7 rem mag brass

[asdew1880]

Does anyone have reccomendations for a good brand of brass for my 7 rem mag?? I have been using my Lee loader (rubber mallet ) with fire formed factory cases and I'd like to get some new brass for fall hunting! Seems every brand on Midway has just enough bad reviews to make me Leary. I'll be loading 150 ttsx, 150gr e-tips and 150gr partitions.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Norma if you can find it.

 

[cahunter805]

If cost isn’t a factor I’d run Nosler/Norma brass. If budget go Remington.

 

[VikingsGuy]

My S-I-L uses nosler to good effect.

 

[Doublecluck]

Norma

 

[mtmuley]

Doubt you'll notice a difference in any of them. Load what you can find. What Brass Do you have now? mtmuley

 

[Millsworks]

The Hornady brass is the only brand I have consistently had fail in the 7mm mag.
Starline is durable and affordable.
Remington works fine but has a slightly lower powder capacity than most.
Most all brands are good to go in the 7mm mag. Buy what you can afford, annealing every 4-5 loadings make them last as long as the barrel in most cases.

 

[Addicting]

Keep a eye out on Gun Broker for once fired lots. I picked up 100 Nosler custom once fired for 74 bucks shipped. That’s half of what new would of cost.

 

[Tradewind]

Norma and Nosler. never had a prob. 3 loadings.

I just keep an eye out on Midway and pick up a box when available.
Nosler is a little tight on the first primer seating

 

[Bullshot]

The Hornady brass is the only brand I have consistently had fail in the 7mm mag.
Starline is durable and affordable.
Remington works fine but has a slightly lower powder capacity than most.
Most all brands are good to go in the 7mm mag. Buy what you can afford, annealing every 4-5 loadings make them last as long as the barrel in most cases.

Consistent failures? I'm curious of what nature? I am new to reloading, but I stocked up on some Hornady brass and thought it looked good. Remington brass had some cracked cases new in the bag, which was a bit scary on their QA/QC.

 

[mtmuley]

Consistent failures? I'm curious of what nature? I am new to reloading, but I stocked up on some Hornady brass and thought it looked good. Remington brass had some cracked cases new in the bag, which was a bit scary on their QA/QC.

Just goes to show, someone will have a problem with any brass made. I've pounded the crap out of Remington brass in a RUM for 20 years. I generally like Remington brass. Never had a cracked case out of new stuff. I also have Hornady, Federal, Winchester and recently ADG in various cartridges. And some Lake City stuff. The 7 RM isn't that hard on brass. Like I said, use what you have, or can get. mtmuley

 

[AssawomanGunsmith]

I came across a bunch of new nosler brass at an auction in both 7mm rem mag and 280 ackley and I'm very pleased with it. If I didn't get the great deal on it i probably would have never tried it but I am very pleased, its very consistent and uniform and just seems overall great quality.

 

[MThuntr]

To be honest, you're using a Lee Loader which isn't the most precise of loading methods. It should make consistent ammo with just about any brass out there but I don't think I'd drop any amount of money on Norma or Nosler unless I upgraded to a more precise method

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

To be honest, you're using a Lee Loader which isn't the most precise of loading methods. It should make consistent ammo with just about any brass out there but I don't think I'd drop any amount of money on Norma or Nosler unless I upgraded to a more precise method

That's exactly what I was going to say. Put your money into an actual press before you worry about nice brass. Not that there's anything wrong with your method, you just probably won't see an increase in accuracy using different brass.

I would think that the difference between higher quality brass and cheaper stuff would probably let you budget for a cheap (or used) press and a set of dies.

 

[Don Fischer]

I get what ever is least expensive and made in America, hopefully. I've used Norma in 7mm mag years ago and it was very good. But, it didn't seem to me to be any better than Winchester or Remington! I used the same reloader to start with the 7mm mag you have. Can't remember how well it went bu do remember killing a deer with a reload from it and a 150gr Herter bullet. With the hit I had any brand of bullet would have gave the same resulte but then I was young and new and Herter bullet's killed like lighting! You will find down the road that each brand has it's champion's and they will not be swayed! Like me. I use mostly Winchester. It last's well and is inexpensive and easy to find around here! That equals the best for me!

