After 2 hours of case prep.(neck size, trim, de-burr, uniform flash holes/primer pockets, true necks, etc.), I weighed the 100 new Remington .223 cases. I hoped to segragate them by weight and have 50 that would be within one grain of each other. The cases ranged from 90.0 to 97.4 and I was unable to get the 50 I wanted.
Is Lapua brass any better than Remington/Winchester? Does the higher price of Lapua mean it is more consistant brass? I normally use Federal brass, but couldn't find any new stuff. I'm loading this for my new Cooper 21 Varminter.

Yes, the Lapua is good value: more expensive, but so consistent that the number of "usable" cases makes it a better deal then RemWinFedchester brass.

In .222 Rem, my Lapua brass is incredibly consistent (in weight, lack of runout, neck thickness) that I've concluded that checking for variation in these 3 variable is a waste of time. I just shoot it now!

On the other hand, belted magnum brass by Lapua is "only" as good as Norma (which is still connsiderably better than RemWinFed).

jpb

I have limited experience. Only using their 30-06 brass for my 338-06 but I find it VERY good.Forget about preping the brass size and shoot.

I think it is, I use it for the 9.3x62 there is not much choice with that calibre so it was a situation of "must" any way I am impressed with it.

Get some Lapua brass, weigh, measure smell and touch it in every way you can and watch the Lapua miracle unveil itself...

I use in my 6.5x55. It is the cheapest brass I have found and also the best IMO.

lapua brass is second to none ...i use it in my 06 and get over 50 reloads per case....need i say more
daniel

In this case,(pun intended) you do get what you pay for. Far and away the best. Too bad they limit themselves to so few calibers. FYI, their VihtaVouri powder is topnotch too. Haven't tried their bullets.

Compared to other brass I have used ( R-P , WW, PMP ) Lapua is the best and worth extra money spent )

You could have saved yourself quite a bit of work by weighing them first.
That be as it may, I have found the Lapua brass to be very consistant; however, I don't use it for all applications. For target shooting, I use it. For shooting sage rats and game, I don't as a rule. The cost of enough brass to make a decent sage rat shoot would be considerable. I'd rather spend my dollars on gas and such to pursue game rather than on components to pursue the elusive "perfect cartridge".
You didn't say what your intended use was but you do considerably more "prep" than I do on unfired brass. After a minimum of prep: bump the neck into round; chamfer the neck; prime and load, I fire form the brass using a full powered load in a rifle of known accuracy. The brass from any fliers is culled. Only then do I begin the "fine prep" of the brass. I do not weigh brass.

I'm a big fan of Lapua brass. It's quite uniform and doesn't present the reloader with too many surprises. The primer pockets are drilled out instead of punched so it's not necessary to ream out the internal projections left behind by the punchs. I use it in .308Win., 6.5x55, and .222Rem. One warning though. I've been hearing a few complaints lately. It seems they may be outsourcing some of their case making to joblotters. I certainly hope that isn't true. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I am also a big fan of Lapua brass. I just bought a .338 Lapua and got 100 pieces in the deal, I have never worked with better brass. I use Norma a good deal and like it as well. Next comes Winchester then Remington. Good shooting.

YES YES YES

Lapua is very nice brass. I had very good experince with IMI brass in 223.

/ JOHAN

Lapua is the best; if it is Lapua manufactured brass. Cal Sibley has heard the same rumors I have. I can personally speak for their 220 Russian; 222 Remington and 30-06. Norma Brass is also very good; but typically softer.

[ 10-07-2003, 04:45: Message edited by: Old & Slow ]

It is excellent but the best brass in the world is no good if your rifle doesn't like it.

2 of my rifles work much better with RP than RWS or LAPUA.... I've given up trying to work out why