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Old October 12, 2008, 05:06 PM   #1
James Kain
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In your Opinion, what is best?

OK, here some something fun! In Your opinion what is the best and why: Brass, Primer, powder(s), and Bullet(s)? Or anything else having to do with reloading!
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Old October 12, 2008, 05:08 PM   #2
Jim Watson
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You wanna give us a little hint as to gun and caliber? And maybe even application. I'd hate to send the recipe I load for 1000 yards when you want to hunt buffalo with a pistol.
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Old October 12, 2008, 05:28 PM   #3
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Your pick

Hey, its all your pick. Myself like my 6.5x55 with a Hornady 140Gr BT SP with 33GR Varget running at high 2090 and low 2100FPS(and still testing). I use Win cases but would like to try the top shelf stuff for brass. I have a Swedish Mauser but will soon be re-barreling it.

But if you like to shoot 1000yds and that's your favorite go for it. That's why I posted it. I would love to hear what people call "there's". Because each combo is there favorite there for its there's in my opinion. That is what this is about. Your favorite. What do you like to use the most!
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Last edited by James Kain; October 14, 2008 at 08:49 AM. Reason: type'o and add "What do you like to use the most!"
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Old October 12, 2008, 07:10 PM   #4
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45 auto

primers = Wolf
brass = free range pickups
powder = Titegroup
bullets = my own cast 200 grain LSWC

I use these for target shooting and they are plenty accurate. The best part is they only cost me $27 per 1,000 to make so I can shoot a lot.
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Old October 12, 2008, 08:32 PM   #5
James Kain
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Range Brass

Wow Rusty! You really must have a set, because when I first started reloading one of the things on the top 10 not to do was to use range brass. "You never know what the case has been threw". I thought it wise advice. Of course if you saw them using factory ammo, why not use it? Or if you know the people using the brass.... That in mind, there are always exceptions to the rules.
No insults intended if taken that way.
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Old October 12, 2008, 08:54 PM   #6
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Quote:
You really must have a set, because when I first started reloading one of the things on the top 10 not to do was to use range brass.
If this is such a big no-no, then sign me up in the doghouse with Crusty. Last I checked, a reloader should be inspecting his brass before using.

Primers-Moving toward Remington, moving away from CCI
Bullets-Anything Sierra....especially 52gr. HPBT in .224
Cases-Lapua...Nothing else comes close...except Norma and Starline
Powder-Hodgdon products ranging from HS6 to HP38.
Loading recipe-5.2gr HP38 using 230gr FMJ for .45ACP. Rifle-Don't want to disclose.
Press-Favorite?Hornady Lock 'N' Load and RCBS Rockchucker. Best?-Inconclusive. Too many good ones out there
Caliber-Pistol=.45 Rifle=6.5 (.264)
Cartridge-Inconclusive

What is really the best in regards to reloading? The "best" is what works for you, not me.
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Old October 12, 2008, 09:02 PM   #7
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true

This is very true, maybe it was just a beginners warning due to passable mistakes and over looks?

I v used Win and CCI for primers, is there that huge of a difference? I enjoy CCI, but is rem seems to work better, I m almost out of primers, maybe I ll order up a few.

Also I like how you describe best, because if it works well with me dose not mean it dose for you and vice-versa.

Thank you and everyone for your contribute.
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Old October 12, 2008, 09:10 PM   #8
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I v used Win and CCI for primers, is there that huge of a difference? I enjoy CCI, but is rem seems to work better, I m almost out of primers, maybe I ll order up a few.
CCI seems to have a harder shell than the others. This can be good and bad. I don't see the difference in this respect. What I do see is the difference in loads using the same powder with different primers.

I was tought to change primers when developing a pet load before playing with powder charge and COAL.
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Old October 12, 2008, 09:16 PM   #9
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First of all, guns are differant and have differant likes. I use all kinds of primers because some guns like some primers, others dont. As far a powder, I load for way too may guns to even attempt to use one type of powder.

Brass? Remington is good for hunting. Lake City first then winchester for my 223, 308, and '06 target rilfes. my 6.5x55 really likes Lup. brass. In my pistols I use mixed brass, mostly mil surp.

