.375 Brass for handloading: Hornady or Norma?

[shuter]

Remington and Winchester seem to be unavailable. Thoughts, gents?

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Norma brass is top stuff, right along with Lapua. But I haven't found a need for it regarding accuracy or longevity. I'd give the Hornady a go first. It worked very well for me when I had a .416 Rigby.

 

[IdaRam]

I have some of each for .375 H&H. The Norma is really top quality stuff but a lot more expensive. The Hornady is good quality, but not as good as the Norma. I would not hesitate to buy the Hornady again. In my opinion it is better quality than Remington and at least as good, maybe better, than Winchester.

 

[ActionBob]

If you want a deal on used brass, send me a private message with your address and I'll send you an assortment of used once fired brass. I don't reload but have saved some from practice and would be happy to send it to you if it helps get you started.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

If you want a deal on used brass, send me a private message with your address and I'll send you an assortment of used once fired brass. I don't reload but have saved some from practice and would be happy to send it to you if it helps get you started.

If shuter doesn't take it, I will. Ya got dibbs shuter!

 

[BRICKBURN]

I finally found some new brass after days of searching.
Finally called a distributor and asked where they had shipped some to.
Found four bags and bought two.
If you want the other two let me know.

 

[shuter]

If shuter doesn't take it, I will. Ya got dibbs shuter!

Thanks Bob (& Phil); I've already PM'd the gentleman. I may not be the sharpest tool, but I ain't stupid neither

 

[shuter]

I finally found some new brass after days of searching.
Finally called a distributor and asked where they had shipped some to.
Found four bags and bought two.
If you want the other two let me know.

Thanks Brickburn. I think I'll start with what Bob has so generously offered, along with the box of Hornady once fired stuff from factory loads I bought. Looks like Midway has both Hornady and Norma H&H in stock, by the way.

 

[ActionBob]

Yup it will be on the way soon as I get to the post office! Not positive how much I have as it is out in the detached garage and it's cold out there!

How much do you need?

And for the experienced guys, how many times can it be reloaded? How much brass do you try to have per caliber, especially the big bores?

I'm probably going to hoard the 416 Rigby and 505 Gibbs stuff for a while just in case I ever want to reload... Now that I have 3 guns over .4, the 375 seems like a nice practice round

 

[shuter]

Yup it will be on the way soon as I get to the post office! Not positive how much I have as it is out in the detached garage and it's cold out there!

How much do you need?

And for the experienced guys, how many times can it be reloaded? How much brass do you try to have per caliber, especially the big bores?

I'm probably going to hoard the 416 Rigby and 505 Gibbs stuff for a while just in case I ever want to reload... Now that I have 3 guns over .4, the 375 seems like a nice practice round

Thanks Bob! Whatever you'd like to send is much appreciated.

 

[AkMike]

I'd get any available! Norma is on the bottom of my personal list after I bought a few hundred 9.3X74R a few years ago and almost every one had a head separation after 2-3 loadings.

Yes they were normal loads not hot ones. Just a bad batch of brass.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Yup it will be on the way soon as I get to the post office! Not positive how much I have as it is out in the detached garage and it's cold out there!

How much do you need?

And for the experienced guys, how many times can it be reloaded? How much brass do you try to have per caliber, especially the big bores?

I'm probably going to hoard the 416 Rigby and 505 Gibbs stuff for a while just in case I ever want to reload... Now that I have 3 guns over .4, the 375 seems like a nice practice round

You'd better or shooting is going to get really expensive.

 

[IronCowboy]

I may not be as experienced on the Game as many of these other folks, but I've been reloading for big bore rifles for almost 20yrs. I learned how to reload as a kid in a .375H&H, loading it down for myself such that I could manage it as a young kid. Ever since then, I've been hooked! So I'll try to answer some of your questions:

First off - Hornady vs. Norma:

I've been playing with Hornady brass in different cartridges for about 3yrs. It tends to be quite regular in weight, which is nice for precision loads, but is rather soft, which is not great for high powered loads. So case life in 'standard pressure' cartridges tends to be 1/2 to 2/3 that of Winchester, Remington, or Norma brass, on the lower end of 1/2 as many loads for higher pressure loads (primer pockets open up and get loose on most, but case necks do split). It doesn't stop me from loading it, but I only buy it on sale to help fight off costs.

Norma, on the other hand, has treated me very well. I only tend to split necks when I'm lazy and neglect annealing when I know that I should have, and I can't say that I've had many primer pockets loosen up at all except for when I was reloading irresponsibly high pressure loads. BUT... On the other hand, Norma tends to cost about twice as much, so they have to last more than twice as long as the competition to justify the cost. Usually I only reserve Norma brass for my highest precision brass and my highest volume shooting where replacing brass would get costly and high volume dilutes investment.

How much do you need? .... How much brass do you try to have per caliber, especially the big bores?

Depends how much you shoot it. I like to keep enough brass on hand that I can justify loading enough rounds to keep me well fed for a few years at a time, if for some reason I wouldn't be able to get components or wasn't able to reload, etc. I'd get enough brass to let you practice regularly with the rifle, and then sustain a loaded set of "best brass" that is your most accurate pieces ready for your hunt.

I suppose it also depends how much you want to "invest". I started keeping track about 10yrs ago of pricing trends, and in general, ammunition and component prices increase faster than inflation, so you can consider that any dollar spent today on ammunition or brass is a GOOD INVESTMENT in shooting futures. Your dollar will never buy as much ammo in the future as it does today, relatively speaking. For my "hunting only" cartridges, I try to get "all that I will ever shoot in my lifetime" of most cartridges where my volumes are low, such that I likely will never have to buy again.

I'd say that I consider scarcity and history to be a strong multiplying force. I'm not 100% sure that the .416 Ruger will have the staying power that its Rigby and Rem Mag brothers have had, so I bought 500pcs of 416 Ruger (only stuff to be had is Hornady) on the day that I ordered that rifle, with intention to buy twice that much more before the end of the year when it becomes available. The idea there is that I'll have enough to last me through my lifetime, plus a healthy supply for my son when I pass on that rifle (hopefully 1,000rnds of surviving brass at that time). Although it might go through droughts, the 375 H&H is here to stay, so I wouldn't be as motivated to "stock up" so much.

[H]ow many times can it be reloaded?

That depends on how hot you're loading it, and the cartridge pressure. I'm expecting 3-5 loadings out of my .416 Ruger with full house loads and Hornady brass before the primer pockets loosen up. Maybe I'll get pleasantly surprised. I ran .458WM brass over a dozen low-pressure practice loadings that I recall without any of them giving out.

 

[shuter]

Thanks for the replies, all. Some great detail there, IronCowboy! Hadn't heard Hornady brass was "soft".