whatever is that going to cut my group size down enough that I can measure it? 

Are these the kinds of things that come into play the farther out you intend to shoot?

I still consider myself a beginning reloader so I'm open to anything.

there is only one way to find out.   what may hold true for my rifle,  may not hold true for yours. 

i only use cci primers,  very important if using military type rifles, ar's,m1's,  the bolt closing can cause a slam fire,  i use cci milspec primers for them, and cci primers exclusively for that matter.
  other components may work good in one combination, and not good with another.  there are many ways the ball can bounce.     i find a load the gives me good accuracy, velocity, consistancy or that meets my needs and i write it down.    you will always be learning. 

[SHOOTALL]

oh yea !
it all depends on what ya want to do !
just bulk ammo for spray at the range anything will do !
but for fine accuracy each component will have an effect !
i won't list all i use but hears an example my 2506 likes 4831 powder and i have tried different powder cause 4831 meters awful and even 4831sc dosent work as well ! whats up with that ?

[Graybeard]

When I first began reloading somewhere I think in the late 60s and on into the early 70s there was a very limited supply of components available here. One old man named CC Gauldin ran a shop out near the Eastaboga Gun Club which was the local skeet/trap range in those days. I later bought the range from him but that's another story. There was also a gun shop called Wayne's in down town Anniston that sold components. So far as I remember that was it.

CC sold Remington, Hornady, Pacific, DuPont and Hercules brands ONLY. So I mostly used Remington primers and Hornady bullets in those days. Wayne mostly sold powder and primers and not much else.

Later it seemed that Remington primers were hard to come by once CC went out of business and others took his place. So I moved to the more available Winchester and mostly CCI primers and even today that's still mostly what I use.

I've seen no real difference in quality or effectiveness of primers but they are different so don't go substituting them indiscriminately. Brass I think most of the common stuff is all about equal and agree lot to lot variation is as much or more than brand to brand. I've used Winchester, Remington, Federal and Speer all with equal satisfaction. I do NOT use PMC anymore and consider it junk personally.

Hornady  brass seems to me to be a cut above the others and Federal Match brass often is as well. Norma brass what little I've used of it seems the best out there. Lapua I think is similar but I've not seen much of it. Nolser is new to this but is selling the highest quality brass available generally speaking and it is match weighted as well. Good stuff but not cheap.

I still use all those brands mentioned above often and willingly other than PMC which I will not use at all. I also tried some IMI and hated it so don't use it any longer. Might be not all of the IMI is bad but what I got was.

Powders I guess I don't really believe there is a quality difference. I love ball powders in general for their ease of measuring as I just am not gonna weight each charge. Not gonna happen. I drop my charges so generally won't use those large stick powders as they just don't work well in powder measures. I have no real brand loyalty with powder and use all brands about equally but do tend to use ball powders more than any other.

[deltecs]

Like most reloaders opinions I think that there is a difference in components.  As to how critical these differences are to the average hunter reloading his hunting and plinking rounds, is debatable.  I've found Win brass to be a bit harder and more brittle than Rem brass in general.  Win brass also generally will have a bit more interior powder space due the slightly thinner walls.  I reload my rounds by lots.  Using a data load, it is tied to the components used for the cartridge.  I don't mix Win with Rem brass, bullets by Hornady with those by Barnes, extruded powder in some and ball in others.  I reload a 20 round box of ammo with x components and then check 3 round accuracy over a 6 month period in different temperatures and shooting conditions.  It takes quite a while to develop a definite load for a particular bullet that with different powder charges and types, different brass, and bullets.  I have by no means exhausted every combination that may be better than my pet loads, but if the rifle is consistent with shot groups in rain, freezing and heat with bullets designed for the game I intend to hunt, then that is what I stay with.  Use whatever components that give you satisfactory results in lots so you will always know what works best for you and your rifle.  That is not say that I don't have boxes reloaded with Win cases or different bullets.  I'm saying that any reloaded lot is target and hunting compatible with each other but may not be the same data load or even bullet weight.  The point of impact with a scope setting is the same and consistent in differing weather conditions between lots.

[beemanbeme]

If I understand your question,I think selecting the most correct powder and charge is the most important.  It is what starts the show.  It drives the barrel harmonics -vibrations- that determine how the bullet is gonna fly.  Over the years, it has amazed me how a change in powder type will alter how a rifle will react.  In fact, it has amazed me how a change in a powder charge weight will alter how a rifle will react.  No other component has that much effect. 
I have posted that if you buy a new 30-06, load a cartridge with 57grs of IMR4350 and any good 165gr bullet and if the rifle won't shoot well, sell it.  Too many people have agreed with me for that not to be true.  You can change cases, primers, bullets and the rifle will still shoot well if it is gonna shoot.

[GREYGHOSTt]

It's amazing how many poor groups have been improved just by changing the brand of primer..

[teddy12b]

Is there any particular primer that is generally better than the others?  All I use are regular remington primers for everything.  I use regular remington large rifle primers in my 6.8mm AR-15 and I've never had a problem with a slam fire, but I always double check that the primer is seated flush. 

[SHOOTALL]

THE ONE LISTED WITH THE LOAD IN THE MANUAL IS BEST MOST OF THE TIME ! not to mention SAFE !
then bench rest primers are more consistent than standard .

[davem270win]

I used to use CCI primers, because when i started reloading, that's about all the gun shops by me carried. They work fine.

But a couple of years ago, I had misfire problems with two rifles, one old, and one brand new. Switching to Federal primers solved the problem. CCI primers apparently use thicker metal, and I had two guns with lighter firing pins.

I still use CCI primers, but not in those rifles.

My understanding is that Remington brass may have slightly less capacity than Winchester, so switching brass may affect your load, particulary if your loading a MAX load.

[SHOOTALL]

i was concerned with standard vs magnum vs bench rest !
in my post !

[Siskiyou]

Following quote from Serria:

“We also now have a situation wherein powders having the “same” numerical designation are available from several different sources. Probably the best example of this is the slow-burning single-based rifle propellant known as 4350. Available now as the original IMR 4350, Hodgdon’s H4350 and Accurate Arms’ 4350, the potential for confusion is obvious. Other powders sharing this same situation are 4227, 4198, 4895, and 4831. Each of these powders is available from both the Hodgdon and IMR powder companies. Most of these are interchangeable with the similarly designated powder, i.e. H4895 with IMR 4895, but this is not always the case. The two 4831s, for example, are quite different and cannot be safely interchanged. For this reason, we recommend that loads be used exactly as they are shown in the manuals with no substitutions. If you have any doubt as to which powder is meant by a particular designation, please call our toll-free technical service line at (800) 223-8799.”
“*(In manuals or writings published before 1973, any mention of 4831 will refer to Hodgdon’s H4831. In older manuals, it was customary to list the powder simply as A4831” with no designation connecting it to the Hodgdon line. The reason for this is simple; prior to DuPont’s introduction of IMR 4831 in 1972, the surplus 4831 sold by Hodgdon was the only powder to carry this designation. Despite their similar nomenclature, these two powders (IMR 4831 and Hodgdon 4831) are not interchangeable and must not be confused. IMR 4831 is significantly faster burning than H4831, and may produce dangerous pressures if used with data developed for the latter.)”

http://www.exteriorballistics.com/reloadbasics/burnrates.cfm