Mixed brass accuracy??

pyscodog

Active member
I always try to use the same brand of brass when loading ammo. But I was just curious as to how much difference it really makes in a hunting rifle.
 
For my "precision" loads fired in my precision rifles I stick to the same head-stamp. In years past when I first got into reloading all my "hunting" ammo was mixed... I still managed good performance when using sporter type rifles.

For an out-of-the-box hunting rifle where 1.5 to 2 MOA is good enough for hunting at ranges under 300-400 yards (lung shots), I'm not sure you will see a marked difference by sorting brass.

Now days, my "general blasting ammo" uses mixed brass.
 
I use to be anal about brass and keeping it all the same. That was until i got into brass slinging AR's and i found that everyone I've owned will group moa or just under at 100 yrds with mixed brass. Plus all that surplus and range brass is free.
 
Several years ago I guess that I was bored and loaded up a box of 50 of mixed brass .223 loads. All with 26 grains of Varget and the 50 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. Mixed small rifle primers too. Some was .223 brass and some was military 5.56 mm. Shot five shot groups and random with my Savage 112 Varmint. To my surprise most stayed around a half inch at 100 yards. Maybe a few at 5/8" or so. OK- good enough for me. While I still separate brass by head stamp I try not to get too anal about it. Just not seem to be that big of deal for my kind of shooting.
 
I've had a different finding. I am anal about sorting brass. I put the same powder, primer, C.O.A.L., and bullet in regular weight brass like Federal or LC (95-96 grs with fired primer) and heavy military like AUSA, GFL, and some oddballs that weighed from 100-104 grs. There was a two inch horizontal shift in the POI between the two 5 shot groups. I was using bulk Hornady 55gr FMJ so I was not shooting bug holes. The groups were about 1.5MOA @100yds.
 
I have noticed different brass brands spring back at different rates in the FL sizing die. Obviously this has to do with reload cycles and such but...

I shoot mixed brass for bulk bullet plinking only. ( when i am done loading precision/accurate loads i mix it all into one batch) I use a small base FL size die and push the shoulders way back. Normally i discard them after that.

I feel sorry for people who pick that brass up at the range.
 
As others have mentioned, I used to be extremely picky about sorting cases, too. Reloading for the AR platform kinda broke me of that habit. In my experience, sorting cases does have an effect on accuracy, but not the kind of effect you might think. Usually the difference between sorting and not sorting is like the difference between sub-MOA and sub-1/2MOA. That said, sorting just by brand is usually not nearly as effective as sorting by case volume. Anyway, the bottom line is that you gotta decide what you're doing with the rifle and if the extra time and effort makes sense to you.
 
Does 35 fps average spread on a 123 gn 6.5 cm 2756 fps pill make a diff to hunting ? (probably not)


2604.jpg


(case volume data from the www, not mine)
 
interesting concept,, but weight does not equal volume.
Volume is what counts.

A lot of guys do it anyway, "each to his/her own".
 
Originally Posted By: Bob_Atlinteresting concept,, but weight does not equal volume.
Volume is what counts.

A lot of guys do it anyway, "each to his/her own".

you're technically correct, however in the case of brass where both external dimensions and material makeup are in theory uniform, case weight should have a direct correlation to internal volume of a given cartridge.

the weight difference has to come from somewhere, and the only place you can add or remove it while still maintaining the outside dimensional spec would be inside.

so the correlation should be lower weight = larger internal volume and higher weight = less internal volume.

as soon as you start comparing weights of different headstamps this of course goes out the window as you dont know the exact chemical makeup of the brass different lots of casings are made from, especailly when you start comparing different manufacturer's (ie: LC vs hornady), no less different years from the same mfg (IE: LC08 vs LC18).

at that point you have two possible variables in the equation and until you actually measure the internal volume there's no way to know if its a material density thing or a material quantity issue thats giving you the weight difference

so while i agree that it has limited application, weight sorting can have some usefulness, but only in limited circumstances.

and as you noted is probably only relevant to those who are practicing long range precision shooting where every little bit can make a difference and not something *most* shooters need concern themselves with.
 
Beginners basics on reloading:

a. keep components of the same brand

b. measure oal to the lands

c. learn to set your full length sizer to fit the chamber of a particular rifle for best case
life

d. measure the length of the case to keep in spec so the end of the brass does not crimp the
bullet

e. when you change lot# of powder, expect as much as a 5% change in burning rate

This is your hobby, make it fun for you. No one says you ever have to adopt advanced reloading techniques to your hobby, as people are wired different.

Ps. Mixing Lake City brass from different years can really yield some crazy results. When I was shooting a lot of ground squirrels at short range, I mixed brass, long shots were 150 yards with 13g of blue dot and 40g bullet of some kind.
 
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If you are slinging lead with an AR or similar, then load and shoot anything you can find, but stay below top loads. If you are shooting for accuracy, then anything you can do to remove variables will be of benefit. Same brass, and lot number if possible. Weight sort them, trim to same length, etc.
 
Originally Posted By: StobIf you are slinging lead with an AR or similar, then load and shoot anything you can find, but stay below top loads. If you are shooting for accuracy, then anything you can do to remove variables will be of benefit. Same brass, and lot number if possible. Weight sort them, trim to same length, etc.

Well said, Stob!
 

Originally Posted By: emptymagGrab some of your brass that has the same head stamp and weigh it. I sort all my brass by 2gr increments.
I did that several years ago for an out-of-the-box Browning Composite Stalker in 25-06. I started out with 500 pieces of Remington brass and ended up with 100 pieces separated into 20-round boxes of no more than .2 grain in any box. Then I cut the primer flange off inside the case, turned the case necks to uniformity and neck sized and seated the bullet with Lee Collet dies. With 100 gr. Speer SP’s it’s pretty much a 1/2” to 5/8” rifle and load that generally shoots neat little 3-shot triangles, and that’s from a rather skinny barrel and no modifications to the rifle at all. I don’t think weighing the brass alone had as much to do with the accuracy, but rather all the individual preps combined made the difference.
 
Mixing head stamps is one of the worse things that you can do when reloading. It can cause issues that range from inconsistent POI to dangerous pressure conditions. I have seen powder charges that were fine in one brand of case, cause cratered primers and heavy bolt lift, in another, due to different case volumes. Probably not an issue with mild loads, but a definite possibility if your loads are on the hotter end of the scale.
 
I only sort the military brass from commercial brass. A coyote at 2-300 yards will never know the difference.
 
Originally Posted By: BearI only sort the military brass from commercial brass. A coyote at 2-300 yards will never know the difference.

Weigh a piece of fiocchi(gfl) brass and see how it compares to the rest of your commercial brass
 
I too, always use the same head stamp when reloading. My hunting rifles are all sub MOA except one that I am currently working with. I cannot understand why a re-loader would not do everything with in his/her power to generate the most accurate hunting loads. I may sit for hours, days or weeks waiting for that one shot. Accurate and consistent ammo gives me the confidence that may give me the edge, especially on the tough shots. I know it gives me peace of mind.

It makes me shutter to think of someone picking up range brass. Many times this stuff has been fired several times and been exposed to the elements. An accident waiting to happen.

If you enjoy you sport and wish to do so safely I would suggest buying quality components and following the basics.

While I no longer shoot the AR's it is my opinion that quality ammo is even more important in this platform for safe and flawless performance. Could not resist adding my 2 cents to this topic.
 
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