Different accuracy with different brass.

[Tweedycarcass23jonb]

So I’ve always shot using Hornady 6.5 brass with great results and get about 5+ firings before I see loose primer pockets. Using 41 grains of h4350.
I recently bought some starline 6.5 lrp brass and man this stuff is great it doesn’t grow like the Hornady and is way more accurate for whatever reason I’m not sure hoping to learn something here about maybe why. Both have 3 firings too. Aside from the brass manufacture all the load prep/components is the same.
Can brass really make as much as a 1/4” difference at 100 for grouping?
Below top photo is with starline 4 shot group. second is 5 using Hornady.

 

[wvlapua]

Yes, sure can.

 

[Dthomas3523]

It can, yes. But without knowing your brass prep process or without doing load development (to include seating depth tweaking), there’s no way for us to know much about what/why.

Would be the same as saying the same load from one barrel didn’t work in the other.

So, the brass could perform better overall, or you just haven’t found the right combination for the other brass.

 

[ChuckSwagger]

I am intrigued with it too.
When I use my Giraud trimer in my Lapua Brass its chamfer more in one side than another. So i assume the brass neck is not strait as it should be.
I use the giraud in one virgin brass to check if my ball expander was the guilt, but the results were the same.
Even when I expand it and do the neck turning it continues to happen.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Yes, both of my 300wm's will group smaller with R-P brass over anything else, with the same powder charge, bullet seating depth an primer.

 

[hlee]

Absolutely, switching from Hornady to Lapua required a whole new load work up, including seating depth.

 

[Dthomas3523]

Something to keep in mind, the more effort you put into brass prep, the less the brand matters. On paper. Brass life will still be dependent on case head.

If you turn necks, sort, and really keep an eye on your neck tension/seating pressure, you can get hornady to perform just as good as lapua.

If your brass prep is size and load, you’ll likely see a good amount of performance increase from lower tier to higher tier brass.

 

[Mauser06]

This passed season I was getting some rounds through a Kimber Montana chambered in 308. I had a few old loads left from another rifle. Nowhere near any book max so I felt safe shooting them. Lol. They were in Nosler brass.


Loaded up the same in RP brass...prepped the same exact way...same powder, charge, bullets, primers, depth etc.


Generic load not dial for that rifle. I can't remember if it was 50 or 100yds. I honestly believe it was 50. Here's the targets.....







The tighter group was the Nosler brass.



Scientific? No. Both cases likely have a different case capacity. The RP COULD probably be dialed in....maybe. I don't know. I don't load it. I keep a handful around for foulers, dialing in my annealer etc. When I did load RP and such bulk brass, I'd always have unexplained flyers. Nosler and Lapua make up my brass now.



I thought that my finding was interesting none the less.

 

[Tweedycarcass23jonb]

Something to keep in mind, the more effort you put into brass prep, the less the brand matters. On paper. Brass life will still be dependent on case head.

If you turn necks, sort, and really keep an eye on your neck tension/seating pressure, you can get hornady to perform just as good as lapua.

If your brass prep is size and load, you’ll likely see a good amount of performance increase from lower tier to higher tier brass.

Makes sense I’m just doing the basic for prep. Fl Size no bushing, trim, clean, chamfer, reload. Thanks for the responses guys.