Which brass is better, if either, and why in your opinion, Norma or Lapua or RWS?

Where is the best place to buy your pic?

I've been rethinking this whole brass thing since so many people like Lapua and RWS, I'm just going to have to give it a try and see what results I get. But I'm finding that Norma is just as pricey or more than Lapua but I just don't read alot of comments on it.

Calibers: .270 Win and 30.06 only.

Thanks.

I started shooting Lapua brass in my .260ai (.243 necked up), I like it a lot. It's very uniform, drilled flash wholes, annealed, good stuff. Norma I use in several calibers, but you are right, it is quite a bit more than Lapua but available in more calibers. I really like RWS too, but even less availability. Midway * Huntington's carries most of it. Try here too:
http://www.eabco.com/Lapua07.html

yes thanks, I did see that website but it looks as if I want 270, I'll have to make it from 30.06. Is this difficult? I've never done that before. I don't know if it is as simple as running it through a full size die or if there's more to it.

Over on another forum, a guy wrote that Norma is soft. I'm trying to steer away from that.

Doc,

Yeah thats about it, run it through a sizing die, and trim to length. If your set up for it neck sizing to a 7mm first works well, but necks only, don't set the shoulder, until you run it through the 270 die.

I have a 7 Rem mag die, will that work if I shoot only the neck up in it?

Necking down Norma or Lapua brass, if you do not have to move the shoulder by a significant margin, is perfectly fine. You'll have some pretty good 270 brass.

One thing, however, that may pose a problem is the case-head diameter on Lapua brass. I have some 243 cases that measure .471" at the base. I don't know what their 30-06 measures, but check your chamber and sizing die first.

Well, the gunsmith that built one of my 270s said the following in an email this morning:

"Lapua, Norma & RWS is good brass...and within the last 5-6 years, so is Winchester. Uniform your Win. brass just like you would with the ones mentioned and it will shoot hunting bullets just as good as the others. Uniform is Uniform...doesn't depend on the head stamp...sort by weight...toss the ones with bad deviation in neck thickness...properly outside turn the necks just enough to clean up and uniform the thickness...fireform...anneal...trim to uniform length...flash hole deburr and there you go.

GOOD bullets are the key to accuracy though...sort them also. It's not that the brass isn't important...it is...but you will never win a benchrest match shooting a hunting bullet...they just aren't made that uniform. I did get some 75 gr. .224 Sirocco's in the other day that Juenke spin better than most handmade, benchrest match bullets...I was very impressed with their quality.

Lapua "farms out" the manufacture of their 30-06 brass to somebody else...it's not any better than your Win. brass...if you do neck down -06 to .270...you will probably need to trim the outside of the necks down so you won't get into trouble with tight necks in your chamber...would need to be checked. Personally I wouldn't go to the expense and trouble."

There is a lot to your gundsmith's statement. There is time involved though, but for the price, you can buy 500 WW & sort them ot get probably 200 keepers. That's still cheaper than Norma or Lapua & you still have to tinker w/ them. I don't know about the statement about Lapua farming out thier 06 brass, but I don't do anything to my .243 brass but size & go.

I sent him an email asking what his source is regarding the Lapua farming out their .06 brass. No reply as of yet.

I'm too lazy to look it up right now but doesn't the 280 have it shoulder just a tad farther out so it won't chamber in a 270?

If thats the case Norma maakes good 280 brass.

Me I would try to find some Federal Brass in 270. I have had good success with Federal rifle brass, I just don't have a whole lot cause you got to buy factory ammo to get it.

Second choice is get 500 WInchester cases brand new in the same lot and start sorting and preping. THis is a little over $100.00 and you should get at least 300 good cases out of that.
If your chasing hot loads this is the best option cause the Winchester cases have a little more powder capacity, which will give you a minor edge if your looking for max velocities.

One your question one your 7mm Mag dies, I don't know and I would need to fiddle with the die and a couple of junk cases on my bench for an hour or so. It is certainly worth a try and I think with fiddling around you could get it to work. But really this isn't neccessary I have sized a lot of 25-06, 270 and 280 brass from 30-06 brass and all work without the intermitten step. Avoid the old Arsenal brass when your doing this though, once fired Arsenal brass is tough and with the cost of new brass nowdays, its hardly worth the effort unless you just happen to have several hundred from the same lot laying around. ( me I would save those for my 30-06 anyway). With new virgin brass this is pretty straight forward.

Unless you have a lot of extra time though, just buy the Winchester brass, trim to length, then get picky with the case necks, by either measuring and sorting, or turning them to be concentric.

I've become a Lapua fan in recent years and use it in every caliber I own for which they make brass, but mainly in the .308Win. and 6.5x55. Initially it can pose some slight problems because of dimensional variations between Lapua and US made brass, but once fire formed you're oay. I like not having to cope with the internal primer pocket projections caused by our punching out primer pockets instead of drilling them out. Lapua is still a bit cheaper than Norma and every bit its equal. Just one mans opinion. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Gentlemen ----- If you shoot enough you will find the following to be true. Lapua, Norma then Winchester as far as Brass quality is concerned. I have never shot RWS, so I will reserve my comments there. Federal brass or Nickle looks great, but wait until you resize it several times, you will see cracks early and often. Just my .02 worth from shooting thousands of reloaded rounds of all shapes and sizes. Good shooting.

I'll second the subpar qualitiy of Fed. brass. I bought some .308 & .30-06 GoldMedal Match & find it a bit on the soft side for my taste. WW is better.
Doc, Norma & RWS make .270 brass:
http://www.huntingtons.com/cases.html

Gentlemen,
I have said it before:
You don't know 100% who has made your brass!
Just like good ol' Chevrolet nowadays are a south Korean car made by Daewoo with a Chevy name.
Your brass could be RWS made by Norma or Norma made by Lapua or Federal made by someone else.
It's very much a question who has production capability free and the lowest prices for production..

Sad but true

Husky

Husky you bring up a good point! I always tried to not buy conmminist made brass and get it in the USA. But with all the communist sympathisers and greed driven people in business brass can come from anywhere. I asked Gaff who made some of their brass and they wouldn't answer. Quality is out the window in most cases and I will never believe in paying double for brass just because it had some name on it. Many a great reloader shooting .250 groups uses Remington or winchester and have for 40 years. Is it made in a comunnist country? Don't know for sure but they told me it wasn't. But with the world moving toward it's final few years, there is no telling where any of it is made! But .375-.500 groups with once shot Remington is good enough for me.

I'm with ya there, Blob. I ain't gonna buy no Communist brass if I can help it -- that's why I buy brass from good Socialist countries like Sweden (Norma) and Finland (Lapua).