I am newer to reloading and have worked up loads for my 243, 270, and 7mm rm. I understand that different brass has different case thicknesses which causes changes in pressures, etc. I reload for hunting and recreational shooting. I kept track of what brass I used when working up the loads. I am wondering how using different brass impacts accuracy. The loads I worked up are not max loads and are right around 2800fps. I loaded up all my brass and have not yet tested the accuracy of the load that were put together with mixed brass. Just looking for some info on this topic. Thanks
Mixed Brass- How does mixed brass effect accuracy
- Thread starter Natty270
- Start date
Since every answer with different components and different individual weapons will likely be different and every person will give you a slightly different answer, the best answer is to try out the different brass and figure out which brass your weapons and your loads "like" best.
Some considerations in the brass will be the specific brass alloy each manufacturer uses, whether the manufacturer contracts out production, which might introduce differences between lots by the same manufacturer, etc.
The rifle competitive shooters I know tend to stick with one or two head stamps and scrap or trade anything else they might pick up at the range. Then they will weigh out their brass to help identify any differences and shun brass that doesn't weigh to the tenth grain what they think the brass should "average", culling out differences.
Recreational shooters seem far less picky.
The best you can hope for with a question like this might be which brass is best to avoid & why.
Some considerations in the brass will be the specific brass alloy each manufacturer uses, whether the manufacturer contracts out production, which might introduce differences between lots by the same manufacturer, etc.
The rifle competitive shooters I know tend to stick with one or two head stamps and scrap or trade anything else they might pick up at the range. Then they will weigh out their brass to help identify any differences and shun brass that doesn't weigh to the tenth grain what they think the brass should "average", culling out differences.
Recreational shooters seem far less picky.
The best you can hope for with a question like this might be which brass is best to avoid & why.
Marco Califo
New member
I do not use mixed rifle brass. Except a special case for 223 where all brass is similar and 55 grain bulk bullets can be used for starting level loads. I do keep my brand new LC separated, and also group by headstamps.
For straight walled pistol brass I consider them to interchangeable with mid level loads. However, I buy and keep separate brand new brass for max loads with Barnes Copper bullets (now required in California in any gun you take outdoors for hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.).
BTW you should have typed "affect" = influence. Effect = make. If you need target shooting accuracy, forget mixed brass. But if you are shooting police, armed guard, qualification, etc. You can make a good pattern with mixed brass. Most in the middle is a passing score.
For straight walled pistol brass I consider them to interchangeable with mid level loads. However, I buy and keep separate brand new brass for max loads with Barnes Copper bullets (now required in California in any gun you take outdoors for hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.).
BTW you should have typed "affect" = influence. Effect = make. If you need target shooting accuracy, forget mixed brass. But if you are shooting police, armed guard, qualification, etc. You can make a good pattern with mixed brass. Most in the middle is a passing score.
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You may find that a particular rifle likes or prefers a particular brand of brass better than others. I don't shoot max loads, more middle of the road so to speak, and I try different brands of brass when I find a good load just to see what happens. I usually start with the preferred brass for that rifle (my R700 223 likes FC best) but I may try something else for giggles.
When I started reloading, mixed brass was about all I could get/afford. I didn't find that it had any impact, but then I'm consistently a 4 moa shooter. When I was able to obtain brass in quantities large enough to justify sorting them out, there was no noticeable improvement in my shooting.
603Country
New member
A few years back I was looking for the magic loads in my 223, and when I found it I tried improving the groups with different dies. It took weeks. I started with new brass, and about wore it out. When I had finally settled upon my preferred loads and dies, I decided to try it all out with some mixed brass I had. The 10 shot groups with the mixed brass were slightly larger than those with newer fresher brass, but they were still pretty good. I no longer have the details on group sizes. For deer, coyote, and pig hunting at reasonable distances, I don’t think mixed brass would cause a fellow to miss. But, if you are wanting the best your rifle will do, get the good brass or buy the decent brass and prep it.
I just did a bunch of reloading for the 223, and I have some newish mixed brass. If I get totally bored in the next few weeks, maybe I’ll set up to reload again (with my favorite loads and bullets) and see what happens accuracy wise. Might be interesting to work up some hard data.
I just did a bunch of reloading for the 223, and I have some newish mixed brass. If I get totally bored in the next few weeks, maybe I’ll set up to reload again (with my favorite loads and bullets) and see what happens accuracy wise. Might be interesting to work up some hard data.
