Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
nw07heavy

Anyone know case water capacities for different .270 Win brass?

Recommended Posts

I was wondering if any reloaders here have the case capacities of current different brands of .270 Win brass, or has QL data that has these case capacities. I just picked up a .270 Win and have Winchester brass, but would like to have the capacity numbers before working up loads with different makes. Thanks in advance for any help.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Pick a headstamp and stick with it. Do not mix brands. Weigh them and record the brass content.
I can tell you that Federal always has higher brass content than Rem, Win, Nosler. Hornady is similar but not quite as heavy. Plus, not a huge fan of Hornady brass.

I like Nosler for the fact that is is pretty much ready to go, and has great consistency. Usually about 1gr across 100 pieces. But, new brass and factory loaded rounds have shown big differences in weight variation. A Nosler factory loaded round's brass could be as much as 20 grains different than a box of new brass. I have found that the case head area is fairly soft, and if you are running hot loads, expect brass to last about 5-7 reloads before losing primer pockets.

Remington and Winchester are pretty long lasting. But you usually need to buy about 20% more than you want to load to cull cases out of weight spec. Plus, you will have to settle for about 3 grains of weight difference vs. 1gr like Nosler, Lapua, Norma, etc. I have some Rem .300RUM brass that has been fired 8-10 times and still going strong, and always run hot.

Also, my 6.5SLR uses Rem .243 brass. Some of those cases have been fired 9-10 times and still working great.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Pick a headstand and stick with it. Do not mix brands. Weigh them and record the brass content.

I can tell you that Federal always has higher brass content than Rem, Win, Nosler. Hornady is similar but not quite as heavy. Plus, not a huge fan of Hornady brass.

 

I like Nosler for the fact that is is pretty much ready to go, and has great consistency. Usually about 1gr across 100 pieces. But, new brass and factory loaded rounds have shown big differences in weight variation. A Nosler factory loaded round's brass could be as much as 20 grains different than a box of new brass. I have found that the case head area is fairly soft, and if you are running hot loads, expect brass to last about 5-7 reloads before losing primer pockets.

 

Remington and Winchester are pretty long lasting. But you usually need to buy about 20% more than you want to load to cull cases out of weight spec. Plus, you will have to settle for about 3 grains of weight difference vs. 1gr like Nosler, Lapua, Norma, etc. I have some Rem .300RUM brass that has been fired 8-10 times and still going strong, and always run hot.

 

Also, my 6.5SLR uses Rem .243 brass. Some of those cases have been fired 9-10 times and still working great.

Lance, Thanks for your observed idiosyncrasies on the various makes of brass. This is valuable and comes only over many years of experience. I'll note your comments. I usually prefer Lapua brass but the.270 Win is not available.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I like Lapua too. But, as you stated, they have a limited offering.

 

And, for some wildcats, they take a lot more prep to work. My 6.5SLR uses either .260 Rem or .243 Win brass. You run it through the FL die and are 95% done, lengthening the neck and making a 30° shoulder, same as the 6.5x47L, but with a longer body for more case capacity. Rem and Win are the only makers that have the same thickness neck & shoulder, so you don't get a donut at the base of the new neck. Otherwise, you need to turn necks.

 

With the Lapua .30-06 brass available, it is conceivable they could make a .280 Rem case, which could be formed into .270 Win or .280AI very easily. It would take some work to get the .30-06 to .270 Win dimensions, and the neck would probably be short for most of the cases usable life cycle. Body to shoulder are in the same place w. .30-06 & .270, but case length is about .050" shorter on the .30-06.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have seen military 30-06 brass sized to 270. I believe the neck stretches a little when sizing.

 

The Winchester brass I've been getting lately has been absolutely horrible! Weight differences of up to 10 grains in 50 pcs.and I've found a lot cracks in necks and shoulders. Didn't use to be that bad.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have seen military 30-06 brass sized to 270. I believe the neck stretches a little when sizing.

 

The Winchester brass I've been getting lately has been absolutely horrible! Weight differences of up to 10 grains in 50 pcs.and I've found a lot cracks in necks and shoulders. Didn't use to be that bad.

 

I have used Winchester brass with great success, that is until about two years ago also bought cases that had cracks dents etc generally horrible looking qualities. Not sure which way to go now.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

I have seen military 30-06 brass sized to 270. I believe the neck stretches a little when sizing.

The Winchester brass I've been getting lately has been absolutely horrible! Weight differences of up to 10 grains in 50 pcs.and I've found a lot cracks in necks and shoulders. Didn't use to be that bad.

 

I have used Winchester brass with great success, that is until about two years ago also bought cases that had cracks dents etc generally horrible looking qualities. Not sure which way to go now.

 

 

Lapua, Nosler, Norma, Remington in that order. Some are more expensive but it pencils out when you get over 20 firings from Lapua and have to cull 1/4 to 1/2 of the lot of Winchester by the 2nd loading.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for all your observations. Looks like Winchester brass really needs to be scrutinized.

Yesterday I tried a box of Winchester 130 grain Power Point factory ammo and chrono'd four rounds in a 24" barrel. Interestingly, velocities came in, and adjusted for meteorological conditions, I recorded 3,037 fps, 3,166 fps, 3,151 fps, and 3,114 fps, which is quite a variation, since the box indicated 3,060, but no barrel length.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

nosler or norma is the most uniform. capacity only matter if you are after velocity or pressure. re-26 will give the highest velocity..

I was looking for uniformity and durability information, as well as max capacity, if it is more than very slight. Norma would be as good as Lapua brass. I have RE-26 for 140's and 150's, and am getting RE-16 for 130's. I understand these new Alliant powders are super in the .270 Win. Thanks

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

nosler or norma is the most uniform. capacity only matter if you are after velocity or pressure. re-26 will give the highest velocity..

I was looking for uniformity and durability information, as well as max capacity, if it is more than very slight. Norma would be as good as Lapua brass. I have RE-26 for 140's and 150's, and am getting RE-16 for 130's. I understand these new Alliant powders are super in the .270 Win. Thanks

 

 

H4831 has been very good for me with 140's.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

 

nosler or norma is the most uniform. capacity only matter if you are after velocity or pressure. re-26 will give the highest velocity..

I was looking for uniformity and durability information, as well as max capacity, if it is more than very slight. Norma would be as good as Lapua brass. I have RE-26 for 140's and 150's, and am getting RE-16 for 130's. I understand these new Alliant powders are super in the .270 Win. Thanks

 

 

H4831 has been very good for me with 140's.

 

Thanks, I may well try it, if the RE 26 doesn't work out well.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Stick with 130gr bullets in your 270 for deer and try working up to 60gr Hogden 4831. you will be fine there. Doesn't make any diff how much water capacity the cases hold, as your not shooting water. You don't need to over Engineer this stuff. Use the Kiss pricipal.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This may be to late a post for this, but to get volume for your brass, deprime , then set bullet to the depth that you are going to shoot with, then weight it empty.

use a needle and fill the brass with water until it comes out primer hole, then weight it again.  difference between will be the volume of powder you can use.  Factory loads 

work around 82 to 85 % of volume,  you might get close to 90 % if you really want a hot load, don't go much over that, match your powder and volume and you are ready to go.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×