I have heard that both Lapua and Norma brass are much better than Remington or Winchester as far as consistency of neck thickness and uniformity of weight. I have also heard that Lapua is better than Norma because it is harder and therefore can be loaded to higher pressures. Is all of this true? If one had a choice between these 4 manufacturers would it be a slam dunk to pick Lapua (assuming one is willing to pay the higher cost for the higher quality)? Thanks, Rufous

On Midway's website I found this comment about the Lapua .30-06 brass:

Steven Shaw of Bozeman, MT
Rating: [2 stars of 5]
Date Posted: 4/9/2003

Review:
I purchased 200 rounds of Lapua 30-06 brass. After deburring the flash holes, I noticed that the flash holes were off-center with respect to the primer pockets. This is visually obvious when a primer is seated, because the anvil is not centered in the flash hole. I determined that the flash holes for my cases are off-center by about .004" using multiple readings from a Starrett caliper. I could not detect a problem with Norma 30-06 brass using the same technique. I weigh every case. The extreme difference in case weight for 40 randomly selected pieces was about twice that for 40 pieces of Norma brass, based on readings from a digital scale. The Lapua brass is also a bit heavier than Norma. I used a different bushing in my neck-size die. It is hard to guess what effect these inconsistencies might have. On the other hand, premium brass is supposed to reduce the number of things you need to worry about.


I hope this helps,
Eric.

Look at the cost of brass!

At Midway, for 100 rounds of .30-06 Springfield brass,

Remington and Winchester each cost about $24 per 100 pieces.

Lapua costs very nearly twice that much (~$45).

Norma costs THREE TIMES as much as Remington or Winchester brass (~$72).

Reloaders I've spoken to testify that Norma brass really is better than Remington or Winchester in terms of consistency of mass, neck concentricity, and such.

However, will using Norma brass cut the size of your groups in three?! I doubt it.

Try Remington brass first, and if you're really not happy with your results, go ahead and spend $75 for 100 pieces of Norma brass.

Tell me how it turns out!
Eric.

For hunting purposes Win. or Rem. brass will serve you just fine, all my hunting rifles shoot around or under 1/2 moa with said brass. Jay.

Interesting that someone was deburring Lapua brass. The flash holes are drilled and don't need deburring. I would have to question the voracity of that statement, and anything else they said.

I always use Lapua when I can. The quality is superb.

Patrick

whether you punch or drill a hole it is going to have a ragged edge. That said, I have never deburred a flash hole in my life. Neither drilled nor punched. And, after 40 years of reloading, I am still looking for a little trapdoor next to a punched flash hole. I have been told they are prevalent.

Gotta' wonder about that report. I have found Lapua brass to be superb. Target shooters often say it is the best, as does Sinclair.

Actually, Rufous, I think it depends on what you plan on doing with the brass. If you're shooting high level competition then by all means buy the very best you can afford. (you will find, however, that too many folks equate quality with price which ain't always true) If you're hunting, rems or winch or feds will serve you well. I usually buy them in lots of 100 and prep the whole 100 then shoot them in rotation. I don't weigh cases. I bump the sizing ball thru the necks, trim them a bit to square them up and chamfer the necks. I also give them a cursory overview looking for obvious faults. (like little trap doors next to the punched flash hole) Then I load 'em up and shoot 'em. Now I turn the necks and load 'em and shoot em again. If I get any unexplainable flyers, I just toss 'em and go on. I keep culling cases (i like to shoot much more than I like to reload)until I have a group of cases that are pretty damn uniform. What you have to ask yourself: is the inprovment in accuracy (if any) worth 4 times more than the common cases. I can say, you certainly aren't going to get accuracy that is 4 times better than you will get from say Remingtons.

I have several calibers that Lapua and Norma do not make brass for. In that case I'll buy Remington, but only if it's not available from the first two. Most of my shooting is at the bench and I don't want to mess with mediocre brass. There's just too many problems with current runs of American brass. I don't like spending the extra money. No one does, but I won't buy junk. I just purchased 100 new Winchester cases for a new rifle. About 1/4 of them chattered when I bevelled the necks because the neck was out of round. And yes it is a damn nuisance to ream the inside of the primer pockets for 100 cases because our companies are too damn cheap to use a drill instead of a punch for the primer pockets. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Lapua, Win. and Norma are equal, then Remington but thats just an opine...

I really like that IMI Israeli brass but it only comes in 223 and 308...

Cal
When i buy bulk brass , such as remington or winchester, i neck size the cases before i do anything else to them.I also run the exspander ball all the way up into the die,as high as i can get it.I get less runout when doing it this way.Also a good way to help center up the brass to the die is to use 7/8 inch O rings under the die,Between the press and die.A little give there seems to help center them up.
But by doing it this way, you won't be getting that chatter you are talking about and yes it is another step, more work and time.But its worth it to me to get the best possible brass to start with.I do all flash holes in rem and win. brass,along with the primer pockets being uniformed.I just shoot for groups and then just compete with myself,so i will do anything i think that will make a difference to improve my groups.
I also go for Lapua brass first,(if they make it for that caliber)then IMI,then Win and Rem.
but again this is just what i do,could be all wrong too? But it seems to work well for me.Oh, and i always clean every fired primer pocket back to clean brass before reloading it.My shooting buddies think i am being critical,but this is the way i have done it since 1967 and i am to old to change now.
muskrat
live free or die!

Lapua brass is absolutely the finest I have found, bar none. They are basically ready to load right out of the box. The consistency is incredible, and the flash holes are drilled and not punched.

And if you shop around, you can find good deals on it. My last batch of brass for the 6.5x55 ran something like 34.95 per hundred. When you consider that I cull 15-18% of Remchester brass, the difference in costs becomes even smaller.

By the way, I have yet to cull a new Lapau casing for any reason.

What I found can be reloaded more times for rifle ammo is Federal, Norma and RWS, the latter i like especially for the .222 Rem. I get split necks much earlier with Sellier and Bellot as well as with Remington brass.

I have found Sako brass the best for accuracy and life but I am told it is made by and the same as Lapua.
I can not verify this statement.
Rob T.

I have never used Lapua brass. Norma brass is very well-made, but at least some lots have been on the soft side. Winchester brass is plenty tough, but some lots have had off-center flash holes. No Remington brass I have ever used has had off-center flash holes, but some of it tends to be several grains shy of holding as much powder as Norma or Winchester brass. I have found U.S. G.I. .30/'06 National Match cases to be as good as any commercial brass of any kind I have tried.

I've been using winchester brass for my 300wsm and 270 and have been pleased with the results. I just bought my 1st bag of remington brass, mainly because it was so cheap.I hope it's not as bad as everyone seems to think.

Hello Muskrat,

I think we're two of a kind. I also do most of my shooting from the bench, and spend an inordinate amount of time at the loading bench to get each round as nearly identical to the others as possible. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal