If you’re just getting into reloading, or perhaps you’ve decided to look at reloading a second calibre, you may have come across a decapping die and wondered if there should be one on your reloading bench. Well… maybe. Full length sizing dies (the ones you probably will start with) and neck sizing dies will deprime your brass as you size the case. But there are a few situations where you may want a decapping die.
Cleaning or tumbling brass
Very quickly, there are two reasons to clean your brass with either an ultrasonic cleaner or a media tumbler. Firstly, this adds another step to your reload process, but it does mean your primer pockets will get a clean (more likely with an ultrasonic cleaner), as well as the inside of the case, reducing powder residue build up at the neck. Secondly, cleaning the gunk off the outside of your case will keep your sizing dies in better condition for longer.
So, how do you decap without actually sizing the case? Well, it’s obvious now, but a universal decapping die is the answer to that question. Because the die body is oversized, it will not contact the walls or neck of the case, meaning you don’t have to apply any lubrication and the case shape won’t be changed.
It’s a quick process and I can deprime hundreds of 9mm cases in an hour. Chuck that lot in the cleaner, deprime some more, and start resizing the cleaned cases once they’re dry. It just becomes part of your routine.
Keeping your case shape
Sometimes you want to do something different with your brass. For example, if you slug your old 303 SMLE and find it’s got an oversize bore (surprise surprise), you may want to load it with oversize cast lead projectiles, with a .314 or even .316 diameter if you’re really trying to save an old mate.
In cases like these (no pun intended), you may not even want to resize your brass. You could simply trim your brass to length and flare the case mouth if necessary (that’s another die you’ll need), or it may fit just fine. There’s nothing to say you have to rezise a case again to shoot it, which is the basic principle behind neck sizing. If it’s fired in the same rifle it should chamber easily.
I’m sure there are other scenarios where you might want to keep case shape, but that’s the first that springs to mind. Otherwise, if you’re a cartridge collector, wildcatter, or ammunition hobbyist of some sort, I’m sure you already have a decapping die on hand. You could even be using one of these dies if you want to use spent cases to make jewelry or art, or if you want to modify a case to be a case-length gauge. All sorts of things you can do…
Types of decapping die
I’m sure there are many out there, but the two that I have tried have been Lyman and Lee. The Lyman is a one-piece hardened steel decapping rod, which they claim is “virtually unbreakable” and is suited to all calibres between .22 and .45, excluding .378 and .460 Weatherby. They even say it’s suitable for crimped in military primers (I haven’t tried).
The Lyman die’s use case seems pretty clear!
The Lee universal decapping die is based on a collet design, and if the decapping rod is subjected to too much force/resistance, it will simply slide up and you can reset it with a couple of spanners. Both designs work fine and neither die is too expensive. The Lee universal decapping die is available from Gunworks for $30 and if you can’t find the Lyman die at a local store, you can order directly from their website.
The Lee is spartan in presentation, but clever in its implementation.
Other things you will need
You will need a case holder for all the different rounds you intend to decap. This sounds obvious, but, for example, if you’ve decided to get a head start and begin cleaning cases you’ll be reloading in the future, you may not have thought to buy a case holder yet. Thankfully these only cost about $13 or $15, and you’ll need one anyway. Or, you can get a bunch of various common sizes in one of the Lee case holder sets (make sure they’re not for the autoprime).
Of course you’ll need a press and a bench, etc, etc, but you knew that already.
Good question – glad you asked! There’s a lot of stuff you could buy if you wanted to start reloading, but actually only a few essential things to start your first load and get hooked with the reloading addiction. This is a quick list of the bits and pieces you’ll need to get going.
Beware – any loads mentioned in this article are my own, and are not to be taken as gospel! Use a reloading manual or manufacturer’s instructions to find the right load for your firearm and application.
Okay, before we get straight into the list – why reload? Ammunition is expensive. Each time you pull the trigger on a rifle, you’re sending $2 – $5 downrange, depending on your calibre and ammo preference. My 6.5×55 reloads cost $1.27 to shoot, roughly. But it’s not just about cheap and cheerful. I could cut that almost in half if I bought cheap projectiles. No, that’s $1.27 for ammo that I would call “match grade”. The results speak for themselves – see below:
Aside from being economical, reloading allows you to fine tune your ammunition depending on your rifle and intended application. I have two identical loads for my Tikka T3, one for target shooting and one for hunting – the only difference is the projectile and COAL (cartridge overall length).
