Is one type of brass clearly superior?

torquimata

Hi All,

I'm getting into reloading a .243 for my teen to hunt woodchucks with in Pennsylvania. I have a set of Lee deluxe dies with collet die, an RCBS electronic powder scale, 65 grain Hornady Vmax bullets, Federal 210 Match primers, still studying powders. However, I'm hoping for some guidance on whether to spring for the extra money to buy Norma or Lapua brass instead of Winchester or some other brand. I'd like to make the best bullets I can for 'chuck hunting on a very limited budget, shots can be up to 300+ yards. If you all advise me that the Norma or Lapua cases are worth the extra dollars I'll spend it but, if not, I won't. I bought my son a Savage .243 with Accutrigger and put on a Nikon 6-18 Buckmaster, also has a Rocky Ridge bipod. The gun shoots pretty nicely already but I'd like to do the best that a beginner can! I must admit I like to put together the rounds, he got 21 woodchucks last summer and I think I can still make better loads, think I got a bit of the reloading bug! Also, how many times can I load the shells? I'm thinking of using Varget, H414 or H380 if you have any thoughts about those powders, local gun shop has them at good prices

Thanks for any and all input

perry shooter

If NONONSENCE replies to your post you can believe what he says. Ground hog is one thing an bench rest is something else I suggest you read up about trimming cases annealing case necks Oal of loaded rounds ETC it takes many steps to make good bench rest quality ammo SOME of these steps may be worth the time and effort for hunting and others don't justify the amount of time and money.

Radar

I would say get a 1 lb can of each of the powders you want to try and a couple of different bullet weights and see what shoots the best in you rifle.You can also try different seating depths but keep your bullets just off the rifling ( do not set them out to touch the rifling ) and not to much jump before it gets there. But first get some brass and i like to stay with 1 brand because different brands have different wall thickness,I used to buy a lot from Midway but check the GB auction site,most once fired or new brass is fine.Be careful and happy hunting.

Radar

I forgot,most of my brass i scrap after 5 times, some sooner but check your case length after a couple rounds if you not shooting hot loads,if hotter check every time.

nononsense

torquimata,

There is nothing better than hunting and shooting with your children. Enjoy every minute of it!

I'd like to know which model Savage you bought or what the twist rate is, if you know.

I use Lapua cases the most simply because I get better service from them. The concentricity of the necks is the best along with the consistency from case to case. You should be able to get 10 reloads from each case as long as you work up a proper load for the powder/bullet combination. If you cases only last a few reloads, your pressure is too high, your chamber is cut wrong, you've re-sized incorrectly or the brass was garbage to begin with.

You'll never reach the lands in a standard commercial chamber no matter how hard you try if you want to use the 65 gr. VMAX. That bullet is too short. However, there is nothing wrong if you did reach the lands, just watch for signs of pressure. I prefer to use a slightly heavier bullet with a better BC to fight the wind and keep the trajectory as flat as possible. The heavier bullets are a better balance with the large case capacity of the .243 Win. I like the 75 gr. VMAX or the Nosler 80 gr. Ballistic Tip. Both are excellent for groundhogs and prairie dogs when loaded in the .243 Win.

Those 3 powders are not the best for shooting lightweight bullets in larger capacity cases. I know you're on a budget but there are better choices. See if you can find some Accurate Arms XMR-4350. It's the best I've found with this cartridge and lighter bullets. Accurate Arms has reloading data online if you want to look at loads first.

Good Luck and let us know how this turns out.

Best.

mrbruce

+1 on the Lapua brass, it's easily the most cost effective....
Learn to anneal and you can run em 30 times over.......

amamnn

Norma brass is clearly superior to any brass ever made at any time in the past, present, or future. Just look at the price. But seriously, Lapua or Nosler premium brass can save money in the long run if you want to shoot for accuracy (or hit what you shoot at if it is smaller than a deer or moose) since you will get more uses from it than standard brass. If you buy from a good supplier like Bruno, you can get even better savings on Lapua, and if you learn to anneal PROPERLY, you can save even more, while maintaining accuracy by restoring the ductility of the necks.

http://www.lasc.us/CartridgeCaseAnnealing.htm

torquimata

Thanks for all the great advice! It sounds like better brass is worth the extra price, will try Bruno or I heard that Midway is good, too. I also didn't open the 65 gr. Vmax yet so I'll exchange them for the 75 grainers, as nononsense suggested. The rate of twist in my son's Savage 11 is 1 in 9.25

The gun shop only has Hodgdon powder on sale so I'm kinda limited to it, any thoughts? When I say I'm on a tight budget it's unfortunately too true! I think 50 Lapua, Norma shells should last a long time,I read that if I neck-size only with the Lee collet die they'll last for several loadings.

Any other advice is really appreciated, can't wait to get started!

mrbruce

Neck sizing only will last a while, but sooner or later you'll need a full length die when the cases start to tighten up in the chamber, especially if your running on the hot side...
I sure wouldn't trade off any of my Lapua brass for Norma brass, I just never cared for it, or the price. Just because it's expensive don't make it the best in the world to me..........

popgun

Just to add that I've been using Winchester brass and am very happy with it so far. It seems to be very good quality, is about 20-cents per case cheaper than Lapua, and I have read very glowing reviews about it.

I've also heard that if one doesn't use maximum loads, and neck-sizes the cases after the initial firing, that the cases should safely get 10 firings before being tossed.

Hope this helps.

Mtnlover

I think if you're willing to invest some elbow grease, you can take Remington or Winchester brass, square up the primer pockets, clean out the flash holes and turn the necks with manual tools, and get excellent performance without paying high prices for premium brass. I also agree with Nononsense that you're better off with at least 75 gr. varmint bullets and slower powder, especially with the 9.25" twist. Your rifle will probably have its own preferences about powders, but my old M70 liked IMR4350, so maybe try H4350, as it has a similar burn rate.

sandwarrior

torquimata,

I'll second the 4350 notion. Either AA or Hodgdon. I've had pretty good luck running through the last 8# of H4350 Extreme in several different calibers... .243 Win among them.

Also, your son's Savage 11 with the 1-9.25 twist would be excellent for some 95 gr. Berger VLD's. They are a pretty fast bullet from a .243 with a long enough barrel. In conjunction with that you might even try going with a slower powder such as H4831 Ext. or IMR4831. I like the IMR4831, except in the winter. IMR powders give up a lot of speed in the colder temp changes here in MN. Another powder you might try is Vihtavuori. They are very consistent shot to shot. They do drop a bit more than the Hodgdon extreme series in the cold, though. Still they don't drop as much as RE or AA or IMR.

-Good luck.

haroldchrismeyer

I still prefer H4895. It is reasonably priced, and haven't had any accuracy problems. Also you can go down on load to 60% of maximum for what Hornady calls youth loads, for reduced recoil. See the Hodgdon site for loads.

I too prefer the 75-80 gn bullets in this caliber.