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Hi,
i am after some new 300 win mag brass .
i use Hornady currently . that brass is not reliably consistent .
I have seen Bretram brass for sale .
I am a bit picky in my reloading , wanting the best accuracy possible , so , what are people thinking about Bertram ? if lapua is the best , and norma are 2nd , where does Bertram fit ?
cheers
les
Bertram can vary by batch, a lot, bit of a lottery
I think you just answered your own question, if you can get Lapua why wouldn't you?
I've found Norma to be consistent and no manufacturing issues (use straight out of the bag) but has been reported as a little on the soft side for a few of those that like loading to the 'performance' end of the spectrum. I've no personal experience loading bertram, but recent scuttlebutt has been that it is well made, consistent case to case but reported to be softer than the Norma. Those that don't run hot loads seem happy.
One of the things for me is being able to use the brass straight out of the packet without needing to stuff around cleaning flash holes and checking for consistency, and that for me has been Lapua. One of the things that people have noted though is the Lapua can be a wee bit deceptive and can run you into pressure issues without displaying the usual signs. Other brass has had the same rep as well though, so it's something that needs to be factored in.
There are other makers, ADG, Sako, Nosler and Federal as well as some others - but then we keep going back to Lapua, and really it's only a few cents a firing dearer than the other options.
Bertram is fine if you are running low pressure vintage like me
But sub optimal in a 300 and at pressure
Try and find something else if you can
Never used it personally. Have seen online comments about problems with Bertram brass. Not going the distance compared to better stuff.
Personally I use almost exclusively Norma. If you're need isn't urgent search a few sites and try to pick up once fired, from the same batch if possible. It does come up reasonably often.
Next best ( my opinion ) would be Remington or Winchester but funnily enough I think it more likely you will see Norma offered. Seems many shooters like Norma in 300 Win Mag.
Agree with you re Hornady. Have given up using it due to brass quality issues. I don't use Federal either which is reputed to be quite soft, which I agree with.
I've been using it in the 7mm wsm mainly because it was all I could get. been getting good results accuracy wise. maybe a bit soft as I found pressure at 2880 with 2213 and berger 168 vlds. dropped back to 2830 and had no issues and excellent accuracy.
tried Winchester brass and been splitting shoulders and necks left right and center even with under book max. might have to anneal them and see what happens.
if I could get Lapua I'd use that but I'm snookered with brass choice for that particular caliber.
I've been given a fair bit of Win brass, unknown number of firings and quite a bit of variation across the head stamps which would indicate to me different batches/runs and some will be factory loads and some empty cases. I've been through it, trimmed to length, uniformed the primer pockets and cleaned it then batched by weight. About four distinct weight groups... I'm using it for sub loads and it is a lifetime supply for that purposes...
I have Lapua 300WM brass availible along with a heap of others
I have used Bertram in the past & still do, but if you other brass availible I would use that instead, except 375-408 Cheytac
Bertram is generally strong brass, it can have thin necks compared to others, which isn't an issue if you know
But as others have stated it can be very hit & miss
Been using the same batch of 100 for ages (338 edge)
Some cases have been reloaded 10 times, no issues
There’s mixed reviews, but I’m more than happy,
Tried a few others, Norma etc and the Bertram definitely been the best,