Brass and Bullets?

[Rockrat75]

I usually get Badman bullets or Chey-Cast

 

[Mobuck]

We're talking about handgun ammo? I'll admit that it's a good idea to sort cases by brand due to internal dimensions and such but I have serious doubts that there's a handgun(or shooter) that is accurate enough to quantify the increase/decrease in accuracy between case weight within the same brand of case.
A benchrest type rifle--maybe. A common hunting rifle--indecisive.

 

[Kevin]

We're talking about handgun ammo? I'll admit that it's a good idea to sort cases by brand due to internal dimensions and such but I have serious doubts that there's a handgun(or shooter) that is accurate enough to quantify the increase/decrease in accuracy between case weight within the same brand of case.
A benchrest type rifle--maybe. A common hunting rifle--indecisive.

I think you're right about this.

 

[Kevin]

Also, just FYI, I called Starline. Rads just now. Some of their brass shows on back order. Meaning I can order it, and it will ship when they make it. That date is unknown,

BUT! They don't charge your credit card until it ships. Which is nice. Some places go ahead and take your money in advance.

I'm going to order some 41Mag brass. Unfortunately the .327 is out of stock, so I can't order that…

 

[the_leper_colony]

... I'll admit that it's a good idea to sort cases by brand due to internal dimensions and such but I have serious doubts that there's a handgun(or shooter) that is accurate enough to quantify the increase/decrease in accuracy between case weight within the same brand of case...

As noted in my post #19, for me it's primarily a matter of practicality rather than accuracy - will the reloaded ammo chamber & function consistently, or not?

Fact: some .38 Super cases can handle my long 160 gr cast bullets without bulging, others cannot (because the case wall thickness increases at a higher rate towards the case head, and the walls are thick enough at the bullet base to bulge when a 160 gr bullet is fully seated). Fact: sorting by brand is NOT sufficient; some Winchester cases have thin walls and do not bulge when loaded with the 160s, others have thicker walls and bulge enough to interfere with chambering. (FWIW, it's not just Winchester .38 Super cases - Winchester .40 S&W cases have extreme variations also.) And sorting by weight can be quicker than checking the wall thickness of each case with calipers, at least in my experience.

So, if you load traditional (short) 115/124/130 gr bullets, you're probably ok if you just sort by headstamp. If you load longer/heavier bullets, however, and sort only by headstamp, you'll end up with an inconsistent mix of bulged/unbulged reloads, with unpredictable reliability & performance.

As noted in my post #17, I also weigh cases when I'm comparing loads/different propellants. That can help reduce variables and identify potential problems (like bulged cases) with particular combinations of components, as well as increase my confidence level if one particular propellant looks more accurate than others. For example, when I was looking at .38 Special +P 110 gr JHP loads, I checked my references, and found some safe loads for 4-6 different propellants I had on the shelf. Turned out that I had markedly better results (in my firearm) using IMR-4227 than the other propellants I tested, and I'm confident it wasn't due to some random mix of bullets/cases/primers for the 50 test rounds I loaded for each propellant. Is my 4227 load capable of match-level accuracy? Probably not, but that's NOT what I was looking for - I was just trying to find the best combination available to me, using components I already had, that would suit my needs and maximize consistency/reliability/safety/performance.

As always, IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc., etc.

 

[Sam Summey]

As noted in my post #19, for me it's primarily a matter of practicality rather than accuracy - will the reloaded ammo chamber & function consistently, or not?

Fact: some .38 Super cases can handle my long 160 gr cast bullets without bulging, others cannot (because the case wall thickness increases at a higher rate towards the case head, and the walls are thick enough at the bullet base to bulge when a 160 gr bullet is fully seated). Fact: sorting by brand is NOT sufficient; some Winchester cases have thin walls and do not bulge when loaded with the 160s, others have thicker walls and bulge enough to interfere with chambering. (FWIW, it's not just Winchester .38 Super cases - Winchester .40 S&W cases have extreme variations also.) And sorting by weight can be quicker than checking the wall thickness of each case with calipers, at least in my experience.

So, if you load traditional (short) 115/124/130 gr bullets, you're probably ok if you just sort by headstamp. If you load longer/heavier bullets, however, and sort only by headstamp, you'll end up with an inconsistent mix of bulged/unbulged reloads, with unpredictable reliability & performance.

As noted in my post #17, I also weigh cases when I'm comparing loads/different propellants. That can help reduce variables and identify potential problems (like bulged cases) with particular combinations of components, as well as increase my confidence level if one particular propellant looks more accurate than others. For example, when I was looking at .38 Special +P 110 gr JHP loads, I checked my references, and found some safe loads for 4-6 different propellants I had on the shelf. Turned out that I had markedly better results (in my firearm) using IMR- 4227 than the other propellants I tested, and I'm confident it wasn't due to some random mix of bullets/cases/primers for the 50 test rounds I loaded for each propellant. Is my 4227 load capable of match-level accuracy? Probably not, but that's NOT what I was looking for - I was just trying to find the best combination available to me, using components I already had, that would suit my needs and maximize consistency/reliability/safety/performance.

As always, IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc., etc.

Sorting cases is advantageous, recently I fell into a bunch of brand new North American Trade (NAT) 9x19 cases made in NC. When I sized them, I noticed a ring around the base above the head. Thinking I had good ammo, I went to the range (25 miles away) to shoot my latest addition to the "stable" of fine firearms. Evidently, the Sprgfld. Garrison has a very tight chamber, chambering the first round would not go to battery. The case is stuck in the chamber "tighter than dick's hatband". Fortunately Sprgfld puts a JB designed extractor strong enough I could hammer on the front of the slide to dislodge the offending round. The firearm functioned just fine with Winchester reloaded cases loaded on the same press/die set. Back home I measured the offending rounds many were oversize at the web of the case. Needless to say, extra work was required to buzz the offending rounds down at the base so they would function through the Garrison. The cases were collected after the next shooting session and deposited in my scrap brass bucket to be recycled.
I use a Hornady LNL progressive press, I find that sorting cases by brand results in fewer hang ups and malfunctions. It is good a good practice to eliminate the reduced volume cases from the Freedom Munitions/ X-treme. Putting a standard powder load in one of those cases results in a serious overload situation. I recently had a AR-9 carbine delivered to me to fix with the results of that condition.

 

[contender85]

Unfortunately the .327 is out of stock, so I can't order that…

if you still need 327 brass Freedom Arms has it