There’s a lot you can do with reloading, so take the time and get stuck in – you’ll save some money, improve your accuracy/performance, and develop what is really a whole new hobby.
If you’re going to sight in and hunt once a year, then no worries, a pack of factory ammo will last you plenty of trips!
What are the essentials?
Obviously you need a firearm to shoot the ammo in! You also need safety glasses for while your reload (primers are explosives!). You need yourself, a solid reloading bench, some basic maths skills, and a whole bunch of other really obvious stuff. But, I’ll be splitting what you need into materials and tools. This is part one on materials.
Even if you aren’t reloading yet – start saving your brass now!
Brass
This is what makes reloading economical. You can reuse your brass many times over, which turns into a considerable saving. If you neck size and reload for one rifle only, reusing your brass will also increase accuracy. Where to get brass? You can buy it online, or from stores such as Reloaders Supplies or Serious Shooters. Or, what I do is buy ammo, shoot it, and reuse the brass.
I shoot and reload PPU or Sellier & Bellot for cheap plinking ammo (.303, 7.62×39, etc.). For my 7mm-08 and .308 I use a mixture of Hornady, Remington and Winchester. For my “match” 6.5×55 ammo, I shoot and reload Norma ammo. Lapua is also a good candidate. For 9mm pistol rounds I use whatever I have at hand.
Using brass from factory ammo also means you have a base line to start with, figuring out what your gun does and doesn’t like.
Cost example:
ADI 300 Blackout brass x 100 – $69 from Reloaders Supplies. That’s 69 cents each, and anecdotally you’ll be getting around 10 loads per, so call it 7 cents per round.
Federal American Eagle loaded 300 BLK ammo x 20 – $55 from Serious Shooters. That’s $2.75 per round if that was that. But if you plan on getting another 9 loads (at least) out of the brass, then call it 27.5 cents per round (including your first, loaded shot). It’s not as cheap, but you do get that first shot, and you get to experiment with different weight projectiles without buying a bunch of different types.
Projectiles
Projectiles (bullets) are likely to be your biggest expense if you’re aiming to make quality ammo. My most expensive pills are about $1.03 each, depending where you buy em. There are plenty more expensive out there. Plenty! But if you shoot a cheap/common/small calibre, like .223, you’ll be able to pick up bullets for much, much cheaper. Have a look at your usual stores and you’ll see what I mean.
Different projectiles will enable you to experiment with your firearm and produce application-specific ammunition.
You can get cheaper still with cast lead or plated projectiles, but these come with their own challenges and idiosyncrasies. Stick with copper jacketed bullets as you start out and life will be simpler.
Make sure you choose a projectile specific to your needs. Manufacturer websites are pretty clear, otherwise, read up on your calibre in Nathan Foster’s knowledge base, or ask your local gun store staff. A good example is, Sierra Matchkings (SMK) are super accurate, but dicey performers on game. Hornady ELD-X is great on game, and pretty accurate to boot. Prvi Partisan .31 calibre lead-tipped projectiles are actually great for effective wounding on game, but certainly not match accurate.
Cost example:
Prvi Partisan 6.5mm (.264) 139 gr projectiles x 100 – $60 from Gunworks. That’s 60 cents per round.
Berger VLD Target 6.5 mm (.264) 140 gr x 100 – $106.95 from Workshop Innovations. Looking at $1.07 per round. As you can see, there is a vast difference, but these two projectiles are for vastly different applications.
For comparison, a bag of 500 ADI 22 calibre 62 gr projectiles would set you back $100. That’s 20 cents a round for cheap AR-15 plinking ammo.
Powder
Powder is a big expense up front, but lasts for ages. It’s good to have a few varieties on hand for different loads and applications, but once you find one that you definitely will use a lot, buy in bulk to save even more money. Also, buying in bulk eliminates the variance you can get between batches of powder, as you’ll be working from the same batch for longer.
As I’ve said before, I’m a big fan of ADI powder. ADI (based in Australia) produces a bunch of powders for other brands, so if you find Americans talking about Varget, it’s fine because you can buy ADI AR2208, which is the same thing. But, where it becomes awesome is ADI powders are sold in 500 gram containers for around the same price of an American or European brand 1 pound container, which is about 454 grams. Immediate savings!
Different powder for different uses, but ADI is always a safe bet. Buy in bulk to make your reloading $ go further!