I dont use range pick ups. The only use I've had for range brass in as turn in brass when I was shooting for the National Guard.
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Old October 12, 2008, 09:20 PM   #10
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Brass wind chime

Amusing thought. I was thinking about taking some of the brass I have that is unusable. Punch a larger hole in the primer pocket, than string them up and make a wind chime. Entertaining thought to ponder. EBay here I come!
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Old October 12, 2008, 09:27 PM   #11
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I use military brass when I can otherwise it's Remington brass. I also have a ton of Winchester Super X from the 70's that is great brass. I use mostly Federal Match primers but I also use Remington Match in my 223 match loads. Bullets- I tend to lean towards Remington bullets for hunting and some of the match loads. Sierras and Speers are the next most popular in the closet. I use more Accurate powder than the others but I have a pretty good stack of VV N-133. It works pretty good out of my 223's but I haven't tried it in anything else. I like HS-6 for pistol loads and I also have a lot of Rainier bullets for all calibers for plinking. For carry ammo, I use the Remington Golden Sabre bullet loaded as hot as I can get and still have accuracy. Doesn't matter how hot it is if you can't hit anything with it. So far, it's done everything I've asked it to do.
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Old October 12, 2008, 10:16 PM   #12
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There is no "best" of anything. There IS whatever works in any particular gun I may have. As for which is my favorite, that's the one I happen to be loading for, or shooting at any given time.
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Old October 12, 2008, 11:16 PM   #13
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Well, since you said it's for fun, I loaded a boomer of a .45 Colt a few weeks ago that put a smile on my face:

The "tah dah" load from my work-up batch was:

Win brass, CCI 300 Large Pistol Primer, 20.5 gr of Alliant's 2400 topped off with a Hornady 250 grain XTP - should be taking it on a 1,225 fps ride. Should be a good bear round here in the Rockies...

As a disclaimer, this came from Hornady's manual under the Ruger and Thompson only section - don't try this with a Colt SAA / cowboy gun, or you'll have a really bad day.

Really accurate out of my Blackhawk. The crazy thing is you can go even hotter with other powders, getting up to roughly 1,400 fps... that's getting into nuclear ranges. This was pushing my upper end of comfort, but like I said, I was grinning from ear to ear.
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Old October 12, 2008, 11:20 PM   #14
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reloading

My only pet peve is when setting up a load is to keep my lot numbers on my brass seperate. As far as range brass I only use it for factory loads and plinking rounds (too many variables).
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Old October 13, 2008, 12:15 AM   #15
James Kain
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only for factory loads?

Quote:
As far as range brass I only use it for factory loads and plinking rounds (too many variables)
What do you mean by this? Do you try and mimic factory loads?

After hearing you guys talk about left over range brass. If I ever find top end brass, I ll snag it up and take a peek see of the concision.

I m about to place a order for brass, primers, powder, and bullets for a 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser. The barrel has been cut back to 18 1/2". So i feel as if I m loosing a lot of performance. The barrel also looks to be the same one that was married to the reseaver in 41.

It dose seem to like Seahra 140GR BT SP's with 33GR Varget.
Pushing around 2100FPS. At 50yds I m getting (best so far) 1/3" grouping. Now if I can get that at 100YDS I d be one happy duck!
I m currently using CCI Primers, and Win and Rem brass. I was thinking about ordering Lapua brass http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.co...01094PH6012100
I seem to like the Varget, but I also want to try more powders. But then again if I do all this work, and get it rebarreled, I d have to start from scratch.
Hell finding the right load is the fun part!
This is why I m asking for YOUR favorites because it gives me a better idea what seems to be working best on the market and what completely fails.
Keep them comming, this is really intresting! So many diffrent types. Its hard to get bord with guns and reloading. Always something new to try.

Like this I m going to try! Ballistic Gel anyone? Cheap!
http://www.myscienceproject.org/gelatin.html
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Old October 13, 2008, 01:19 AM   #16
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Brass= Winchester... it seems the most consistent out of the other brands I've used.

Primer= CCI...they work...everytime.

Bullets=Hornady...Although I do use other brands from time to time, Hornadys, for me, just seem to be the most consistent in the accuracy dept.

Powder= My current favorite, do all rifle powder is a tie between IMR 4064 and Varget. For .204 Ruger I mainly use Reloader 10x.

