Identification of 30-06 brass

[Instr2012]

Has anyone made up a list of identification markings of brass?

Specifically I am interested in 30-06, I am trying to reload and I want to eliminate the variance of brass but finding enought brass of a certain type is becoming a problem. Does anyone know or can emphatically state that any 30-06 brass that has sprg (for springfield) is exaxtly dimesionally the same. I would appreciate any and all information I can get.

[JLA]

All .30-06 brass is the same dimension. Itll all shoots from tha same chamber. If youre loading for the best accuracy its best to separate the brass at least by headstamp. Meaning put the winchester brass with the winchester brass, R-P brass with R-P brass, etc.

I dont understand what you mean by 'finding enough .30-06 brass being a problem' its one of the top 3 most reloaded rifle cartridges in the world and probably THE most popular hunting round. BRass is available almost anywhere and there are dozens of brands.

[Jim K]

The .30-'06 cartridge was 30 caliber and was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1906, hence the name. "Sprg" is the SAAMI approved marking for all .30-'06 made in the U.S.

Actually, all brass of a given caliber is not exactly the same dimension; it is (hopefully) within a tolerance range for each dimension, but it is sometimes surprising how much variance there is, not only among manufacturers, but within a given manufacturer and even in a single box.

One way to get more uniformity is to fill each case with a powder (I don't mean gun powder) of a uniform consistency and then pour it out and weigh it. The cases which hold the exact same weight of powder have the same internal capacity. (Water is best, but messier.)

Jim

[cpttango30]

What they said.

[JLA]

I prefer to prep and weight sort once fired cases than go the water capacity method. You can weight sort new brass, but I find you get much more consistent results by prepping, trimming, and weight sorting once fired. The reason being, Brass stretches when its fired, meaning the heavier cases will be a tad longer than the lighter ones because theres a bit more brass there. Doing it this way ensures the cases that fall within my particular tolerance preference, which amounts to about a half a percent for .308 brass (.9 gr spread from lightest case to heaviest), all have the same internal volumes, or as close to it as possible. It sound slike a bunch of work but it isnt really much more than youd be doing anyway when you prep your brass to be reloaded. Essentially the only added step is weighing the brass and placing like weights in separate containers.

[BobMcG]

Dimensions and capacity will be close among the different brands but not exact. Not only can there be differences between makers but also between a maker's lots, and within a particular maker's lots. Within a single box for that matter.

IMO you needn't worry too much about the differences within a particular brand for hunting rounds. (And even less for plinking rounds.) Precision shooting and contests as such demand far more scrutiny. As Jim said, you have to check and sort by individual case capacity. Oh, and that can be just the start of it.

You didn't mention the "certain type" of brass in particular that you may have a shortage of or can't find enough of. Maybe someone can help you out.

[Instr2012]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I had never heard of checking volume with a power(not g Power) or water. I may check that out. Years ago my Dad made a load up I know the bullet, power, primer and I thought I knew the cases but when I examined the cases they are all over the place. (Super X, W-W, Sears, R-P. etc) I could place 3 in a dime 5 in a nickel at 100 yrds. I am still trying to find which case he used. He left a note to use only one case but did not say which case. I guess it will remail one of those unsolved mysteries

[Instr2012]

I am working on a special load that my dad loaded a long time ago. I thought I knew the case but it seems I have so many types that I may never find the exact case. at any rate finding cases to match cases I have are difficult. Yes there are many cases available except when you try to find a specific case. Thanks for your response

[Instr2012]

Thank you for your response. I have been scratching my head on a term you used (IMO) what is it? I can't find it listed in my research.

scherfken@yahoo.com

[gdmoody]

IMO=In my opinion

[JLA]

In that case, no pun intended, it would be best to buy new cases and start over. Lapua and norma make some top notch brass for precise handloads. Use the old stuff for practice loads.

[myfriendis410]

Another good one is Nosler. Of the "Big 3" Federal is my preferred case.

Trying to replicate a load from many years ago is basically impossible due to the fact that the powder used then is not the same as used today. It's similar, but only loading up using proven accuracy-improving techniques and components of recent manufacture will you be able to produce the accuracy you want from your handloads.

Weight-sorting, neck or intermediate sizing, trimming and deburring, flash hole regularizing etc. are your best bets for starting off on the right footing. Segregating brass by headstamp is only the first step in developing a good load.

I read somewhere many years ago that the case provides more than 50% of the accuracy potential in a loaded rifle round. I would also point out that using high quality primers is nearly as important IMO. This is what makes developing an accurate rifle load such an interesting process.

[JLA]

Oh yeah, nosler custom brass comes ready to load, trimmed, weight sorted and flashholes deburred. And its roughly the same price as the norma brass and just a tad more than lapua brass.

[Instr2012]

Thanks again to everyone. I am at a loss for a way to to properly express my graditude for your help simply because words seem so inadequate. I have asked question on other sites and nowhere have I received the help, respect, and positive information as I have received here. I will try the things that have been suggested and talked about and I am encouraged to continue to work on that once in a life time load. Who knows maybe I'll find it, maybe I won't but I now know where to go to for help for those questions that I know will come up.

Thanks again
Ken