Lapua vs Norma vs Starline .223 Rem Brass

[rockhound78]

Making up some 223AI and have one box of Lapua brass left, but have some Norma 223 ammo I can shoot to fireform and just got in some Starline 5.56 brass which Starline says is a bit harder in the head area.

The gun (Remington) was made for our Varmint Silhouette matches which go to 500 yds (full size chicken) which I need to knock down, so I run things more in the 5.56 NATO range for pressures.

Thoughts?

 

[Dgd6mm]

I'm shooting the 5.56 Starline brass for mid range FTR and so far it has not disappointed me. I weighed all 200 pieces. Interior and exterior, the outlier were ugly, but few. If you shoot them among the rest at 600 yards you will definitely see it. I personally like it and will continue to shoot it.

 

[LVLAaron]

Starline 223 and 5.56 (they have both, 5.56 is tougher) are both excellent and measure out as good as lapua, sometimes better.

However, it does have less case capacity; user beware.

 

[DocBII]

Good day,

I had to anneal the new Starline .223 brass to get consistent neck tension. It's very hard compared to Win, Lapua and Remington.

YMMV,
DocBII

 

[KMW 1954]

Have not had the pleasure of using Lapua or Starline but I do have 350pcs or Norma that I have been using for my Target loads.

 

[Ned Ludd]

Making up some 223AI and have one box of Lapua brass left, but have some Norma 223 ammo I can shoot to fireform and just got in some Starline 5.56 brass which Starline says is a bit harder in the head area.

The gun (Remington) was made for our Varmint Silhouette matches which go to 500 yds (full size chicken) which I need to knock down, so I run things more in the 5.56 nato range for pressures

Thoughts?

I have used all three in .223 Rem F-TR loads with heavy bullets (88-95 gr). In my hands, precision with Norma brass is every bit as good as Lapua, although the primer pockets do require a bit more effort up front. The downside to Norma is that the primer pockets don't seem to last quite as well as Lapua, so perhaps it wouldn't be the best choice if you're planning on running pressures anywhere close to MAX in the AI. Otherwise, it would be fine. Just be aware there are at least three different headstamps available with Norma .223 Rem brass and not all are equal. The Norma .223 Rem brass I am describing is the lighter version presumably from Sweden, whereas the Hungarian variant(s) seem to be much heavier with thicker case walls. As such, the Hungarian Norma brass might withstand pressure a little better, but I don't know that with certainty. I have not yet fired the Starline 5.56 brass enough to make any statement about it. I previously used Starline .223 Rem brass and found that the precision in my hands was not quite as good as Lapua or Norma.

First and foremost, whichever brand of brass you choose will need to deliver the precision you require in the Varmint Silhouette matches. If it doesn't, pressure and case life really won't matter much. The Starline 5.56 brass has received solid reviews from a number of F-TR shooters in various threads here at Accurate Shooter, especially with respect to its longevity. I might consider starting with the Starline and/or Lapua, fireforming a sufficient number of pieces of each to do some preliminary load development for comparison, and then comparing based on precision. Once a selection was made, you could then prepare a greater amount of the chosen brand.

 

[karrarararararar]

Case capacity measurements I took with starline 5.56 vs LC back in the winter.

 

[rockhound78]

Thanks. Will try out the Starline and see how it performs.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Give the Sig brass a test.

 

[miningshawn]

I have nothing but good words to say about Starline, my experience has been great. In a box of 2500 I had one cull - an off-center primer hole.
For my AR platforms the brass stands up to shoulder dents so much better than anything else I have used. I have a couple of Ackleys (even an AR 223AI) and they fire-form great.
I finally felt guilty after 20 plus reloadings on a batch and replaced them. The primer pockets were still tight, and I ran some fairly high pressures.
At less than half the cost of Lapua, I won't be changing back anytime soon.

 

[RabbitSlayer]

I just got 500 starline 556 and weighed them all. I cant remember if I posted the results, but I can. I culled 4 outliers. I have spot checked maybe 50+ for flash hole burrs. Just looking in there, i only found one that might have a burr. I resized 250, mandrel, and chamfered. The es\sd went way down compared to the fireformed Fiocchi brass that had been flash hole deburr and uniformed pockets. I also spot checked a out 50 for headspace and oal. I think all had the same headspace and the oal only varied a little. I don't remember off hand, but I decided it was as good or better than me trimming it.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I just got 500 starline 556 and weighed them all. I cant remember if I posted the results, but I can. I culled 4 outliers. I have spot checked maybe 50+ for flash hole burrs. Just looking in there, i only found one that might have a burr. I resized 250, mandrel, and chamfered. The es\sd went way down compared to the fireformed Fiocchi brass that had been flash hole deburr and uniformed pockets. I also spot checked a out 50 for headspace and oal. I think all had the same headspace and the oal only varied a little. I don't remember off hand, but I decided it was as good or better than me trimming it.

I just did 300 .223 Starline and liked it too. Trim length looked good and primers all set below flush. I deburred the flash holes and thought it was probably worth it but I could have eye balled them and not have to hit a bunch of them. I figured I could hit it with the tool as fast as inspecting all of them.