Pistol... .45 colt...TrailBoss, 9mm...RedDot, .45acp...Bullseye, .357 Mag...H110.
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Old October 13, 2008, 08:52 AM   #17
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What I guess I am saying is I don't use range brass for my hot loads. I keep it down around a base load level. It's just me, The only brass I will hot load is the ones I know the history of. I do load some pretty wild loads for my .300 Savage and my .270 Winchester
I like the Remington brass,CCI primers,Hodgdon powder, and Sierra 90 grain boat tail combo I worked up (drops em in their tracks every time!)
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Old October 13, 2008, 09:10 AM   #18
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I pick up range brass all the time... about 500 pieces every trip to the indoor range. I go after the factory once fired brass. It's easy to spot if you know what you're looking for. Lots of Winchester brass... mostly Wally World ammo which is right down the road from my range. I also get a lot of Speer brass from the LEO's that shoot there.

You would have to be crazy to pass this stuff up! Options: 1) pay for once fired range brass from unknown sources on the internet, 2) order new brass for a ridiculous price and negate the cost benefit of reloading completely, 3) buy loaded ammo and shoot it then chase your empties... 4) or just pick up the free once fired from the range.

I think the choice should be obvious (#4).
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Old October 13, 2008, 09:40 AM   #19
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OK, I'll play.

.308: Lapua brass, CCI BR primer, Varget powder, 155 Scenar bullet.

.38-55: Winchester brass, CCI BR or Federal GM primer, Swiss 1 1/2 Fg powder, self cast bullet or Montana Custom Casting.

.45 ACP: Whatever brass I can buy or find, whatever primer was readily available, whatever powder available that will give consistent 650 fps, Billy Bullets 200 grain RN moly coated.
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Old October 13, 2008, 12:35 PM   #20
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Quote:
No insults intended if taken that way
James K no insult taken. It's like Tuttle8 said you should be inspecting your brass weather it's range pickups or shot by you from the beginning. Pistol brass is not a big problem for me because I load just about everything around mid-range. I shoot pistol brass until it splits at the case mouth, rifle is a different story. Most of the brass I pick up at the range is after an IDPA or GSSF match and it's mostly factory ammo being shot so I'm picking up once fired. If I go to the range just for fun or practice I only pick up brass that is still fairly shiny. I have around 12,000 of 9mm, 4,000 of 45 auto and 3,000 of 223 that are all range pickups. The only brass I have had to buy are 38 spcl because you don't normally find them on the ground at the range and if you do they usually aren't good any more.
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Old October 13, 2008, 03:53 PM   #21
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I'm only loading for handguns in 9mm, . 40, .45 acp, .38 spl, .357 mag, .44 mag......... and I pick up range brass all the time.

I don't care about the head stamp on pistol brass. I sort it by caliber, then tumble it, and inspect it.

For all the calibers I load - Hodgdon TiteGroup powder, CCI primers and Montana Gold bullets. Makes it easy.
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Old October 13, 2008, 04:03 PM   #22
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I like .308 with 110 gr. V-max, 47.5 gr. IMR4895 (compressed), CCI #34... makes a nice low-recoil, limited-penetration round. I keep a mag of this in my M1A.

As for the range brass discussion, I use it *but* I am very careful with scrounged rifle brass. I look for the mark around the web left by a sizing die, and I use the bent paper clip. In my limited experience, it's possible to tell if rifle brass is once-fired, except that R-P always has what appears to be a faint sizing mark.
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Old October 13, 2008, 11:53 PM   #23
James Kain
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Point taken

Everyone has a very good point when talking about the range brass. Just be smart about it and this should be all set.
I m getting ready to order more brass my self. I had posted a link to some brass I was intending to buy. Any opinions?
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Old October 14, 2008, 12:56 AM   #24
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An opticoretumlinear iterospection would be the best way to find the best brass and best et cetera that you are seeking information on. It will also shed a new light the original question.

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Old October 14, 2008, 08:47 AM   #25
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opticoretumlinear iterospection

Quote:
opticoretumlinear iterospection
I just goodled, and Wkipideida that. The first have I couldn't find anything. And the secend you could have just said use my best judgment. Of is that what you meant?

As for the original question, I like to know what people are using, and what seems to be working well. When I start a new project I always ask everyone of there opinions. From there (pisses some of them off) I take that and use it as a base. I may not use your opinion or advice but gives me a little bit to start with. So if you say Win cases are best and CCI primers, with 4064. I may buy those or something like them and try them out with different loads and see what works best for me in my results.
The thing that pisses my friends off is that I ask for there opinion and they ask why I ask if I don't use there advice. As I said it forms a base to start my own search.
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