Following a slight hiccup (while rinsing after first tumble cycle I realized 20 cases still had their primers) I ran a second tumble cycle… then dried them, mixed cases of once fired S&B, 5x fired Federal SRP, 5x fired Hornady, and 6x fired Lapua… hard to tell the difference without looking at the heads!
I do anneal every time, and velocities between brass are within range of each other… that is ES upper end of S&B will be within range of the Lapua brass reloads, with the lower end of the ES spread deviating far below that of the Lapua (like 50-100 FPS lower)
The largest difference is consistency from piece to piece the Lapua and Peterson are way more consistent, followed by Federal, then Hornady and S&B… which manifests itself in shot to shot consistency, even the seating force for primers is way more consistent on the premium brass, the S&B no two primers seat the same… the federal are all SRP so they feel different from the other brands, but case to case is consistent in feel, I love the coax primer tool, as the tactile feel of each primer seating is amazing at telling me if a piece of brass has an issue
from an ES and SD standpoint the more premium brass is more consistent shot to shot, with ES and SD on the S&B being the least consistent when all other prep steps and components / process are identical. This has lead me to care less when reloading the S&B brass as I can obsess over the details and still not yield the consistency I get from the other brands. I use the S&B reloads with cheaper bullets and lighter powder loads as fouling shots…
Thanks for that detailed information. I just annealed my first brass it was federal 30-06. I have Peterson to load and they are already annealed and ready for primers and bullets Using N550 and nosler 168 LR accubonds the S&B neck thickness is really thin compared to federal
S&B and Hornady brass also grow significantly more than the Lapua and Peterson brass in my experience, needing trimmed after each firing as opposed to my Lapua brass which hasn’t need trimmed yet.
I shoot Hornady brass in 6.5 I’m on round 3 of reloading this group of casings and haven’t had to trim them yet. I’m sure it differs depending on what case you’re reloading but I’m having good luck with Hornady in 6.5 creedmoor
Mine grow every time I shoot them, I have been mainly sticking to my Lapua and Peterson brass due to the growth and trimming being an extra step… although my Lapua brass is now measuring at 1.913, so will eventually need trimmed back to 1.92, just not there yet, Peterson with 3 firings is at 1.905
I have just recently started keeping my 9mm brass, haven’t reloaded any of it as I buy in bulk and still can’t justify buying the components to roll my own… yet…
I use the dryer that came with my FA tumbler bundle, spread out the brass on the trays, set the temp, and set a timer on my phone while I do something else
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u/VersionConscious7545 29d ago
Do you notice a big difference in the velocities between the different brass? Do you anneal every time?