Best deal on Lapua brass??

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  • Best deal on Lapua brass??

    Being new to the Grendel and even newer to reloading it, can anyone tell me where the best brass deals are?

    Is Alexander Arms brass cheaper or better?

    Thanks.

  • #2
    Alexander Arms brass is Lapua brass except it has an AA headstamp.

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    • #3
      Hornady has come out with brass. Cheaper than both others.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by RStewart View Post
        Hornady has come out with brass. Cheaper than both others.
        How does Hornady brass compare in quality to Lapua?

        Thanks.

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        • #5
          Ruger, Thanks. I wasn't sure.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by gene View Post
            How does Hornady brass compare in quality to Lapua?

            Thanks.
            I have not loaded it enough times to say if it has as good a life as Lapua. But after 4 reloads so far, it is still holding up fine. I also have AA brass and have loaded it 4 times. Still good. For ~$35 I could not pass up the Hornady.

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            • #7
              Lapua is the gold standard for brass. Harder, stronger, longer life by significant numbers of reloads, and better uniformity. Talk to any competitive rifle shooter in bench or precision disciplines, and at least 9 out of 10 will be loading with Lapua brass, if not more. Lapua is cheaper in the long run, since you get more loads. Hornady has been using Winchester brass for some of their production ammunition runs, especially .223, since demand got so high over the past few years, but I'm not sure who makes their Grendel brass. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to outsource it.

              7mm-08 Winchester brass is what I have been using for my .260 Remington, even though Remington makes .260 brass. Now that Lapua makes a factory .260 Rem brass, I'm switching over as my primer pockets die, but the Winchester brass is much stronger and harder than the Remington. I recently was told by a reputable gunsmith that Hornady batch-tests and sorts Winchester brass, and stamps it themselves, but I don't know if this is jailhouse lawyer BS or not. Short story...you will not go wrong with Lapua.

              I think the best prices I have seen are actually through AA, but every now and then, different distributors will discount it significantly...well, at least they used to. It's hard to beat that $64.50 through Alexander.
              Last edited by Guest; 08-24-2011, 02:29 AM.

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              • bwaites
                Moderator
                • Mar 2011
                • 4445

                #8
                Hornady brass is pretty good brass, but unless you are getting it for 60% or less than the cost of Lapua, I would stick with Lapua.

                That said, buying 20 rounds of Hornady 123's at less than $20 gives you the brass for about 50 cents a piece, (figuring 25-35 cents for bullets, plus powder and primer), and thats a great buy regardless of what you get either Lapua or Hornady for!

                If I needed to build a big stock of brass, I would find the best price on Hornady loaded ammo, (or Bill Alexanders promised run of low cost Hornady cased ammo) and buy a bunch!

                You can count on 5-7 loads out of Hornady and maybe more depending on how hot you load them. I have some I have 5 loads on, but they haven't been hot. I have intentionally loaded a few hot, and stretched the pockets after just 2 loads.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by bwaites View Post

                  You can count on 5-7 loads out of Hornady and maybe more depending on how hot you load them. I have some I have 5 loads on, but they haven't been hot. I have intentionally loaded a few hot, and stretched the pockets after just 2 loads.
                  Bill,

                  If I may ask: Just what do you consider "HOT" say for a 123A-MAX?

                  Comment

                  • bwaites
                    Moderator
                    • Mar 2011
                    • 4445

                    #10
                    Originally posted by davidj View Post
                    Bill,

                    If I may ask: Just what do you consider "HOT" say for a 123A-MAX?
                    29 grains of TAC. The 3 shots were all touching, but there was case head expansion and loose primer pockets after just the second reload.

                    I also loaded a few with 30 grains, in Lapua brass, (I wasn't sure I could trust the Hornady) big mistake. Brass looked like a belted magnum after just 1 firing. AND....3 shots inside .5" at 100 yards. I didn't check the brass until I had shot all three shots, also a big mistake. I didn't see or feel any significant difference in the recoil, noise, etc.:



                    This is a very bad thing!