My own experience
When I started reloading decades ago, I bought a Lee Enfield and mounted a scope on it. I used the same brass ( happened to be Remington ) and shot 3/4" groups at 100 yds. A buddy at the time was an avid hunter. He swore by
Winchester brass because he could make hot loads and the primer pockets wouldn't blow out. She shot cloverleaf groups at 100 yards and all he had was a re-barreled 7RM Interarms with a floated barrel. I think consistency is the key for reloading. have the same weight bullets, same weight and dimension cases.. Use the same rules as benchrest shooters work with and your groups will be better.
When I started reloading decades ago, I bought a Lee Enfield and mounted a scope on it. I used the same brass ( happened to be Remington ) and shot 3/4" groups at 100 yds. A buddy at the time was an avid hunter. He swore by
Winchester brass because he could make hot loads and the primer pockets wouldn't blow out. She shot cloverleaf groups at 100 yards and all he had was a re-barreled 7RM Interarms with a floated barrel. I think consistency is the key for reloading. have the same weight bullets, same weight and dimension cases.. Use the same rules as benchrest shooters work with and your groups will be better.
I've been loading primarily just hunting ammo. That said I do strive for accuracy above top end velocity. Most all of my rifles are simply off the shelf factory.
I have found that within certain velocity nodes with several of my rifles the groups are consistent no matter which brass I'm using. Mostly I have used Rem and Win cases through the years but Hornady and Fed have been thrown in via range pick ups. Usually when a shooter is sighting in and chunks his cases.
Usually this is in the 2700 to 2900fps range with the slower powders like the 4350 range to say the 4831 range and usually with mid weight bullets for caliber.
Just saying it's not impossible to hit load nodes a rifle likes within a certain spread that will still deliver decent hunting accuracy of around an inch at 100ydsbor sometimes even further.
I have found that within certain velocity nodes with several of my rifles the groups are consistent no matter which brass I'm using. Mostly I have used Rem and Win cases through the years but Hornady and Fed have been thrown in via range pick ups. Usually when a shooter is sighting in and chunks his cases.
Usually this is in the 2700 to 2900fps range with the slower powders like the 4350 range to say the 4831 range and usually with mid weight bullets for caliber.
Just saying it's not impossible to hit load nodes a rifle likes within a certain spread that will still deliver decent hunting accuracy of around an inch at 100ydsbor sometimes even further.
Do whatever works for you. I've been known to by a 5 gal bucket of unsorted,unprocessed brass for 5.56. We then sorted them.The bulk was IIRC,
LC,FC,and either WW or WC. I don't recall exactly.Some of the off brand stuff was fine. Some problematic . We culled and scrapped the problematic brass.
The rest was processed with pins and lemonshine,and the pockets swaged.
Those days brass was scarce and expensive...like toilet paper. Upshot is,it started mixed,but sorted to be batches f LC or whatever.
Did it gain us anything? No testing,no data. Can't say.
I started reloading to re-use factory load and scrounged brass.(Like a lot of us)
The factory loads were what wason the shelf. Rem one day,Win the next.
For myself,the mishmash of brass made it hard to keep track.
I figured out buying factory ammo 40 or 60 rounds at a time was not efficient. for me. My old Weavers required a certain amount of chasing he grouparound the target to sight in.
My reloads and factory loads typically shot to a slightly different POI.
At some point,I commited to shooting handloads. 22 LR aside,most of my guns have had few,if any,factory loads fired through them.
The once fired 5.56 and 9mm aside,with a gun purchase I typically buy a lot of new,vrgin brass,from 200 to 500 or even 1000.
I usually manage two groups of brass. Your needs may vary, but I like at least a good range session in each group. One I'm shooting out of,the other is getting loaded and put on the shelf.Suppose I bought 500 or 1000. I might use two groups of 100. Single stage,its about right to load 100,for me.
That brass starts splitting necks,or whatever,I cull it.The whole bunch.Then I pull a new batch out of my inventory of the same lot of brass.
Generally,between 500 and 1000 brass is enough to wear out a barrel.
One of my goals handloading is to minimize variation.I just don't have time for the clutter and confusion of range pickup,etc
It all gets the same "experience" I'm always shooting the same ammo.
Record keeping is easier.
It works for me
Do I gain accuracy? Without a serious,side by side test,I can't claim it . I assume reducing variables helps.
Even if there snno accuracy gain,I'd do it my way for the reduction in chaos.
But,Natty,there is nothing wrong with what you are doing. If your ammo meets your needs,and its safe, shoot and enjoy.
LC,FC,and either WW or WC. I don't recall exactly.Some of the off brand stuff was fine. Some problematic . We culled and scrapped the problematic brass.
The rest was processed with pins and lemonshine,and the pockets swaged.
Those days brass was scarce and expensive...like toilet paper. Upshot is,it started mixed,but sorted to be batches f LC or whatever.
