Brass lapua vs other

[lawnranger]

Hi everyone, new guy here. Have a question on reloading brass. I have never used lapua brass. I normally use winchester cuz my lgs keeps it. Would the lapua brass be worth the extra cost when i dont anneal brass? Would it still last longer/be more accurate?
Thanks for the help.

 

[918v]

No

 

[bschneiderheinze]

It depends on what your shooting. I use Lapua for most of my calibers because it takes less prep. If you are Just shooting 223 or 308 your probably not going to see a noticeable difference. My best group ever with 308 was shot with win. It would also depend on the rifle and the dies. If your shooting a match chambered rifle compared to a factory and your using bushing dies Lapua is probably worth the extra money. When you actually look at it Lapua brass in most calibers isn’t that much more than win.

 

[Snuby642]

Get some lapua and try it just dont go basterdising your equipment to fit it.
Drill out the brass to match and run a batch.

 

[918v]

What load do you run in your Win brass?

 

[lawnranger]

The gun i will use it in is a tikka t3x. I put it in a bell and carlson stock and did the yo dave spring. Really just trying to see what kind of groups i can get at 200-350 yards. Using rcbs dies for it and 75gr bthp match hornady bullets.

 

[lawnranger]

Best load i found for it so far is 21.9gr of H4895. Usually gives me a 5 shot 1/2in - 5/8in group at 100 yards.

 

[918v]

Lapua 223 is more consistent in weight and neck thickness. Potentially it can get you better accuracy. Practically at 300 yards, not really.

 

[Rimfiremike]

You don't have to use Lapua (or equivalent) brass to create accurate ammo.
With enough prep time and sorting into weight groups, you can have cconsistent & accurate ammo with less expensive brass.

With the Lapua brass, the weight is much more consistent and prep time is not needed or minimal. I also think it lasts for more firings, but haven't done a study. Maybe I just take care of it better because it is more expensive?!

You pay more for this... only you can decide how to spend your time/money.

 

[Danattherock]

Test it yourself. Get 100 Lapua cases, upgrade your projectiles to 75 eld's or 77 smk, and try varget or 8208. You may very well see smaller groups, lower SDs, and better long range performance.

But part of the fun in reloading is ruling out variables and making the most consistent ammo you can. Premium components is a big part of this.

Also noteworthy is our dies, equipment, and reloading technique. It can be as simple, or complex, as we chose. Our end goal perhaps should dictate how much we perseverate over the process.

 

[powerspc]

This guy and I would be friends.

"But part of the fun in reloading is ruling out variables and making the most consistent ammo you can. Premium components is a big part of this."


It depends on what you’re end game is; if you’re just looking for best groups then probably it’s not worth the money in a .308 platform at those distances. But reloading for me is an end game in and of itself; I view it as separate and distinct from the actual pulling of the trigger.

I get tremendous enjoyment out of the solitude, precision and the blend of science, chemistry, math and physics. I think you can get to good groupings fairly quickly during the load development process but for me that was not the point. I’ve been doing load development with my .338 Lapua for almost a year now looking for that magical blend of fairy dust and engineering that will not only give me .15 MOA groups but an ES of <2 and a SD of <1.

I may never get there but I’m having a heck of a good time trying and I’m more than happy to invest time and money into components and equipment that may only yield small measureable results or no measureable results at all. You don’t always know unless you try. Since you are asking the question (good) I would suggest that you go and answer it; invest in the more expensive brass and run some side-by-side tests. If nothing else you will enhance your reloading skills and most importantly have some fun doing it (that’s the point, yes?)

If you can measure the results then you will have your answer, in this case whether better brass produced better results (at least for you). Then go see whether annealing helps or maybe neck turning? Primer seating? COAL? CBTO? Dies? Presses? Trimmers? Will I get better results with more accurate calipers, micrometers, OAL gages, concentricity gages, scales? And on and on…

Reloading for me is a hobby (vocation?) that just happens to produce a result I can use in another one of my hobbies. Creating cartridges that are as identical as humanly possible is as enjoyable for me as shooting good groups. Let us know what happens.

 

[lawnranger]

Yeah. I will give it a try and see what happens. I do have some 77 tmk that i never worked up a load with. Actually had a lot of issues with consistency that seem to have went away with replacing the stock. May be a couple weeks before i get the chance to experiment tho.

 

[krw]

Go to a Benchrest match. See how many are using run of the mill Win, Rem, Fed brass. That will answer your question on accuracy.

 

[palmettoman]

Lapua brass for precision, every other brand for plinking, etc. It's just one less thing for me to think about.

 

[Holliday]

I switched from Lapua to alpha brass: https://alphamunitions.com/

 

[JMGlasgow]

I'm using Alpha as well. Very happy so far.

 

[Supersubes]

I use premium brass in virtually everything precision. It isnt more expensive when you factor its life expectancy, which is at least double run of the mill domestic brass. Its also more uniform, which means less work. Annealing is simple, and you don’t need a machine to do it, you may consider looking into it.

 

[Rust]

I use Lapua exclusively in my competition rifles. Those rifles are set up with no turn chambers, that is the neck of the chamber is tighter than SAAMI specification but not so tight as to require neck turning. Lapua has been consistent enough dimensionally that I generally just inspect then run a mandrel through the neck and chamfer prior to loading..

For the rest of the rifles it's usually Winchester. Winchester has typically been tough brass but it's a bit rough out of the bag so it gets inspected, flash holes deburred, chamfered and sized prior to loading.

If your rifle has a standard chamber, nothing wrong with Winchester, Lake City or whatever. Just use all the same headstamp and preferably all the same batch. You may want to check your neck thickness and cull rejects, choose your variance, I figure .002" is still good for most shooting. Others opinions will vary on that. But for 300 yards and under it won't make much of a difference.

 

[MarinePMI]

Nammo Tactical .223 brass is made in the same factory that Lapua branded brass is made, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

Just saying...

https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/nammo-tactical-5-56mm-x-45-unprimed/

 

[supercorndogs]

Nammo Tactical .223 brass is made in the same factory that Lapua branded brass is made, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

Just saying...

https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/nammo-tactical-5-56mm-x-45-unprimed/

I was about to buy their entire stock, but the price although wrong on the page shows up correct in the cart. Still, same price I always paid for new LC.

 

[Holliday]

I'm using Alpha as well. Very happy so far.

Yes, so far the alpha brass is the stuff of dreams. Shows up in a nice orderly case and is extremely consistent. I've not experience brass like this before.

 

[dreever]

I'll second Alpha brass. I started with Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor brass, switched to Norma which was better, then ended up with Alpha which is the cats ass in my opinion. Alpha also solved the small primer very cold weather ignition problems of Lapua by going with an .080 flash hole.

 

[Lunchbox27]

I use Lapua brass in 308 and 223. I have not made the switch in my 6.5 to Lapua yet as my load with Hornady brass is just that awesome. Plus, I can lose a case and not give a shit. IMO a lot can be gained by annealing. Consistency is key when it comes to accuracy and if nothing more you will extend the life of your brass.

I say if your components now are working for you then continue to use them. If you make a switch in powder or bullets then perhaps make a decision to change the brass.

 

[Marksman_92]

Yes, so far the alpha brass is the stuff of dreams. Shows up in a nice orderly case and is extremely consistent. I've not experience brass like this before.

View attachment 7014701

Did you have to change your charge weight at all from virgin brass to once fired? If you dont mind sharing what was the load you settled on? Seating depth, charge weight, velocity?