Hornady brass

[camping1601]

Any problems with it?
Seems to be the cheapest I can find for a 7mm stw.

 

[Axlrod]

For hunting i say no problems with it at all. I have less lost cases fire forming it than Lapua in my 243 AI. It may not last as long but for hunting I only use once fired reloads

 

[robtattoo]

Like Axl says, it doesn't last long. I can't get more than 7 reloads out of it in any caliber I've tried, even with annealing it seems to stretch like nothing else I've used.
But, for hunting loads: I actually really like it. It's consistent, easy to work & I've never never had a bad one out of the box.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

like most things you get what you pay for.

Hornady does well If you load light, neck size only, bump shoulder minimally. it'll last a long time.

Ring the nuts off it.... not long

 

[camping1601]

So how many loads would you guys guess if I run it hot? There's just nothing else out there beside Nosler stuff and I really don't wanna spend that much for case I know I'll loose. In reality It would likely take me ten years to fire 50 cases 5 times.

 

[V65Magna]

It's not the best. I'm averaging 5 to 6 load cycles with Hornady brass out of my .204 Ruger (27.2 g Varget charge). Much better longevity out of stock Remington brass and I've got some Norma on order.

 

[GrantMan]

So how many loads would you guys guess if I run it hot? There's just nothing else out there beside Nosler stuff and I really don't wanna spend that much for case I know I'll loose. In reality It would likely take me ten years to fire 50 cases 5 times.

Depends on how hot you run it. I have trashed nosler 300 win mag cases after 3 firings running it hot. If you buy 100 of the hornady you will probably get 10 plus years out of it. After that it might be even more difficult to find STW brass then it is now.

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

So how many loads would you guys guess if I run it hot? There's just nothing else out there beside Nosler stuff and I really don't wanna spend that much for case I know I'll loose. In reality It would likely take me ten years to fire 50 cases 5 times.

If that’s all you’re shooting, just get the Hornady. I can’t believe I just recommended Hornady brass, lol! Heck, if that’s all you shoot, I wonder why you’d even reload. Almost.


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[Ryan Avery]

I built a 6 Creedmoor and all I could find at the time was Hornady brass..... It will be the last time too.... Not a fan.

 

[PathFinder]

If that's all you can get it will do for general purposes. Hornady brass in general is horrifically inconsistent. I found that about a 50% cull will get a consistent lot, by volume. After that there are other factors to deal with (concentricity, neck thickness). I've blown Hornady primer pockets in one go in both 6.5 CM and 300 WM. I shot a ton of it in three different calibers over the last few years and didn't like any of it. Switching to premium brass was life changing.

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[PathFinder]

I built a 6 Creedmoor and all I could find at the time was Hornady brass..... It will be the last time too.... Not a fan.

Neck Alpha Munitions brass down, 1 stroke of the press and no trimming. It was money in the 6mm Creedmoor I had with RL16. I never had a group of three in my workup with and SD over 15.

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[Axlrod]

Neck Alpha Munitions brass down, 1 stroke of the press and no trimming. It was money in the 6mm Creedmoor I had with RL16. I never had a group of three in my workup with and SD over 15.

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Even easier just order the Alpha in 6 Creed!

 

[Ryan Avery]

How does the Alpha Munitions compare Lapua brass?? I need to buy some 260 brass.

 

[PathFinder]

How does the Alpha Munitions compare Lapua brass?? I need to buy some 260 brass.

I haven't personally used Lapua. Having compared it to Nosler, it's significantly better. Looking at other's data online, it's at least as good as Lapua. Probably marginally better. It's made here in Utah and is cheaper, at $1 a piece. It comes with a 100rd ammo box and their CS is outstanding. Area 419 and some others have been using it with great results. I won't buy anything else in the calibers they make. In two different calibers, and three different bullets, I've never had a group of three with an SD over 15. My current load's SD is 6.1 over 10 rounds in my 6.5 CM. No loose primer pockets even after some hot workup loads. I did a statistics project on it and the numbers blew me away. SD for weight over 30 pieces was .18 grains. Range was 1 grain. All I did before loading was hit the mouths with a VLD chamfer tool. Haven't done anything but size and load since, over 5-6 firings so far.

 

[FURMAN]

6.5 Creedmoor brass

I will be doing a complete review on Peterson(large and small primer pocket), Lapua, ADG, and Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor brass but thought I would throw out some weight measurements. For the purpose of the review I have ten pieces from each of the listed. Alpha would not sell me ten pieces at this time. They said they were making some changes and did not want the old stuff in the review. I am not going to give Hornady weight specs as it has a ridiculous range depending on lot.

brass weight SD, brass weight ES, H20 Capacity SD, H20 Capacity ES
Peterson small primer .81gr 2.36gr .75gr 2.24gr
avg case 174.63gr
avg capacity 50.04gr

Peterson Large primer .33gr 1.2gr .38gr .98gr
avg case 170.02
avg capacity 50.23

Lapua .24gr .74gr .23gr .66gr
avg case 165.27gr
avg capacity 51.39gr

ADG .53gr 1.5gr .51gr 1.44gr
avg case 169.27gr
avg capacity 50.28gr

 

[RosinBag]

I was forced to run Hornady brass as it was the only company making the particular cartridge and I wasn't a fan at all. It was very soft and it weight sorted poorly. So I sold that rifle and have a new cartridge where I have many choices on brass.

 

[Axlrod]

How does the Alpha Munitions compare Lapua brass?? I need to buy some 260 brass.

A gun builder here bought 500 rds of the Alpha for PRS he likes it better than the Lapua.
Take a look at ADG http://www.atlasdg.com/index.cfm/ID/2/BrassCartridgeCases/ they have 260 for .63 cents ea.
I bought 200 for my 6.5 Creed and it is very nice. I have only shot it once so I dont know how it will hold up vs. Lapua
I do use Lapua for 20VT, 223, 243AI and 338 LP

 

[camping1601]

Thanks to all for the replies.
After seeing that brass for this isn't as easy to find as it was some years ago I ended up buying Nosler 2nd's.
It's been a while since I messed with this gun so I'll likely be asking some reloading questions in the near future.
Again thanks!

 

[Downeaster]

Thanks for the heads up on that alpha brass. Wish they had a few more cartridges to choose from, but hopefully they will grow and branch out.