Did it gain us anything? No testing,no data. Can't say.
I started reloading to re-use factory load and scrounged brass.(Like a lot of us)
The factory loads were what wason the shelf. Rem one day,Win the next.
For myself,the mishmash of brass made it hard to keep track.
I figured out buying factory ammo 40 or 60 rounds at a time was not efficient. for me. My old Weavers required a certain amount of chasing he grouparound the target to sight in.
My reloads and factory loads typically shot to a slightly different POI.
At some point,I commited to shooting handloads. 22 LR aside,most of my guns have had few,if any,factory loads fired through them.
The once fired 5.56 and 9mm aside,with a gun purchase I typically buy a lot of new,vrgin brass,from 200 to 500 or even 1000.
I usually manage two groups of brass. Your needs may vary, but I like at least a good range session in each group. One I'm shooting out of,the other is getting loaded and put on the shelf.Suppose I bought 500 or 1000. I might use two groups of 100. Single stage,its about right to load 100,for me.
That brass starts splitting necks,or whatever,I cull it.The whole bunch.Then I pull a new batch out of my inventory of the same lot of brass.
Generally,between 500 and 1000 brass is enough to wear out a barrel.
One of my goals handloading is to minimize variation.I just don't have time for the clutter and confusion of range pickup,etc
It all gets the same "experience" I'm always shooting the same ammo.
Record keeping is easier.
It works for me
Do I gain accuracy? Without a serious,side by side test,I can't claim it . I assume reducing variables helps.
Even if there snno accuracy gain,I'd do it my way for the reduction in chaos.
But,Natty,there is nothing wrong with what you are doing. If your ammo meets your needs,and its safe, shoot and enjoy.
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armoredman
New member
I started off separating by headstamp, but over the years the pistol handloads I made didn't show any difference in accuracy with mixed headstamp as opposed to strictly segregated stuff. Same with .223 and 7.62x39, used to be very picky, now, not so much as the range I use now only goes to 150 yards anyway. 
Savagehawg
New member
When i started reloading i used a lot of mixed brass, then i started buying Winchester mainly for the price, but did notice a lot of weight differences between each piece of brass. I mainly use Hornady brass now when i can get it, i like it and it works for me, usually less prep time with it and the weights are pretty consistent. I have used some federal but was getting split necks so i stopped using it, I can get multiple reloads on the Hornady before i get any stress on the cases which saves money. I haven't noticed any real accuracy differences between different types of brass, i use the Hornady as personal preference. And like has ben said if what your using is safe and works for your application carry on with what your doing. Be safe and have fun.
The only mixed brass I ever tested was .45 ACP. For IDPA, had to make the power factor.
Velocity was all over the place. Tested some of my Bullseye loads all in same kind of GI brass and the Velocity was very uniform. At IDPA ranges the mixed brass ammo was totally adequate except for low velocity for some rounds. I expect you'll find the same thing in a high power rifle load. it may not matter to a deer hunter but a guy who likes to shoot 1 MOA or better will see a difference. A 50 yard pistol shooter will also tell the difference.
Velocity was all over the place. Tested some of my Bullseye loads all in same kind of GI brass and the Velocity was very uniform. At IDPA ranges the mixed brass ammo was totally adequate except for low velocity for some rounds. I expect you'll find the same thing in a high power rifle load. it may not matter to a deer hunter but a guy who likes to shoot 1 MOA or better will see a difference. A 50 yard pistol shooter will also tell the difference.
I have loaded mixed brass for years for my hunting rifles.
Only in the past two years have I tested same headstamp, and water volume in my cases, I have found differences in group sizes with different headstamps in a few of my rifles like 3006 and .270, 7 mag.
My Creedmoor on the other hand only requires that annealing is done after ea h firing to remain consistent, and I use 3 different brands of brass with that rifle, but also noted that water volume isnt much different with those brands and my rifle.
Only in the past two years have I tested same headstamp, and water volume in my cases, I have found differences in group sizes with different headstamps in a few of my rifles like 3006 and .270, 7 mag.
My Creedmoor on the other hand only requires that annealing is done after ea h firing to remain consistent, and I use 3 different brands of brass with that rifle, but also noted that water volume isnt much different with those brands and my rifle.
I think us humans are the biggest variable.
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Jim Watson
New member
Beats me, I don't shoot mixed rifle brass.
Bulk pistol, sure, except when I had the use of a Ransom Rest.
Bulk pistol, sure, except when I had the use of a Ransom Rest.
Reloader270
New member
To load mixed rifle brass is to look for different groups - not a good idea at all. However, is pistol loads it is not that much important.