Which brass would you opt for when buying new brass?

I have no experience with any of these three. seem to see reviews showing they may be more consistent or overall better than the bulk winchester/remington brass.

Norma and Nosler are good, I have no experience with Swift.

I've used multiple brands over the years due to spotty availability in NZ. Then tried Norma and since changed all cases in several calibres to Norma. Norma brass is quite consistent. Not perfect, but better than most. Read and heard many times that Norma brass is softer and wouldn't last long. I don't really keep track but some of mine has been loaded more than 10 times and is still going strong. I never anneal. I have a couple of batches of 30.06 Norma that I must have loaded 20 times. Apart from looser primer pockets the cases are still loadable and I'm still shooting them. Generally I load no higher, or slightly under, max loads. With other brands one of the things that led to rejected cases was split necks. I can't remember the last time I had a split neck with a Norma case. Reloading component costs in NZ are higher than in the USA ( lucky Americans ! ) and Norma brass is pricier than most but I think longer term it could work out cheaper, at least in my experience. I've been told the only brass better than Norma is Lapua which I have never used.
I believe Norma makes the Nosler Custom Brass, but others here could confirm or otherwise.

I agree on primer pockets loosening on Norma. That is my complaint with it but I guess mileage will vary with loads.

Sako is also good in my limited experience with it.

Lapua has a legendary reputation but I did have someone tell me that quality differed by calibre. Anyone care to comment on that?

I like RWS the best.

No experience with the others. I like my (8 to 10 yr old) WW. Haven't seen it recently....

Much like NZ. Patchy and pricey supply. So I guess basis your question that added very little.

I tried Nosler brass in a 300RUM.It seemed like very good brass.Norma is good too.

I have also heard that Norma was making the brass for Nosler. Really considering picking up a bag for a few different calibers just to start out with new brass.

Shootaway -- Midway had the Norma Oryx 300rum ammo clearanced out a few months ago and I had to buy loaded ammo to gain access to brass. The ammo was down to 1/2 price by the time they ran out of inventory

quote:

Originally posted by Buglemintoday:
I have also heard that Norma was making the brass for Nosler. Really considering picking up a bag for a few different calibers just to start out with new brass.

Shootaway -- Midway had the Norma Oryx 300rum ammo clearanced out a few months ago and I had to buy loaded ammo to gain access to brass. The ammo was down to 1/2 price by the time they ran out of inventory

A while back I thought brass was brass and after I had success with factory Remington ammo in my Sendero 300WM I used Rem brass in my next 300WM rifles.The first being a Win mod 70.The rifle could not group at all using a proven load.I tried everything but change the brass.When I switched to Win brass the rifle grouped below an inch.Next rifle was a Rem.700BDL in 300RUM.Again same problem.I switched to Nosler brass and the rifle grouped below an inch.Both rifles had gone from spraying bullets a foot apart at 50-100yds to grouping below an inch at 100yds by just changing the brass.

quote:

I have also heard that Norma was making the brass for Nosler.

When I called Nosler, they said no. They make their own brass. Just FYI.

I have used Nosler with very good results. My Norma was really soft for the 308. I didn't get 5 loadings from it. Never tried Swift. The only other thing I will say is that if for some reason you try Hornady match in 308, the internal capacity is less than the normal brass, so you need to download it by about a full grain through testing.

I've been going through this with 338 WM and 30-06. In 338 WM, I used to use Winchester brass but couldn't find any so I bought some Norma brass. It weighed quite a bit less than the Winchester brass and has a larger internal capacity. I say this because I had to increase the powder charge weight by one full grain to equal the velocity of my pet load using the same lot of powder. It is on its second loading so I can't speak to its longevity. It is more consistent in weight and OAL than Winchester brass. It also has primer pockets which are tighter than Winchester brass and bullet seating is noticeably easier which would seem to indicate softer brass in the neck area. We'll see how it holds up over time.

In 30-06, I am going to shoot some Nosler brass this spring to see if it performs better than the Winchester brass I normally use. I bought 100 pieces of Lapua, Norma, Nosler and I have several hundred pieces of new Winchester brass. I weighed 25 random cases of each brand and here's how they fared in terms of consistency:

Lapua brass weighed 191.5-194.1 grains=2.6 grain weight variation with inconsistent OAL (measured from a 100 round box of Lapua brass)

Winchester brass weighed 184.9-187.9 grains=3.0 grains weight variation with inconsistent OAL (measured 12 and 13 rounds respectively from two 50 round bags of Winchester brass)

Norma brass weighed 180.5-181.9 grains=1.4 grains weight variation with more consistent OAL than others (measured from a 100 round box of Norma brass)

Nosler brass weighed 180.3-181.1 grains=0.8 grains weight variation with more consistent OAL than others (measured 12 and 13 rounds respectively from two different 50 round boxes of Nosler brass)

I expected the Lapua brass to be more consistent due to its reputation but apparently not. I wouldn't have any problem using Norma brass as it has proved to be more consistent in weight and OAL in both 338 WM and 30-06. How much difference this will make on paper I have no idea. I haven't shot enough groups with the Norma brass in my 338WMs to say with any statistical certainty they shoot noticeably better.

Norma makes a lot of brass for other European brands, including Lapua, and Sako. I have not used Nosler brass, so cannot comment on it. They do buy brass from another company; they obviously would not admit to that.

I like RWS and Horneber the best. Otherwise, I choose what company based on the caliber.
50BMG - Winchester, Lapua, Magtech
404 Jeffery - Norma
416 Rigby - Norma or fired Federal
416 Remington Magnum - Used to be Remington, now Norma, or another European brand.
All the Weatherby brass - Either in the Weatherby box, or in bags from Norma, Norma makes all Weatherby brass.
375 H&H - What ever brand is on sale. The pressure is low, so most brands hold up well.
9.3 x 70 - Reimer Johannsen sells it. I think it is made by Horneber
9.3x74 - RWS
9,3x64 - RWS
9.3x62 - Sako, Lapua
338 Win Mag - Winchester
300 Win Mag - Federal Gold Medal, Winchester, old Lapua, RWS
30-06 - Lapua, Federal Gold Medal, RWS, Norma
.308 Win - Federal Gold Medal, small flash hole Lapua, regular Lapua, Winchester, Norma
7mm Rem Mag - Federal, Winchester, Norma, RWS
7mm-08 - Winchester, Federal Gold Medal
7x57 - Any European Brand, The US companies buy their lots from Norma, Horneber, also RWS for higher pressure loads
6.5x55 - Same as above
6.5 Creedmoor - Lapua (soon), Hornady until then, Norma
6.5 Grendel - Lapua, Hornady (fair quality)
25-06 - Winchester
257 Roberts - Winchester, Remington
243 Win - Lapua
6mm PPC - Sako, Norma, form from Lapua 220 Russian
6mmBR - Norma
220 Swift - ?
22-250 - Lapua, Norma
.223/5.56 - Lapua Match, Federal Gold Medal, Winchester
YMMV