Pistol Brass Manufacturers Quality

[campfire]

At the beginning of this year I started reloading 357 magnum target loads on a Dillon Square Deal which I bought used and included in the deal were about 350 empty cases.
About 200 of those cases are PMC, and the rest are a bit of a mixture from several different manufacturers, (GFL, S&B, Sako, Norma).
I also have 50 nickel coated Winchester cases which were fired once from new bullets I bought at our local gun shop.
The PMC cases still look like they are holding up quite ok but the mixed lot is looking a bit ordinary.
I would like to eventually end up with all of the cases from the one manufacturer so I am thinking that once I get my moneys worth out of the ones that I have, I will just buy a whole new batch.
I was discussing the pros & cons of quality with a few blokes at the range last Sunday and the general opinion was that PMC were as good as you can get.
The ones that are most readily available to me are Winchester (most expensive), Starline, Remington and PMC.
Does anyone here have any opinions about which manufacturers make the best cases or are they all pretty much the same in quality and specifications.
As always, all replies appreciated.
Campfire

 

[campfire]

At the beginning of this year I started reloading 357 magnum target loads on a Dillon Square Deal which I bought used and included in the deal were about 350 empty cases.
About 200 of those cases are PMC, and the rest are a bit of a mixture from several different manufacturers, (GFL, S&B, Sako, Norma).
I also have 50 nickel coated Winchester cases which were fired once from new bullets I bought at our local gun shop.
The PMC cases still look like they are holding up quite ok but the mixed lot is looking a bit ordinary.
I would like to eventually end up with all of the cases from the one manufacturer so I am thinking that once I get my moneys worth out of the ones that I have, I will just buy a whole new batch.
I was discussing the pros & cons of quality with a few blokes at the range last Sunday and the general opinion was that PMC were as good as you can get.
The ones that are most readily available to me are Winchester (most expensive), Starline, Remington and PMC.
Does anyone here have any opinions about which manufacturers make the best cases or are they all pretty much the same in quality and specifications.
As always, all replies appreciated.
Campfire

 

[shovelwrench]

If I actually buy brass, its Starline.

 

[max]

I agree, Starline, if buying brass.

 

[dennis40x]

With no reason of consequence I've favored Winchester brass. Most of my pistol shooting is done with military brass in 45ACP and 9mm Luger. That said 357Mag or 38Spl most likely Winchester and 44Spl Starline. Why Starline in the 44Spl because I was able to by it in bulk. I've fired PMC ammunition which is comparable with the major brands in the market place.

 

[flash60601]

PMC, MagTech, Starline, Win, Rem, UMC, WCC, Federal, military, S&W, Fiocchi, S&B, NATO spec, nickel-plated or brass, and the list goes on . . . . They're all good, just that some are better than others.

For the .357, you should use a good roll-crimp, and the nickel-plated stuff is harder, and the crimp will promote case-mouth splitting sooner than it will in brass. When you pour your brass out on the table, it should ring like a little bell. Any case that goes "clunk" ought to be looked at carefully, because that is usually a sign of having lost its integrity, somehow.

With that having been said, there is one (and as far as I know, only ONE) brand to avoid, and that is AMERC. They vary so much in quality, dimension, thickness, volume, material, etc, that it is hard to imagine a more deserving candidate for the label of "The worst brass in the known world". I'd sooner reload Russian steel cases than AMERC, heck I'd rather fiddle and fool with BERDAN than use AMERC. Shoot it and leave it lie there, or if you are at a club where you or your friends gather brass, then gather it and toss it in the trash barrel so the next brass-urchin that comes along is spared the miserable experience.

Happy reloading and shooting.

Flash

 

[M29since14]

I have always preferred Federal brass in the magnum revolvers, even though once I did have some 32 Magnums split on their first firing, apparently because of improper tempering. Federal was very kind about it and sent me six boxes of new stuff to replace the affected two. I guess they assured themselves of keeping a loyal customer by taking an interest in, and addressing, my complaint. In .45 Auto, it used to be common to hear complaints about Remington brass, though I had a lot of it and saw no problems myself.

I can't recall having any really bad experiences with brass from any of the three major U.S. manufacturers, but for .357 Magnum (and 44 Magnum), Federal is my first choice, hands down.

 

[Storm52]

I reload for .45 acp and .40 S&W and use Winchester once fired and purchase Starline.

 

[Steve C]

The only ones I toss right away is the AMERC marked brass. Its not even reloading one time as the primer pockets are usually over sized and won't hold a new primer. All the rest get used.

 

[Howard B]

I concur with Flash and Steve. I dont even like to contaminate my recycle junk with AMERC. Leave it at the range. Other than that I will use pretty much anything I find, but if I had to resort to actually buying the stuff, Starline.

 

[n4zov]

I think you have received some good advice already so there isn't much I can add. However, I think maybe you are trying to compare apples and oranges. The 350 used cases you started with come from different manufacturers, and probably have different histories. Maybe some were fired and reloaded ten times and others only once or twice. Perhaps the PMC cases are just newer and have been reloaded fewer times. Also I'm not sure what your mean by,

The PMC cases still look like they are holding up quite ok but the mixed lot is looking a bit ordinary.

Have you had split cases or do they just look different? Personally I like to start with new unfired cases from a single manufacturer or use cases that I know for sure are once fired.

 

[campfire]

I have decided to just buy a whole new batch of Winchester brass and stick with them. I know that some here have said on other threads that they dont care if they all have different headstamps but for me I like to keep everything simple and stay with the one product I can trust. So Winchester it is.

n4zov
" Looking a bit ordinary" bit of Australian terminology here meaning not much good as in "I had a big night on the grog and next morning I was feeling a bit ordinary".

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Campfire