Ive come into a dilemma. I have a bunch of mixed (mil. and comm.) .308 brass with all different head stamps. i need to know what is a better brass to use for long distance shooting. I do not mind using both.. But I really want to know which brass will be more consistent on paper. AND which is more expensive.
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military (nato) brass VS. commercial brass
- Thread starter ridin42
- Start date
Either, just not both at the same time.
How good are YOU?
Military brass is almost certainly more available, since it is scrap to the military, and should be cheaper.
If you want the "best" brass, get Lapua or Norma.
How good are YOU?
Military brass is almost certainly more available, since it is scrap to the military, and should be cheaper.
If you want the "best" brass, get Lapua or Norma.
Military brass will normally have crimped and possibly sealed primers, many times it will also be slightly thicker. so powder charges may need to be reduced , depends on the powder choice, the projectile, the actual gun chamber.
I don't know if I could say one is better than the other actually.
again if looking for very uniform tolerances then go with what Noylj mentioned.
I don't know if I could say one is better than the other actually.
again if looking for very uniform tolerances then go with what Noylj mentioned.
Weight sorting will yield the best results. Just don't mix them as strange pressures can occur.
i got mixed feelings on this. on match stuff, of course i run all same ,even same lot.
ive been running ALOT of mixed LC through a trainer bolt gun. IF and only IF you have the gun in perfect tune it makes absolutely no difference, ive put the rounds on long targets to prove it.
neck tension and a tuned load are waaaay more important.
secondly, dont run your charge wt so close to the jagged edge that a minor case capacity will push you over. the gun is rarely stable there anyway and you will get caught out in the rain one day
ive been running ALOT of mixed LC through a trainer bolt gun. IF and only IF you have the gun in perfect tune it makes absolutely no difference, ive put the rounds on long targets to prove it.
neck tension and a tuned load are waaaay more important.
secondly, dont run your charge wt so close to the jagged edge that a minor case capacity will push you over. the gun is rarely stable there anyway and you will get caught out in the rain one day
I had the same questions recently. the consensus I found was to pick one and stick with it. if you are looking at a few hundred rounds for a precision bolt gun, I'd get some top quality non mil spec brass and go to town with load development (lapua, norma, etc).
I picked up a 308 semi with a custom barrel and nice trigger so I'm hoping to have the best of both worlds. Accurate enough for target work but still function as a semi battle gun that I can get dirty (within limits). I picked up 1300 rounds of LC brass that I will prep and develop loads for my rifle for this brass.
the LC brass is a bit thicker, so smaller capacity (watch your loads and don't start off too hot), plus needs more initial prep (sizing is a bit harder, swage primer pockets, trim to length, etc). But once it's prepped the first time it should be good to go.
if/when I pick up a better bolt gun in the future, I'll probably go with some better brass as it'll be easier to keep a hold of the brass (vs. the semi throwing it around).
I picked up a 308 semi with a custom barrel and nice trigger so I'm hoping to have the best of both worlds. Accurate enough for target work but still function as a semi battle gun that I can get dirty (within limits). I picked up 1300 rounds of LC brass that I will prep and develop loads for my rifle for this brass.
the LC brass is a bit thicker, so smaller capacity (watch your loads and don't start off too hot), plus needs more initial prep (sizing is a bit harder, swage primer pockets, trim to length, etc). But once it's prepped the first time it should be good to go.
if/when I pick up a better bolt gun in the future, I'll probably go with some better brass as it'll be easier to keep a hold of the brass (vs. the semi throwing it around).
The military brass is stamped out high volume and very inconsistent weight. Same goes for alot of the cookie cutter big name brands. As mentioned above, Lapua or Norma all the way! Fun fact, Norma makes Weatherby's brass for them.
P.s.- you may want to spray a little CLP or WD-40 on your wallet first.....lol!!!
P.s.- you may want to spray a little CLP or WD-40 on your wallet first.....lol!!!
Yes, both are excellent. As an alternative, you could get a few boxes of Federal Gold Metal Match, shoot them, and work up a load from there.
LAPUA IS THE BEST, THEM NORMA, then FEDERAL MATCH... Oh these are not "CHEAP" EITHER...