There are many good powder brands, and if you will end up reloading for multiple calibres, try and find loads that like the same powder to save on cost even more. My 6.5×55, .303, .308 and 7mm-08 are all fed a steady diet of 2208. Funnily enough, they’re all similar charge weights as well. This leads to multiple efficiencies.
You should definitely get yourself a reloading manual, but if you do decide to stick to ADI, they provide some awesome reloading data on their website.
Cost example:
ADI AR2208 500 g – $65 from Broncos. I use around 40 grains for most loads with this powder, so let’s call it 34 cents per round. If you bought the 4 kg container, your cost per round would drop to 30 cents.
IMR 4198 1 lb – $69 from Reloaders. I use 26.5 grains of this for my 7.62×39 loads. That’s 264 rounds, so 26 cents per round.
Primers
The things that go bang! I won’t spend too much time on primers except to say that they are actually different. It’s good to experiment, but when you start loading in volume, try and stick to one type of primer, otherwise you should realistically back off your load and work up again as the reaction inside the chamber will be different. Better yet, buy in bulk. I have found all of my loads requiring a large rifle primer tend to like Federal Gold Medal match primers. So I buy boxes of 1000 at a time.
Again, not only are you saving more dollar dollar bills y’all, but you’re keeping consistent by staying in the same batch of primers. Primers are quite cheap, so buying in bulk is not such a big deal.
Primers are another area where buying in bulk saves a little bit of cash, but also improves consistency.
What will my first lot of materials cost me?
Let’s use the common 308 as an example. Using the ADI Powders load data and some prices from NZ shops, let’s figure out the minimum you would have to spend to load your first 100 rounds, as well as how economical you can get by buying in bulk.
Cost per round for first 100 only (will have left over powder)
$2.65
Cost per round with bulk buying and 10 loads from each case
$1.34
Cost per round of equivalent factory load low end manufacturer
$3.00
Cost per round of equivalent factory load high end manufacturer
$3.40
As you can see, depending on the life of your brass, you can half the cost of your ammo and produce some excellent results. Especially when you consider that you can set your seating depth and a host of other things that will increase your accuracy from a given load.
Having said that, there’s more to getting started than bullets and brass. The cost of reloading equipment will factor into your decision to start loading your own ammo or not. Make sure to check back for Part Two in this series, in which we will look at the easiest equipment to get started with.
For many young girls and guys around the country, this roar will be their first opportunity to hunt – or at least to hunt some of the more prized species New Zealand has to offer in their prime coats and colours. While a shooter may be proficient with their weapon of choice, this does not automatically make them a good hunter.
Aside from the bushcraft, fitness and stalking involved – not to mention antler-induced-excitement behind the trigger – a serious consideration is the choice of ammunition. Fortunately for those shooting a more common calibre, there is plenty of off-the-shelf ammo that will do the trick. If you don’t intend to shoot much aside from sighting in and hunting, then buying ammo makes much more sense than reloading.
Bullet choice in New Zealand
Some common hunting calibres in New Zealand include .308, .303, .223, 6.5×55, 7mm-08, .243, .270, .260 and .30-06. To a limited extent the old Russian military calibres see some use (7.62×39 on goats or yearlings at close range or 7.62x54R if you’re running around with a sporterised Mosin-Nagant). And .300 BLK is becoming quite popular for goat culling or in short-range (but fancy) bush guns.
If you’re buying ammo for more common calibres like .308 or 7mm-08, your store owner’s recommendation will likely be good enough. Remington Core-LOKT and Winchester Power-Point are popular choices, and Hornady Whitetail does very well in most modern bolt actions too. However, for reloaders who have been chasing accuracy, bullet choice can change the game completely.
Some of the more common 7mm-08 hunting choices.
For example, with my 6.5×55 a 142 gr SMK or 140 gr AMAX does a beautiful group at 100 yards. In fact, my new favourite is Norma-Sierra 144 gr – it’s a factory load, but I can’t seem to beat it with the projectiles I have on hand. However, all of these loads have hit-and-miss performance on game. The AMAX less so, but certainly the SMKs are not meant for hunting. They have erratic terminal performance, sometimes yawing and producing massive wounds, sometimes producing pinhole wounds that can lead to inhumane kills and extended tracking of wounded animals.
But isn’t the Sierra Match King a hollow point? Yes it is, however the HP in this projectile is not designed for expansion on game. This hollow section in the bullet is to keep weight to the rear of the bullet, stabilizing it in flight and making it a more accurate round.
