Range test 65gr vmax unfired brass v neck sized brass

[Hunternz]

Today very windy, so shot at 50m, trying to work up a load for 65 vmax in my .243 superlight, had no idea that brass can make such difference , each load 3 shot group using necksized Remington brass and new Winchester brass, two .625" groups with the necksized  Remington brass and 2" groups with the new Winchester brass, certainly some more work to get sub 1" groups at 100yds but still encouraging with a couple of loads,
Regrds Howard. 

[stimpylu32]

Howard

Thats good news ,i got a superlite about 2 months ago and have only been able to shoot the Speer 100 grains so far , weather has been crapy here , i have been wanting to get out and test some lighter bullets myself , i am thinking the 65s or75s should work well .

And your right brass does make a world of diffrence , i have Win. Fed. and only a few Rem. , with the Rem doing the best when trimmed to min. CL and the bullet seated just short of the lands .

Keep up the good work and keep up posted .

stimpy

[Hunternz]

No worries Stimpy, down to the "Man Cave" shortly to load up my next batch for testing,
Regards Howard. 

[Hunternz]

Part 2, not much better, best two groups at 100 yds, annoying 2 rounds close then a flier,
Shot a three shot group after testing with my hunting load 95 gr sst, .612" nothing wrong with that.
Regards Howard.

[myarmor]

It's funny, I have found that Remington brass doesn't shoot nearly as good as Winchester in all my rifles. It seems a lot harder and decent for hotter loads, yet more inconsistent than some other brands.
 Still different rifles like different things, and brass can be one of those things thats for sure.
Was the new Winchester brass neck sized only or FL sized?
Did you take calipers to them to see if they were consistent in length?
Sometimes they can be off just a hair and that will effect accuracy too.  After fire forming, Winchester brass works great for me.. to each his own I suppose
You got a pretty good hunting load there, always a good fall back.


-Aaron

[bigjeepman]

I'm with Aaron on the Winchester brass for my rifles. I did some amateur testing in my first years of reloading with different brass and came away using Winchester only. This brass worked best for me and it sure helped simplify things. My first choice would have been Federal brass but I couldn't buy any and my only source was factory Federal ammo. I use Starline brass in all of my handgun reloading.

I am not saying other brass is not on the same level as Winchester or Starline. I am saying it performs for me and I never have an issue with mixing/sorting brass during the reloading process.

Hunternz ...
It has been a while since I used the 65gr Vmax but my "best" load was:

Hornaday 65gr Vmax
Federal brass
Fed 210M primer
H-380 powder  ... 44gr
OAL ... 2.65"

[Hunternz]

Thanks Guys, I think I have to look at a powder that fills the case better than the two I have tried as this may be the key as with my hunting load it required a powder that nearly filled the case,
Regards Howard.

[Screamer13]

I'm in the process of buying my first Handi so I can't comment on what .243 load shoots best in a Handi but I can say that I have found excellent results with 43 gr of IMR 4320 under the 58 gr vmax. I get dime size groups out of my Win 70 and my uncle's 700 varmint rig. If you're looking for more weight, I also have had good success with IIMR 4350 and Hornady's 87 gr HPBT. Good luck in finding what works best for you.