                    The scary thing is that the primers looked normal, there were no real ejection swipes. I am 100 percent convinced that what we consider to be traditional signs of pressure are very difficult to trust in AR's. If you are seeing flattened primers, ejector swipes, etc. then you are WAY past safe!
                    Last edited by bwaites; 08-24-2011, 05:15 AM.

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                    • StoneTower

                      #11
                      In order for that to happen, the bolt had to unlock while the case was under pressure. I am surprised that you did not rip the rim off the case with that much pressure.

                      Originally posted by bwaites View Post
                      29 grains of TAC. The 3 shots were all touching, but there was case head expansion and loose primer pockets after just the second reload.

                      I also loaded a few with 30 grains, in Lapua brass, (I wasn't sure I could trust the Hornady) big mistake. Brass looked like a belted magnum after just 1 firing. AND....3 shots inside .5" at 100 yards. I didn't check the brass until I had shot all three shots, also a big mistake. I didn't see or feel any significant difference in the recoil, noise, etc.:



                      This is a very bad thing!

                      The scary thing is that the primers looked normal, there were no real ejection swipes. I am 100 percent convinced that what we consider to be traditional signs of pressure are very difficult to trust in AR's. If you are seeing flattened primers, ejector swipes, etc. then you are WAY past safe!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I have searched the World Wide Web for the best price on Lapua brass and Hornady brass for the Grendel. Alexander has the best prices at $64.50 per 100 of Lapua and $60.00 per 100 of Hornady. Almost everyone else wants $1.00 ea. for Grendel brass except Les Baer and he wants $70.00 per 100 for Hornady Brass with his name. If anyone finds better prices let me know. The best price for Hornady was $35.00 per 50.

                        Comment

                        • bwaites
                          Moderator
                          • Mar 2011
                          • 4445

                          #13
                          Originally posted by StoneTower View Post
                          In order for that to happen, the bolt had to unlock while the case was under pressure. I am surprised that you did not rip the rim off the case with that much pressure.
                          I agree. It's a testament to how good Lapua brass is. No real damage to the rim at all, interestingly, as you can see. The other two cases looked similar, but were not quite as impressive.

                          This was obviously significantly overpressure! Notice the carbon around the neck, also testament to the bolt unlocking while there was still a lot of pressure!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Bill,

                            Was that out of your 28" gun or another? That extra dwell time could have been a factor if it was the 28" stick. When doing load development, I make it a point to stop and check each piece of brass, with the priority on checking if the loads are safe...then accuracy. I recommend establishing some type of mental trigger that makes one check your developmental loads, and loads that are shot in significantly higher temps as well. I use a brass catcher, even if it's a cardboard box next to the rifle. After seeing that 6.8 SPC Kaboom where the cases had black eschar blowing out of the primer pockets, with blown primers, and knowing that the guy went through 3 of them like that without checking before that rifle really let go, that's my mental trigger.

                            You won't be resizing that 6.5 belted Magnum I take it...

                            Comment

                            • bwaites
                              Moderator
                              • Mar 2011
                              • 4445

                              #15
                              Originally posted by LRRPF52 View Post
                              Bill,

                              Was that out of your 28" gun or another? That extra dwell time could have been a factor if it was the 28" stick. When doing load development, I make it a point to stop and check each piece of brass, with the priority on checking if the loads are safe...then accuracy. I recommend establishing some type of mental trigger that makes one check your developmental loads, and loads that are shot in significantly higher temps as well. I use a brass catcher, even if it's a cardboard box next to the rifle. After seeing that 6.8 SPC Kaboom where the cases had black eschar blowing out of the primer pockets, with blown primers, and knowing that the guy went through 3 of them like that without checking before that rifle really let go, that's my mental trigger.

                              You won't be resizing that 6.5 belted Magnum I take it...
                              The 28" it was. And it WAS a load that had been run safely in my old Grendel, without issues, for hundreds of rounds. I considered it warm, but not hot in that rifle. I didn't think about checking each piece, which I am very conscientious about with a new load, because I had used it in the past so successfully.

                              Nope, not resizing that one! It sits on my reloading bench as a reminder!!

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