The SMK looks great on paper but does not produce consistent wounds.
Factors like this need to be considered carefully, especially in calibres with higher sectional density, which can lead to deep penetration, but poor expansion if bullet choice is incorrect. This can be prominent in the 6mm and 7mm calibres.
If you’re about to start working up your hunting load for this year’s roar and do some quick sighting in, there are a few ways you can narrow down your bullet selection. You could start by checking out the forums or facebook pages and seeing what others with your rifle/calibre have been using. Or you could start by doing some research on sites like Nathan Foster’s Terminal Ballistics, or checking out the projectile manufacturer’s website. If you are the type to learn better by doing rather than reading, try a sampler pack from Gunworks to get a few different projectiles through your rifle and find its sweet spot.
It can be hard to find the perfect gift for someone. It can be harder if they’re into shooting and you’re not – harder still if you don’t have a firearms licence and can’t legally purchase the things they would like. However, there are a few go-to things you can consider, and they won’t break the bank either.
Things made out of ammo that aren’t ammo
Shooters like things that go bang. However, the next best things might be something that looks like it goes bang. However, not all mementos are created equal. Ask any golfer, and they’ll tell you every year they get terrible golf-club or golf-ball shaped items to bury in a draw somewhere. Every now and then they get something that’s actually kind of cool. It’s pretty similar for hunters.
It’s hard to find a cooler bottle opener than this .50 cal case from Gunworks.
A barbecue lighter shaped like a shotgun may not get someone’s juices flowing, but a bottle opener made out of a .50 cal. case with a 750 gr A-MAX projectile seated in it might just get the right reaction. Yeah – 750 grains – that’s four to five times the average .308 projectile weight. My wife and I got one for my father-in-law last Christmas – and I liked it so much I got myself one too. The brass is obviously softer than bottle caps and will mark after use, but hey, it looks so freakin cool. You can get them from Gunworks in Christchurch, and because it’s not live ammo it can be sent anywhere. They have other options too.
Another cool ammo-looking option can be cuff links. These can be done poorly or very well, so be selective. The imitation 12-gauge cuff links my wife got me are not only well made, but look pretty damn good too.
A magazine subscription
If you’re significant other or best friend has a hunting magazine lying around but they don’t have a subscription to it, that could be a great option. Look for the subscription page and photocopy or scan it, or find the magazine’s website. It’ll be pretty obvious if you tear out the page…
Make sure to take a picture of the product code so you can find what you need at the store.
While everything and anything can be found on the internet, gun magazines are a great way for shooters to enhance their knowledge of local shooting spots, new equipment or competition results.
Reloading supplies
Well, you can’t buy ammunition for your partner if you don’t have a licence, but if they reload, you can buy them everything they need to make their own. You’ll still need to have ID, as primers and powder are explosives.
How do you know what to get? Go over to their shooting bench and see what’s running low. Make sure to take a picture of the item or the product code to show the guys at the gun store. Also, make sure to shop around. When you’re spending near a hundred bucks on projectiles or a box of primers, looking at different websites or stores can save you around 10 per cent.
The New Zealand Deerstalkers Association is one of the organisations that helps shooters and hunters in this country by providing facilities, as well as speaking up for us collectively when there are political issues that may affect our sport. With branches all over New Zealand and a culture that is inviting, it’s always worth checking out your local branch to see if membership is for you. However, if you’re just after a casual shoot or you need to sight in your rifle or test your reloads, the Auckland branch has a fantastic range you can access most weekends.
Access to the Auckland NZDA Range
The Auckland Deerstalkers Range is located in a working forest, and is accessible only at certain times during the day. This makes it essential to check the range calendar to find out when general practices are on, and what time the gates will be open. If there’s an organised shoot on, you will be turned away – so save yourself the hassle by checking the NZDA website or getting in touch with them.
The NZDA Auckland Branch is an ideal place to test reloads.
There is a morning session and an afternoon session. I would recommend aiming for the afternoon timeslot, as there are generally fewer people around, which means more shooting for you. It’s still a busy range though, and safety is the number one priority. There are a few range officers on at any given time, and they are give you very clear instructions.
Shooting at the Auckland NZDA range
Shooting at this range is a real pleasure and is ideal for sighting in or testing reloads. There are a row of benches to shoot from, with plenty of room to store your gear. There are also gun racks behind the shooting line if you have more than one rifle. If you want to shoot prone, sitting, kneeling or standing, you can shift your bench over a bit and go for it.