 

[asdew1880]

That's exactly what I was going to say. Put your money into an actual press before you worry about nice brass. Not that there's anything wrong with your method, you just probably won't see an increase in accuracy using different brass.

I would think that the difference between higher quality brass and cheaper stuff would probably let you budget for a cheap (or used) press and a set of dies.

That's a great point, I was just thinking instead of buying more factory ammo for 40-50$ / 20 cases to fireform, I could just buy more brass from the same manufacturer and keep my current "old" brass for reduced loads. Definitely have a good return on investment with the Lee loader and have been on the fence for upgrading....will definitely happen in the future. I'm living in an apartment and probably will for at least another year so the Lee loader is a good compromise considering I don't have a legit workspace....although I somehow managed to run a trapline this season and still keep my fiance lol


Any tips for setting up a small station without blowing the bank??

 

[asdew1880]

I get what ever is least expensive and made in America, hopefully. I've used Norma in 7mm mag years ago and it was very good. But, it didn't seem to me to be any better than Winchester or Remington! I used the same reloader to start with the 7mm mag you have. Can't remember how well it went bu do remember killing a deer with a reload from it and a 150gr Herter bullet. With the hit I had any brand of bullet would have gave the same resulte but then I was young and new and Herter bullet's killed like lighting! You will find down the road that each brand has it's champion's and they will not be swayed! Like me. I use mostly Winchester. It last's well and is inexpensive and easy to find around here! That equals the best for me!

Yeah, I was able to shoot a doe antelope with some nosler 120gr in WY during my first Western hunt.....DIY from start to finish in all aspects...very satisfying

 

[asdew1880]

To be honest, you're using a Lee Loader which isn't the most precise of loading methods. It should make consistent ammo with just about any brass out there but I don't think I'd drop any amount of money on Norma or Nosler unless I upgraded to a more precise method

The Hornady brass is the only brand I have consistently had fail in the 7mm mag.
Starline is durable and affordable.
Remington works fine but has a slightly lower powder capacity than most.
Most all brands are good to go in the 7mm mag. Buy what you can afford, annealing every 4-5 loadings make them last as long as the barrel in most cases.

I was looking at starline maybe for my .45/70 mostly because it looked like a good value.

Doubt you'll notice a difference in any of them. Load what you can find. What Brass Do you have now? mtmuley

A mix of Winchester, Remington and Hornady from a mix of about 5 factory loads that I bought in 2016. I'm mostly looking to get a larger amount of the same brass to start with a consistent baseline for 2019. I'm also fine with anything less than 2 MOA within 300 yds for my hunting purposes.

 

[MThuntr]

you can get a Lee kit for cheap but I hate their scale so personally I'd replace it or get a kit with a better scale. Lee dies work great...get the full length sizing kit. Mount the setup to a 2x6 and clamp to table or counter. I had a kit mounted to a wooden TV tray for awhile when I lived in an apartment

I run Starline brass in my 45-70...good stuff.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

That's a great point, I was just thinking instead of buying more factory ammo for 40-50$ / 20 cases to fireform, I could just buy more brass from the same manufacturer and keep my current "old" brass for reduced loads. Definitely have a good return on investment with the Lee loader and have been on the fence for upgrading....will definitely happen in the future. I'm living in an apartment and probably will for at least another year so the Lee loader is a good compromise considering I don't have a legit workspace....although I somehow managed to run a trapline this season and still keep my fiance lol


Any tips for setting up a small station without blowing the bank??

Sure thing! Like Mthuntr said above, the Lee kits are pretty solid. That's what I use. Yeah, the scale isn't all that great, but it is reliable from what I've found. I wrote up a bit of a review here: https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/lee-breach-lock-challenger-kit-review.285564/

You already know what components you'll need for the ammo, but you should have everything you really need with this kit besides dies and a caliper. One other thing you could also consider if you still want to reload in your apartment without getting a bench set up is the Lee hand press dealeo. Might be a bit of a workout reloading for a magnum... but at least you'd get some sweet guns built up for your fiance. I think most people stick to smaller stuff with this though... although I've never tried it.