Winchester Brass

[Shrek]

I just received 50 308 win Winchester cases from Midway and it’s terrible ! Every primer hole is an uneven oval. Just looking at the necks you can see they’re ridiculously uneven. I’m not even going to try to clean it up. Calling Midway tomorrow to send the garbage back. It didn’t need to be Lapua quality as it’s for a factory Encore that’s just a backup hunting rifle that will never be shot more than 300 yards but Winchester brass is ridiculous. Has Winchester moved production to China ? Rant over...

 

[Ramblerman]

That sucks...and on top of that, you gotta deal with Midway and their returns policy...the reasons (2x) that I no longer give them my money...ok, sorry...my rant now over too!!

 

[chkunz]

I bought 3000 ea 223 Winchester brass for ~ 21 cents each this past year and I was satisfied with the buy. I inspected it carefully and culled about 3 per hundred. I have found culls in more expensive brass like Lapua but fewer culls than the Winchester. I am satisfied with the purchase. Your experience was significantly different than mine.

 

[Mark W]

My experience is definitely closer to @chkunz than to the OP. It’s not uncommon for me to cull a couple per hundred but never more than three.

 

[natdscott]

I went Distinguished with that awful Winchester brass. Course, I did have 1,000 of them in rotation through that rifle, so if I wanted to cull one, in the trash it went.

Old habits die hard...I'm just as lickitysplit about tossing a Lapua.

 

[Sniper338]

This doesnt suprise me.

 

[Rsadams]

I went to sig brass because of the last bag of .308 Winchester brass I bought and took back.... Absolutely horrible , it looked like somebody shoveled it off a concrete floor , it was so scratched up... Looked like a bag of rejects to me.... Can't say how good the Sig brass I haven't got to it yet , but it's night and day difference between them and the same price....

 

[snert]

Peterson

 

[MagnumManiac]

My last few bags (red/white) of Winnie brass have had pleated necks, wrinkled shoulders and weird dents near the belt on 300WM/338WM/264WM and the same defects with 25-06 and 30-06. I sent 5 bags back, received 5 new bags and had 2 more pleated cases.
I will not be buying more.

Cheers.

 

[old_heli_logger]

The new red labeled bags suck. The old blue labeled bags were good.
Good luck!

 

[boltfluter]

The new red labeled bags suck. The old blue labeled bags were good.
Good luck!

Heli logger,

Now you have gone and done it! The red vs the blue bag scenario ! This should be good! Where's the popcorn? Lmao!!

Paul

 

[Shrek]

I’ve used plenty of Winchester brass over the years and it has mostly been good. I had one bag of 7-08 that had a few oval flash holes but tossed a couple and cleaned up the rest but this batch is every flash hole and pocket. It’s just garbage. I’m going to order a box of Lapua and be happy as I load instead of frustrated.

 

[thatguyshm]

I had the problem with a bag of 22-250 brass a year ago. One 100 qty bag out of six I bought over a few month span. I always got a few folded necks, but it wasn't terrible. Then came the bag of terrible primer pockets everything out of round.

I contacted Winchester and got my money back through them at MSRP. I use Sig for my 22-250 AI now and will not be looking back. No lot to lot difference in weights, round and clean, no need to deburr flash holes. Great brass.

 

[nmkid]

When Nosler brass came out was the last time I bought Winchester brass (statement is for time reference only). At that time Winchester brass was way better than Nosler, for me anyway. I guess times have changed. My own personal "bitch" is that some companies put out high dollar "stuff" that is not worth the money and we, for the most part, just put up with it.

 

[Zero333]

The red label bags are much worst than the older blue.

Couple years ago I retired 300 pieces of 243 Winchester brass. 3 different lots mixed and the ES weight variation from lightest to heaviest was 2.1 gr. 95% of them were within 1.5. gr of each other.

Those were blue bag.

 

[1K6BRA]

 

[Milo 2.0]

The old blue bag stuff was decent. I bought the orange bag 243 brass to shoot a 6SLR. I'm pretty sure I formed 1300 cases to get 2300 rds fired from 2 barrels.

 

[Ggmac]

I always thought brass came in boxes , well it use to a long time ago . 20 at a time .

 

[K22]

I have had more unusable new cases from Winchester by a significant margin than any other brand I've ever used (i.e. Rem, Federal, Hornady)

 

[tomswede]

Used to think Winchester was pretty good, not anymore after a batch of 308 cases with the off center/oval flash holes. One or two cases/100 lost is not bad this was a lot more. No more Winchester brass. Seems like the problem is with their ammo too, got some 124gr NATO 9mm Winchester ammo, some of it had a pronounced roll crimp!