Best brass for reloading?

[masek77]

Which brass do you use?

Do you find that some manufacturers cases perform better and last longer than others?

What about specific calibers? Ive heard Starline is the best for handgun brass. What about Federal? I ask this because I have quite a lot of Federal cases.

[PlacitasSlim]

I normally buy starline and have been happy with it. When I purchase locally, it is usually Winchester because that is what's available

[Explorer1]

Yes, all brass has personalities which affect its performance.

The bench rest crowd loves Lapua, with Norma second.  Neither of which is cheap.  Federal GM has a following, primarily with the longer distance folks.

I use what I have, segregating as needed.  For mild fun plinking loads, I don't care much.  For competition stuff I have a few Lapua and Norma.  For general use, its what I have in stock.  Have not used Starline yet but all the name brand stuff works.

[stimpylu32]

For rifles i use either Win. or Rem. mainly because i came from factory ammo that i got and for handguns i still have a ton of Midway that i got years ago . In most cases i do not load to max and that will allow the brass to last longer also neck sizing tends to add life too .

I do get once fired range brass in bulk from time to time , i take out what i need and trade or give away the rest . helps to support my habit . 

stimpy

[masek77]

So basically you use whatever is available?

[Tom W.]

If I have to buy brass, it's Starline for my handguns and Remington for my rifles. My son, OTOH, buys Winchester for his rifles.

If I'm just plinking, I use whatever I have.....

[beemanbeme]

It's kinda a Ford-Chevy sort of argument with each side bringing much more heat than light to the discussion.  I use Rem for the very scientific reason of that is what the little reloading shop carried when I started reloading.
Top of the line, imo, is Lapua.  It's a little pricey but it is a "use out of the box" brass that if you prepped say Remington brass up to Lapua standards, you'd have enough sweat equitity into it to buy the Lapua.
My experiences with Norma have not been that great but there are those that swear by it.
All this is to say, if I am shooting a match, I use Lapua; if I am going hunting, I use Remington.  There is not enough increase in accuracy between the two to make it worthwhile to use it for hunting.

[masek77]

Mainly I'm looking for something that shoots...lol.

I doubt if I'll ever be competing, I just want something that will last a long time through as many reloads as I can get. With that in mind Remington seems to have a good rep, especially in rifle calibers. Federal isn't close behind while Winchester is generally in last place. This is from talking to a lot of people, some of which swear by Winchester while some hate Remington.

I was going to reload some 40SW for my Glock but people are so fidgety about it I'm not sure if its a good idea, even though I now have a barrel on it that fully supports the case. Im going to shoot a few rounds of factory ammo through the new barrel and take a good look at the cases and then go from there.

[OLDHandgunner]

Most of my brass is probably Remington for rifles. Been using them for years. I keep mine in lots of 50. Don't mix them with any other lots. Always have 50 more all primed and ready to load when the other lot get down to 10 or so. Have used other brands without any problems. Do the same with them keeping them in lots of 50.

[sherpa]

45 colt=starline.

[Jerry Lester]

Starline for handgun calibers, and if I can get it, I prefer Federal for rifles.

[HEAD0001]

I believe your question was, what is the best brass??  The answer is simple.  Lapua.  No doubt.  Lapua.  Just get a half dozen of each brand, a caliper, and a set of scales, then compare.  After you do that, you will know.  Tom.

[PaulS]

If you take the time to segregate your brass by weight any brass, properly prepared, will give consistent results.
That said, I like Winchester brass for rifles - 308 and 3006 because the Winchester brass tends to hold more powder than others and it is inexpensive compared to other cases in my area.
Lapua and Norma have a good reputation for consistent weights and being a bit heavier which makes them last a bit longer. For the money, even after factoring out the heavy and light cases you will spend less money to get consistent brass with any brand than you do for the premium brass. I stay clear of plated cases because they are more brittle and tend to crack at the neck, shortening their usable life considerably. See which ones work for you and are available in your area. Buy a few of each brand, segregate them into three groups with The top third light cases in one pile and the bottom third heavy cases in another pile. The middle third will be more than have the cases and those are the ones you use for serious shooting. The heavy cases cand be used for plinking and having fun and the light cases can be used for shooting pests. You may have to work up three different loads to get them all accurate but that is just more of the fun.

[carbineman]

Best Brass For Reloading? Free Brass is my favorite. I use most any brass except Federal which I trade for others. I have used RP, WW, PMC (now defunct), S&B and IMI with good results.

[Argonaut]

I keep my rifle brass separated but  I buy either Rem or Win new brass  or once Fired federal.  Like you've read here, Using Lighter loads for practice is much easier on your brass, and hey you want to save money too? lighter loads cost less. Keep an Eye Out for case neck splits or burn cracks in body or  radial cracking along the area just forward of the case head, sometimes you can feel these with dental pick or suitable sub.  I only neck size where possible, and I have gotten alot of use out of my brass. 

For pistol I shoot alot of .38 out of my 1950 K38 Target Masterpiece which has to be the most accurate revolver I have ever owned and I will risk no harm to it as it is precious to me.....my precious   ah but back to the brass thing,  I shoot light loads out of it and I have no idea how many times I have loaded the mix of brass I use for it.  It has been very economical to shoot and popping the head off a grouse at 25 yards is never a problem even with a mix of brass in the cylinder. Now i can't see the head anymore so I just blast the hole thing.

Just get a case trimmer, cause brass stretches and the only way for a consistent crimp is to have all the cases the same length.  also, primer residue can stop a primer from seating fully and cause a slam fire with an auto or cylinder hang up with a revolver. ( been there done that).  Lee makes a small tool perfect for large and small primers.  always clean primer pockets. wear eye protection, get a little piece of the residue  in your eye and you will be at the eye doctor getting it out (been there done that too). 

For social work in a handgun use factory loads, if they don't work your family will have someone to sue.  For hunting I only use reloads but put up in prepped once fired brass.  Unless I hunt with my flint lock,  I have reloaded that hundreds if not thousands of times.