Federal Brass worth keeping?

Prefer Federals across the board for both handgun and rifle and especially for '06 Garand loading since they are heavier than Wins and Rems and slightly thicker necks that result in greater neck tension. Difference is obvious during bullet seating between the three. The only thing I seem to have noticed is that slightly more reaming is required for Federals with the Redding primer pocket depth uniformer tool to bottom out the optimum depth of the pocket (as compared to Wins and Rems). Never a loose primer with CCIs. Don't recall any split necks but the cases are usually lost before that many loadings anyway. When buying once fired '06 brass, it's always Federals. There is a good source for once fired Federal '06 brass in New York state although I'm near the other ocean.
 
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Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with??
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Could not help but notice, it reminds me of the day I was on a firing range at Fort Hood. A soldier panicked, there was all kind of help but he had to be caught to have the rifle removed from his hand. At the time I did not believe in hypnosis, removing the M1 from his hand did not calm him down. A lieutenant on the firing range started talking to him, basically he told the soldier he would get into the ambulance front seat, go to the hospital and when asked about something to reduce the pain he was told to say no. I still do not know how but he came back that afternoon after having his thumb reattached, the medics said he never felt anything from the time he left the range to the time he returned to the barracks.

F. Guffey
 
Warning: thread veer!

When you get to the point of buying replacement brass, I have had really good luck with the Lapua small primer 308 brass. For some reason that brass tolerates a good deal more reloadings. You *may* need to bush your firing pin, but it shoots good and lasts a long time.

Back to your regularly scheduled Federal brass commentary.
 
FC brass is very soft. +1 on the issue of primer pockets loosening up prematurely compared to other brass. I typically am seeing about 4-5 reloadings and then the primers feel too easy going in. However in a circumstance where I need softer 30-06 brass ( I re-form 30-06 brass to 8mm mauser ) , the soft brass makes for easier time pushing the shoulder back. I can buy dirt cheap FC -06 brass everywhere.
 
Guffy has it right- Once fired new brass is not Fired formed, It is Once fired. Good Brass will take 2 or 3 or sometimes even 4 times fired to be called fire formed. Federal Brass on it's worse day is Miles ahead of Remington brass.
As one other said-Primer pockets will go to heck on you first. While Lapua Brass is by far the best, it is not cheap. I buy Lapua for my 2 good rifles ( 308 and 6MMBR ) All other get Winchester Brass.
 
Hunt30-06 said:
Federal primers are a few thousands of an inch larger in diameter than all the other primers.
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Primer pockets from the major manufacturers are ±0.0004" or ±0.0005". Primers themselves are likewise with tolerances of about half a thousandth. 0.01746" to 0.1751" is the standard range, however, they can be out of round by up to another half thousandth, and if you measured the longer dimension you might be confused by what the dimension actually is. Also, the average person using a caliper cannot get an accurate measurement this fine, and an OD thimble micrometer has to be used. Caliper measurements can err up to two thousandths fairly easily at the hands of those without tool room experience. Federal primers are among the easiest seating primers in any size, so the idea that they are several thousandths oversize is not remotely feasible.


The issue with Federal brass is that it is "low brass" of 80 parts copper to 20 parts zinc. So is Remington brass, by the way, but it is work-hardened more than Federal. Federal has found that softer brass improves accuracy by allowing pressure to self-center the brass more freely in the chamber, so they do this on purpose. Their primary objective is accuracy, not reloadiablility. The problem experienced by some shooters with this is that if they load to their rifles to near peak pressure limits, and at those pressure Federal brass can expand too much to be reloaded again. Indeed, some Federal factory ammunition in Magnum chamberings has been found to eject with the primer already falling out of the case, as the case head has expanded beyond the normal tolerance range at that magnum pressure.