Because the range is located in a working forest, there is no smoking at all – so keep that in mind if you’re fiending for a smoke after a couple hours, because there are controlled entry and exit times and you’ll just have to hack it. This also means no tracer rounds, and obviously no incendiary rounds or anything crazy like that. The backstop for the targets is a pile of old tires – about 14 tonnes of rubber – so setting that alight would probably be a bit of a problem…
The shoot is quite organised, with a detailed safety briefing beforehand. There are 25, 50 and 100 metre ranges that run at the same time. The 50 and 100 metre targets are shot off the same mounds, while the 25 metre range is separate. There is also a 200 metre mound, but when this is in operation all of the other ranges have to be shut down as it is behind them.
Shooting is done in ten-minute sets. You set up your targets, get ready and when everyone has their ears on, the range is ‘live’. You then have ten minutes to do your damnedest, after which ceasefire will be called. At this point everyone makes their firearms safe and steps away from the benches. The ROs check the rifles and when everything is deemed clear, shooters can go forward to assess and patch their targets. There are targets available for 50 cents each if you don’t have your own, and there are generally staple guns floating around. Try and take your own stapler if you can. For anyone intending on spending a decent amount of time at the range, a staple gun is a good investment. I use duct tape when I don’t have one on hand, but it’s not nearly as quick.
The afternoon (or morning) continues in ten minute increments until time is up – which seems to be much sooner than you want, but hey – time flies when you’re having fun.
A chamber safety device (CSD) is compulsory on the range.
The cost and experience
The NZDA range is located about 25 mins outside of Auckland city, and it took me just over 40 mins from East Auckland. The cost is $20 per shooter – a very reasonable sum. Bear in mind, this is not an organised club shoot, but rather an open practice day. Don’t turn up without a rifle expecting to shoot. If you don’t have your own firearms and would like to give shooting a go, you can get in touch with the NZDA via their website and arrange attendance at a club shoot. Otherwise, there are plenty of clubs in Auckland where you can give shooting a go. If you’ve never fired a rifle before, try starting off with smallbore first to get your bearings.
The range officers at the NZDA are friendly and knowledgeable, and very safety conscious. All of this adds up to a good shooting experience in my books, and I would recommend this range to anyone looking for a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The shooting mounds are covered, so weather isn’t a huge factor. If it is pouring with rain, your targets will be worse for wear. The rest of the facility is outdoors though, so unless you are shooting or on the benches behind the shooters, you’ll probably have to sit in your car to stay out of the weather. While it doesn’t have all of the trappings of an indoor range (like plumbing or coffee facilities), it’s certainly a good way to enjoy shooting.
If you’d like to tell us about your experience at the NZDA Auckland Branch range, or would like to find out about other shooting facilities in Auckland, leave a comment below.
Prvi Partizan ammo has been on the market for years – decades even – but has only just started to make an impact in New Zealand. Or so you thought. Abbreviated to PPU, Prvi Partizan as we know it today has been around since the 1940s, although the company traces its roots back to the late 1920s and has had a few different names as wars and politics have shaped Europe.
My Serbian friend tells me it’s pronounced “pr-ah-vi”, not “privvy” as most people sound it out. It translates roughly to “first partisan” and gets its name from the long and thing rifles produced for partisan forces by the factory in earlier years.
War – what is it good for?
Well, most of the sporting arms and ammunition we enjoy today share their history with their military counterparts. A tonne of the most popular hunting and sporting cartridges today are military cartridges from the past 100 years or more, including:
7.62×51 NATO (.308)
5.56×45 NATO (.223)
.300 AAC Blackout
7.62×39
7.62x54R
6.5×55
7.5×55
7.92×57 Mauser
30-06
.303
.338 LM
.50 BMG
The price of PPU makes it hard not to stock up.
Not to mention the endless array of pistol ammunition too. Of course the search for bigger, better and boom-ier things has led to a surge in development in the cartridge market today, much of which is driven by shooters who demand a high level of accuracy. Ammunition that used to only be available to wildcatters for varminting or bench rest shooting is now common place in the USA and is making its way over to New Zealand as well. Rimfire is also growing in leaps and bounds with the .17 WSM making waves in the shooting community.
