New brass for handloading

[GrapeApe]

250 Sav brass is the easiest parent case for my 7mm IHMSA XP 100. With it's tight chamber, necked down 300 Sav brass needs to be neck turned (Learned that one the hard way, needing to beat the bolt open on a fireforming load) and 22-250 needs to be neck reamed due to the dreaded "donut" of thicker brass from the shoulder becoming part of the 7mm neck.

I recently found out the Hornady is now making 250 Sav brass

IME, Hornady brass has fallen on the "better than most" (#3 in my list) end of the scale for reloading. I put Norma at #2 and , of course, Lapua at #1.
In my list, it ties Starline and beats Win, Rem, Fed and most foreign, cheap brass (PPU and such).

I know I omitted Nosler and have heard their brass, while expensive, is top notch. However, since I have no first hand experience with it, I don't have it on my personal list

I am aware, that in some cases "brand X" is the best brass for "caliber y" by default, being the only source of it.

Excluding the "only source" examples, I'm curios about your preference in new brass.

[Bigslug]

Yep. Lapua #1 and Norma most probably #2. I have no reason not to put Starline at #3.

Since I've left the competition world and mostly been handloading for hunting and simple screwing around with cast bullets, I've become a lot less fussy. The biggest challenge I have is that while a pile of .30-06 brass might all be (for example) from Winchester, it's not all going to be Winchester from the same production lot - maybe not from the same decade. . .or even the same half-century. For shooting mild 2000 fps cast bullet loads offhand on milk jugs at 100 yards to practice with my hunting rifles, this is usually fine, but for ramping up to more "for reals" applications, there's too much variation for comfort without sorting by weight.

But what I have witnessed is that generally, single-source brass has gotten A LOT more consistent over the last 35 years . . .to the point that my attitude is: Lapua for "zero doubts" ammo, and as long as it's the same production lot, don't really care for anything else so long as it functions through the gun in question.

[GrapeApe]

For high production plinking ammo, (mostly handgun, in my case) I'm right there with you. Even speed shooting ammo in mixed "range brass" works fine. I'm mainly picky about ammo that's going to be attempting small groups on paper, hunting ammo, or ammo pushing the limits and/or "off the reservation" to the north of sensible.

"Brand X" having 5% less case capacity than "brand Y" can make a big difference when trying to sneak up on an absolute "max" load for a particular cartridge.
Same with loads looking for the smallest groups.
When it comes to hunting, it is mainly about confidence. Knowing the ammo I'm about to shoot at "the critter" is capable of more precision than I am in field conditions, is just a warm, fuzzy confidence builder to me.

[CPJ 2.0]

Last new brass purchased was probably 20+ years ago, Winchester. It may have been good, may have been bad, but I never knew the difference.
Since I’ve not done a ton of shooting/reloading so as to burn through brass, I’ve not bought any since. And since I have a fair supply of once fired .308 and .223 brass, I don’t see myself buying any new. Unless it’s a cartridge not based on .308 or .223.
Hornady brass is my go to for .308, it’s hands down the best. Even if it is once fired.
Because the price is right.

[Zee]

I use Hornady, Starline, Lake City, and Winchester.

[Justsomedude]

The fun thing for me is just making something that goes bang and makes smoke without blowing a gun apart. The only new brass I have experience with is the 350 Legend Starline brass I bought to make my 9mm wildcat and it looks really nice. It's uniform too for what it's worth.

[Wambli Ska]

Since my goal is .5 MOA in bolt actions just about any brass carefully loaded will get me there easily. But lately I've been reloading a lot more of the Cowboy cartridges and in those Starline had done everything I need it to do so that's my go to.

[Elk Creek]

Back in my f-class days I used lake city 556 brass and lapua 308 brass………the Lapua is incredibly consistent brass.

[sakodude]

No real opinion here since the only brass I've purchased in the last 25 years has been 32-20 from starline,the only option and 25-35 from hornady again, the only option.