New winchester brass is crap
- Thread starter 6xcshooter
- Start date
When the labor pool is made up of unskilled people from third world countries you can't really be all that surprised. Add to that the typical lack of integrity in the average American and it surprises me that you're not used to product quality problems. Besides all that, Winchester brass hasn't been all that good for quite a few decades in my opinion, I quit using it back in the 1990's. I got tired of having to clean the flash holes, uniforming the primer pockets, resizing, and trimming brand new brass.
Some years back everyone was out of Lapua 6.5 X 284 so I bought 200 pieces of Norma even though it was more expensive than Lapua. 50% cull rate due to neck thickness variances as much as .008". Sent samples to the Norma factory and they admitted they has put out a bad batch but no offer to replace the brass. So I was out over $200. Basically the worst batch of brass I'd ever gotten from any source.
I did buy some Norma .416 Rigby brass later on simply because there was no other source at the time and fortunately it was all good because that was over two bucks a case. Given loaded .416 is $100 and up for a box of twenty rolling your own is the only way to go.
So for everything else it's Lapua if Lapua makes it. LC is cheap and pretty good for .223 plinking ammo. Haven't needed to try the new brass makers like ADG and whoever.
I've found a lot of their pistol brass is garbage also. I've had dozens of .45 ACP brass with flash holes so big there was barely enough material in the bottom of the pocket to seat the primer on. Now I'm finding 9MM cases with the primer pocket off center. A while back I called Winchester about the .45 ACP cases, The customer service ? representative I spoke with refused to do anything about the bad cases, he said I needed to take this up with the people I bought the cases from. I said they only sold them and didn't make them, you people made them, are you going to make it right and replace them, he said no. Then it was, is there anything else I can do for you, I said you haven't done anything at all, anything else would imply you've done something, then it was nothing but dead air.
tac284
Gold $$ Contributor
Stopped in a gun shop over the weekend and eye balled a bag of new 284 brass. The second piece I looked at through the bag had a double primer hole through it. Think the price was $55.99
Winchester used to be the best VALUE brass brand. All of my 300WM is still Winchester because it is "blue bag" stuff >5 years old on its 8-10th loading. Don't recall culling a single case back then.
It has been at least 5 years since I bought bottleneck Winchester brass that was worth it. TERRIBLE QC, far worse than any other brand. I wouldn't rank it above anything else at this point and will never buy it again.
It has been at least 5 years since I bought bottleneck Winchester brass that was worth it. TERRIBLE QC, far worse than any other brand. I wouldn't rank it above anything else at this point and will never buy it again.
Exactly what I was thinking.... Last batch I bought and took back actually looked like it had been on a concrete floor it's whole life , then scooped up with a shovel and bagged... It had magic marker on the necks like it was rejects.... As someone said they load factory bullets with that stuff and why I won't buy their factory rounds either.....Does anybody think they outsource to China?Sure looks like Chinese junk.
D-4297
Gold $$ Contributor
Been shooting Win 7.62x54r for about five years in one "F" rifle , and I was told going in that my first go-around would require complete prep . They were correct .And compounding the problem was that Winchester doesn't sell that caliber in bare brass . Only loaded rounds . SOoooooo , this was once-fired from bulk lot dealers . Once I had run it through my rifle with a moderate load , I did a F/L , primer pockets inside and out , and had 500 pieces annealed . Shot it again ; and did a complete processing again , and trimmed , de-burred necks . Those Win cases are excellent , and I was told they were made for Win by S&B . Don't know if that's correct or not .
Make a long story shorter , I buy the once fired from a local dealer and he has always provided me with decent 54r cases . The first 500 are on their 7th or 8th reload and still in the 190's if the trigger puller does his job . But I will agree that the .308 brass I looked at was junk . Wouldn't buy it at half the price they ask for . Will switch over to Lapua for my M-N when I get my inheritance .
Make a long story shorter , I buy the once fired from a local dealer and he has always provided me with decent 54r cases . The first 500 are on their 7th or 8th reload and still in the 190's if the trigger puller does his job . But I will agree that the .308 brass I looked at was junk . Wouldn't buy it at half the price they ask for . Will switch over to Lapua for my M-N when I get my inheritance .
Every piece of new Win 284 brass I have has a primer hole drilled and another punched almost identically in the same hole but not quite. Looks like a slight figure 8. Kinda oblong. Many pieces had neck mouth issues. I bought 8 bags when Cabela's had that 34.99 deal on 100 count bags. I'll bet 100 of that 800 are not reloadable. Still got a good price but primer pockets could go fast or brass may split after a couple reloads. Either way, I won't be buying anymore Winchester brass until I hear good future reviews.
New bag of Winchester 30-30, all look great and loaded fine. Needed the typical mouth deburr operation but that's normal with anything but the euro stuff and Alpha. Perhaps their QC is lousy on certain calibers? Or maybe they're still pulling & selling 30-30 from a lot made several years ago?
There QC is terrible on all cartridges, you just got lucky. Keep buying it, your luck will run out. 30/30 brass is in pretty low demand. Your probably buying old lots that were produced years ago
MikeT49
Gold $$ Contributor
Happens all the time. MFWICs + Beancounters = Disaster
Is there members here that are associated with winchester or Olin ? If so possibly you can explain why such poor quality of your brass. Or is someone here that knows someone in the higher ranks of the Olin or winchester that could contact them to see what’s going on in that corporation? I’d just like to hear or see if they even care about there products. Pretty obvious they don’t care, just like to know how they justify putting out such poor products.
After a career in the trades, I prefer goods from overseas.
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