That same softness, however, has an advantage. It doesn't harden and split as easily as some other brass. The trick is to avoid loading federal brass all the way to maximum pressures. If you just use it at moderate pressures, it lasts a long time and works very well. In pistol brass, as long as you are using a chambering that is not extremely high pressure, Federal brass is really great. It seems to tolerate resizing an almost unlimited number of times. I have personally reloaded both Winchester and Federal cases over 50 times in .45 ACP loaded to target pressures. This was Winchester brass from the 1980's, before outsourcing was so common. I can't speak to how it holds up today. It was genuine 70% copper, 30% zinc cartridge brass back then.
 
I had a lot of FC brass when I started. I got maybe 8 rounds out of it before it had case separation at the rear. I have since worked to reduce the setback on sizing.

RP has done well with that and not sure of FC as I am still "collecting" enough to do another round.

CC primers are a tad bigger (no known details) and you can use those if you can find them.

RP and FC are the heaviest brass around. Ergo the old advice that military brass should be loaded down is a bit odd, the HXP is in the lighter end of the weigh range.

I would be careful with full loads in RP or FC.
 
I've been reloading since the 60's. I use Federal brass (and others) without problems. Like Unclenick said I don't load max loads either. If it isn't beriden or steel, I'll load it.
 
I had a bunch of Federal when I started loading from shooting Federal Fusion. I couldn't find Lapua brass when I ordered but I ordered some Norma to try. I've loaded the Norma 5-6 times and find it worthless for the money. I've probably loaded the Fede.ral 10-12 times and it's still going. I have some factory Hornady brass I've probably loaded 20 times or better. I just try to make my same loads, bullets and primers in the same brass.
 
Don't know 4 runner. It shot like a champ. My first mid range loads in my 308 gave me 2 split head cases. Now the primers are falling out of the pockets. I'm using CcI BR-2 primers. 40 to 40.5 grains of Varget under a 178 Amax. Headspace at .0025. Barely have to trim at all. They were quite pricey at Midway too. I just bought 20 to try them. Maybe I got a bad run. I was told it was great brass. So far Hornady and Lake City match brass is lasting the longest and I'm running 4.5 grains of Varget under a 180 Nbt. Next to Lapua I was informed I couldn't get any better. Just my luck I guess.
 
I haven't worked a whole bunch with Norma brass. Had to when I had a 6.5x54 M/S and stuff was as soft as mush. Bought a Ruger #1B quite a few tears ago in .257 Robt. and he threw in 5 boxes of Norma ammo. I fired just enough to sight the rifle in and that was some very accurate ammo. Haven't reloaded any though and as far as I can tell Norma does not load the .257 "Bob" anymore.
I keep hearing how great Nosler brass is so I splurged and bought 100 cases ti try in my .280 Remington. It really looks like top drawer stuff but we'll see once I get some loaded up.
Paul B.
 
I haven't worked a whole bunch with Norma brass. Had to when I had a 6.5x54 M/S and stuff was as soft as mush. Bought a Ruger #1B quite a few tears ago in .257 Robt. and he threw in 5 boxes of Norma ammo. I fired just enough to sight the rifle in and that was some very accurate ammo. Haven't reloaded any though and as far as I can tell Norma does not load the .257 "Bob" anymore.
I keep hearing how great Nosler brass is so I splurged and bought 100 cases ti try in my .280 Remington. It really looks like top drawer stuff but we'll see once I get some loaded up. Kinda pricey though.
Paul B.
 
Per the experts there is good brass, there is better brass, and there is the best (Lapua). Like everything you pay a premium for the premium stuff. I have had equally excellent results with LC , RP , Win , and Wolf brass. I notice no measurable strength or weaknesses between all the above mentioned brass. I always purchase once fired brass for very short money as I am only a recreational shooter who's only competition is myself. Expensive Lapua brass enhances the experts precision consistency. Myself being an amateur , expensive Lapua brass will just drain my wallet , shooting more and working on improving my shooting deficiencies will make for better consistency. ;) FC brass is good brass, i'm just not seeing comparable reloadings vs the other common brass. I too am by no means a velocity nut, I load for precision , and maximum barrel life If my data shows a sweet accuracy node at 2475 fps and then again at 2560 , I will always choose the lesser, no point in wasting powder and barrel life if I don't need they added velocity.
 
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