New reloader waiting for press to arrive, have brass question

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Wing Rider

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Hi all,
I am brand new to reloading (waiting for first press to arrive for birthday!!) I have a friend that is helping me along. In my quest to get all the cartridge components ready so that when the press arrives, I can get it setup and start reloading, I have come across a question. I am looking to use new brass for my first attempts at reloading 357 mag and I have read some great reviews on starline brass. When I mentioned it to my friend, he stated that starline brass was very thin brass. I know he has been reloading for a long time and mostly uses once fired brass but I feel that I want to start out with new brass to eliminate any unnecessary issues. I have been reading this forum for quite some time and just want to say thanks to all for the great information that is available on this forum. I am certainly not in a hurry to make a cartridge I am certainly more interested in doing it safely. Thanks again for the info.
 
Welcome to the reloading world..I have been doing it for 45+ some years, and still enjoy it..
Sorry about your friends opinion==Starline across the board is some of the BEST brass out there..Their .357 Mag brass will serve you well.
After you feel comfortable with your first round of loads do not worry about using once fired brass to save $$.
Good luck and happy loading...Bill.
 
I’ve been using Starline brass for a few years in 44 Mag and 45 LC with no issues. Thin brass will play a bigger role in how many reloadings you get from a particular piece than it will a safety issue. I have a few 44 Mag cases with 5 and 6 loads on them without annealing, no thin spots have shown themselves to me.
 
I don't know about "very thin", but it could be on the low side of the tolerance of the standards.
The wall thickness of the brass does affect case/bullet tension, depending on how much the sizing die you chose to use reduces the case.
You will know if "thin" brass is a problem as soon as you seat a bullet in any case (if you bought a single stage press).
A roll crimp will increase bullet/case retention but it's not as consistent as case/bullet tension.

At the risk of loosing your mentor/friend/trainer, I'd start out by not challenging his recommendations and "go with the flow".
Maybe you can find some Starline brass in his collection of once fired brass...and measure the wall thickness:uhoh:
jmo
:D
edit: you'll need to deburr any new brass both inside and out, before loading it.
 
Welcome to hand loading.

I’ve always used used brass so can’t comment on your question, but I’ve never heard anything bad about that brass. So justbe safe and follow good practices and you should be fine.
 
I bought 500 pieces of new Starline 357 Mag brass when I first started reloading around 1998. I quit counting how many times I have reloaded it after 15 reloads. I shoot lead SWC bullets and I don't load them hot. I have had a couple split at the mouth, those got tossed into the brass recycle bucket. I consider Starline brass some of the best out there.
 
I load .357 and .44 magnum and special in Starline brass. It's great stuff. Can't imagine where your friend got the notion regarding Starline being thin. I've had many Starline recommendations from multiple sources. Shot a bunch of .44 magnum loads and the brass is holding up well. I'd shoot nothing but Starline in all calibers if I could afford it. 9mm and .45 ACP are virtually free at my local range.
 
Wing Rider said:
When I mentioned it to my friend, he stated that starline brass was very thin brass. I know he has been reloading for a long time and mostly uses once fired brass but I feel that I want to start out with new brass to eliminate any unnecessary issues.
Click to expand...

Starline cases are top drawer. I load more than 30 different cartridges and buy only Starline cases if Starline makes them. They may be thinner than some off brand or foreign brand of cases, but I really do not think so. I find Starline cases are consistent and work just fine. I'm glad that Starline is making more and more rifle cases.

I do not buy once fired cases any more as they tend to be like Forest Gump's box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. I do reload the once fired cases that I generate in my firearms.

You will do just fine with Starline cases and welcome to reloading and the forum.
 
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I've used a lot of Starline and like everyone else I think its as good as anything. I have also bought a lot of once fired from Everglades Ammo. I'm sure there are some cheaper sources, but I've been real pleased how well they clean the brass and offer free shipping. they ship quick as well. Another good source for brass is gun shows but just look over what you are getting. I've seen some that was so dirty and had actual dirt and mud in the cases. Obviously picked up from an outside range. Not worth al the cleaning. Good luck on taking up reloading. I will go ahead and bust your bubble that you are thinking about all the money you are going to save loading your own ammo. Biggest myth in the gun world. You will just shoot more and then start developing new loads etc. But you WILL enjoy shooting your own loads more than factory and also be surprised at the accuracy you can gain in certain guns.
 
welcome wing rider,

pick any brand and load em up. best to keep to one headstamp and make sure all are trimmed to the same length.

luck,

murf
 
Starline is premium brass.
Thick brass will give problems before thin brass will.
Starline is not thin. It is just right.

Please read the front section of any good reloading manual. It is worth far more than the "recipes".

Welcome aboard! :)
Handmade ammunition is superior in every way!
 
I use Starline brass for every pistol caliber that I have. Never any problems. Have some 38 special brass that have over 20 reloads on them. Just do your reloading the way you are supposed to ( read your manuals) and don't find short cuts to take and the Starline will last a long time.
 
Another vote for Starline. I will buy new Starline before I pay anyone for once-fired 357mag brass. It usually doesn't cost much more. Starline is my preferred brass for both 357mag and 44mag.

Offhand, the only brass I can think of that is noticeably thinner would be RP (Remington). I won't use them for some calibers, as they just don't have enough neck tension.

I just wish the revolver guys would throw their brass on the ground like all the semi-auto guys do. :D
 
I use Starline Brass for all my revolver brass, 357 mag. Starline is considered top tier as in best handgun brass you can get. The only brass that comes to mind that is thin is Remington, which is also soft. The only time I use it is for over size lead bullets in tight chambers. Since they have started making rifle brass I've started using it in. Now it's not Lapua but it's better than most all others out there. Starline pricing includes free shipping. I ordered 500 357 brass from them several years ago along with 6.5 CM and 224 Valk.

Welcome to the world of reloading/handloading, madness. As already said you will not save any money in this hobby but you will get a lot of enjoyment out of it. And you will be shooting more.
 
Welcome to the madness! I think you get the idea about Starline brass from the posts above. If I buy brass, it's Starline. (I haven't bought brass in a long time...)
 
Starline is the gold standard of handgun brass. I have dozens of loadings on some 40-level 10mm starline cases without any problem. You will find that, at least for stuff manufactured in the last 10 years, it has about the tightest weight tolerances of any common handgun headstamp. I have had neck tension issues with a couple of brands of brass (R-P Remington and PPU), but never Starline.

Your friend may be very knowledgeable about reloading, but somewhere he picked up some odd information about this one topic.
 
Joining the chorus. Starline is great brass no matter the caliber. I've been using their brass for 30+ years. No complaints.
 
First, welcome to THR!

Second, as others have pointed out, Starline makes great brass; I use it in .357 and .44 mag and special.

Third, if you are reloading to save money, there is little/no need to buy new brass. Range brass for straight-walled revolvers is a great value. And if you're not new to shooting, you have a stash of your own once-fired .357 brass, right? ;)
 
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