But what about those stalwarts of scrub hunting and cheap and cheerful plinking? The cut down .303 bush guns and the semi-auto fun-makers in 7.62×39? Well, PPU is your knight in shining armour. For those that love shooting their military calibre rifles without breaking the bank, the ammunition produced by Prvi Partizan is worth your consideration.
On the plus side
While you might think Prvi hasn’t been in the New Zealand market for a while, it actually has. If you’ve shot Highland ammo, you’ve shot PPU. It’s the brand they’ve been using down here. In terms of military cartridges, Highland hasn’t been the cheapest, but it’s a step up from the dirty steel-cased stuff from Russia. It’s certainly better than putting corrosive ammo through your firearms, especially if you’re not that thorough with your cleaning.
Annealing marks on .303 and 7.62×39 PPU factory rounds.
Prvi Partizan ammunition is brass cased and generally considered to be good brass for reloading. Many Swedish Mauser fans rate the 6.5×55 PPU brass behind Norma and Lapua, but ahead of the American-made stuff. In terms of how soft or long-lasting it is, I can’t personally say. I’m on my second round of firing with this lot of brass and haven’t seen anything untoward yet, but we have a ways to go before anything should be cropping up. When I do get my brass into the higher firing counts I’ll post again to let you know, but considering I have over 140 cases for 6.5×55 alone, I doubt that will be any time too soon.
Considering how good the brass is, it’s certainly worth the price. This is especially the case with calibres like the .303 where you might only have a few options, all of which are more expensive. Not only do you get an acceptable level of accuracy out of it, but you have (I’m guessing) between 6 and 10 more reloads out of them – if not more.
What is the cost? I’ve seen the blue boxes cropping up in a few stores around the country and they’ve ranged in price from $31 to $36 for big rounds like the .303 and 6.5×55. The 7.62×39, which I’ve bought for a reloading experiment, runs at around $30, but if you go to the right Hunting & Fishing, you can pick it up for $25. Most stores will give you a bulk discount if you buy a few packets anyway.
How accurate is it? Well, how long is a piece of string? How accurate a particular round is will be determined by many contributing factors, not least of which are shooter skill and the particular firearm in question. The picture below shows PPU 139gr FMJ 6.5×55 three shot test groups, one is about 1.5 MOA and the other is 2.6 MOA. These are shot from my cut-down 20.5″ barrelled Husky M38. The other target, for comparison, is another reasonably priced brand, Sellier & Bellot 140gr SP, at 2.4 MOA.
PPU 139 gr FMJ and S&B 140 gr SP
This is not bad, considering many are happy to get 3 or 4 MOA groups with milsurp rifles and cheap ammo. However, you don’t get many people bragging about S&B brass for reloading. The picture below shows the S&B group with an unfired round for reference. Bearing in mind that the orange circle is about the size of a kill zone on a deer, this is very reasonable accuracy. If these groups were zeroed in, every shot would be a clean kill.
S&B 2.4 MOA group with unfired 6.5×55 round for comparison.
The negatives with PPU
Well, no one on the range is going to look at your ammo tin on the range and think your other car is a Porsche. But, if you don’t mind that, there’s not much to gripe about with Prvi Partizan. So far I have only shot .303, 7.62×39 and 6.5×55 in PPU and each has performed better than I would expect budget ammo to. I also find it to be quite clean, generally speaking.
However, if you’re wanting superb accuracy without hand loading your own ammo, this may not be the ammo for you. I would suggest trying it – your rifle may love it – but you may be better off paying one and a half or two times the price to get match-grade ammo.
0.64 MOA group shot off a bi-pod with PPU brass, Federal Match primers, 142 gr SMK HPBT projectiles and 34.7 grains of AR 2208.
There may also be variations in weight of brass and even wall thickness or hardness. This is pure, untested speculation. The only reason I say this could be possible is that the low price indicates that the machinery that produces this brass may not be as thoroughly regulated or maintained as those operated by Hornady or Lapua. The staff may not be as well compensated. But who knows?
What you may wish to do is individually weigh up the clean and empty brass out of a box or two, and see what the variation is between cases. Some spread is to be expected, but too much could have an effect on reloading. You could also see how much water each case holds to determine case-wall thickness and internal capacity. Anyway, I’ve been managing to get smaller than 1 MOA groups out of this brass, so I’m not complaining.
Overall, I think it is well worth the purchase. The accuracy is good enough for hunting ammo if you get the soft point variety, and there’s certainly a place for it in the safe if you just want plinking ammunition or a source of cheap brass.
