Just wanting to know what your thoughts are on brass quality. I thought I liked win brass the best, then Fed, then Rem but I don't know.
What about Nosler brass?
Here is what has me pondering this.

P.S. I guess I'm wondering soft primer = soft brass? Caused by high pressure or weak firing pin spring?

Nate,

Federal brass is pretty good. However, I find that cc is lower than other manufactures. After sorting out 308 and 30-06 brass by weight I find that the lightest is win, then rem and the heaviest is always fed. Using the same load that worked fine using Winchester brass can cause very flat primers with the same load using fed brass in my 7mm-08.

No problems with federal brass here. I tend to buy 'blue box' for factory ammo, as I generally load my own so I have lots of federal donor brass.

I have many thousands of cases in WW, F-C and R-P. I do not hot rod my loads and all the brass works great for me. I get long case life with all of it.

On another site a guy tested several actions to destruction. He started testing with Remington brass and the actions really took a beating. He blew up 2 Swede M96 actions and a M93 Spanish Mauser with the R-P brass using an 8X57 barrel.

Then he tested a Carcano with a 7.35 barrel (.300 groove dia) rechambered to .30-06 using FC brass. It took a lot of abuse but he never did blow a case head completely out. However he also loaded an 8X57 round in it and fired it with out a blow up. Then he loaded a 35 Rem round in the chamber and fired that too. Nothing blew up. I think he set back the Carcano receiver shoulders only .004.

The Mausers were set back about .015 best I remember and the Rem brass was sprayed all over the interior.

In all the testing the brass was the least of the worries.

From your photos your pressures are running pretty high. Check the bulge at the junction of the solid head and the case walls. I suspect it is getting pronounced. I would back off a little.

My experience with Federal Brass has always been good; no complaints.

In my experience, Winchester brass has alway been very consistant with respect to weight and thus, thickness, etc. Same is the case with Federal and some of their "match" brass is really good. I have shyed away from Remington brass, their new brass out of the box looks pretty beat up.

Nosler brass is very good, weighs consistant and is already prepped, flash holes deburred.

The most dissappointed I have ever been with brass was a 100 count of .300 H&H brass from a "high end" source. Case weights were all over the map.

The funny thing about Remington brass is that accuracy from it isn't bad and it lasts longer than the others except Norma.

The funny thing about Remington bullets is that though they're cheap and don't look as polished as some other brands, they shoot and kill very wall.

I too have found Federal brass to have less capacity then either Win or Rem in the 300, I reduce my charge weights by 2gr in Fed brass and still get the same velocity. I also found Nosler brass to be identical to Federal brass, so maybe it's made by them for Nosler.
I don't feel it's bad brass, but it doesn't like high pressures and doesn't last long.

Cheers.

Used lots of Federal brass mainly in the 375H&H some of it chromed and some just brassy. With the chromed and a certain load (pointless giving it - it contains RSA powders and projjies) - I was able to get just over 1/2 MOA.

Lately in Aus the 223 brass has been all crimped like military brass - necessitating an extra step, which is a PITA.

Talking of brass - last weekend I bought a box of Winchester silver box .22H and out of the box of 50, 6 had cracks that went all through the case wall - at the area where it is necked.

The only complaint i have with federal brass is in 7x57.

The shoulders are not sharp at all,after firing they last a long time.

I've found Federal brass to be too soft in many cases. Same with Nosler, which is in at least some cases made by Federal. A two grain reduction in charge is usually needed.

For all the years I've bad mouthed Remington, some of its brass is very good. Some is pure crap. I've got bags of .375 that had split necks before thet were even loaded. Split might be the wrong word, theres a overlapping fold or flaw in the necks.

Winchester has been very good to me over the years, and Ill typically use it in "ordinary" rifles. Given a choice many of my rifles get Lapua and Norma.