Winchester brass replacement

[jdhint86]

I have a Savage model 10 predator 204 and it likes 25 gn reloader 10x, 39 gn blitzking, Remington primers all while using Winchester brass. I like the way it shoots with this load if I change brass will it effect my accuracy? Which alternative to Winchester brass should I use since it's practically impossible to find? Or should I use a different recipe? If so I would like to use most of the components that I have. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[RAMOS]

Changing brass will almost certainly mean a change in volume of the case and also change the hardness/elasticity of the case material itself. Read that as 'a change in pressure when fired'. Changing any components, including brass, dictates reducing the load and working back up. If changing the brass ONLY, your odds of ending up with the same accuracy should be very good if the new cases are uniform. The actual powder charge will likely be different, though. I have enjoyed exceptional case life with the 'old' WW brass I have been using. From what I have heard over the last few years in regards to the current WW 204R brass, when you can find it, the quality and consistency are not what it used to be. My plan is to switch over to Nosler 204R brass when the time comes. I would not hesitate to save money if I happen to see blems offered through their pro-shop, either. I have bought it for other rifles before and there has never been any issue with it that a good tumbling has not made go away. If you do not anneal your cases, you might want to consider it. I do it after every four firings and that old brass just seems to keep going, and going. Kinda like that rabbit with a drum on television ads.......

[Rick in Oregon]

One thing to keep in mind if you buy Nosler brass seconds, is that this brass is rejected from regular runs due to extreme weight variations that do not meet specification. Meaning that the internal volume of this brass will be all over the place in terms of consistency, which will certainly affect accuracy. If you're seeking any kind of precision accuracy, this would not be the brass to use. (However their on-the-shelf brass is tip-top stuff.)

It's usually assumed that only visual blems cause brass seconds, but be aware of the internal volume aspect before "saving" money on what you consider bargain brass.

As an aside to what the original poster queried.....Ramos is spot-on IMO, and I'll add that with my four 204R rifles, the best groups shot with any one of them has all been fired using (fully prepped) WW 204 brass.

[RAMOS]

Holy cow! Thank you for setting me straight on the 'Blem Brass", Rick. I had no idea and certainly would not want to spread misinformation.

Since it came up (okay, I brought it up), I was told by Nosler that the blem bullets have ONLY cosmetic issues. Do you know this to be true or not? Thanks again for the information.

[Rick in Oregon]

Jon, with few exceptions, I've been shooting PD's, squirrels and chucks for right at 40 years now, ALL with Nosler bullet seconds. You are correct in that these are only blemish 'defects', and do not in any way affect ballistic performance or accuracy.

Just for fun, and to show what I'm talking about, here's a target shot a year ago with my Cooper M38 221FB using the usual Nosler seconds:



My 20VT has never seen anything but seconds, and the local rat population is much thinner as a result. Fear not, shoot them with full confidence.

[RAMOS]

Awesome, thanks Rick. Apologies to the OP for my thread drift...

[Darkker]

Also remember that Olin sold their cartridge brass business around a decade ago. It is all least-cost bidding production. So where it comes from and the standards aren't what they were. Around 6-8 months ago, SOME of it was coming from IMI.

[jdhint86]

Thanks guys this has been very helpful and I appreciate the help