.38 SPL & .357 Mag sorting?

[Cannibul]

I've got around 4 gallons of mixed .38 SPL and .357 Mag brass. Anyone got a quick way to sort the two?

 

[dannyd]

I have never had any luck because with only a 10th of inch difference it is very hard. I have a 5 gallon bucket of each.

 

[Rule3]

One is shorter than the other. Unless you are a optimist, then one is longer than the other.

 

[noylj]

I have my own philosophy:
EVERY case must be inspected fully.
EVERY case head, therefore, must be inspected.
Since I look at every case head, it is no trouble to read the cartridge and sort at that point.
Thus, I pick up my cases at the range—and any extra that I can. When I get home, I inspect, deprime, and sort prior to cleaning.

There are sorting machines out there with rollers that slowly get further away such that the .38 Spl falls into a bin and the .357 Mag continue for a ways before they fall into a bin.
But, you still have to inspect every case anyway...

 

[RealGun]

If not dealing with all my own brass, I have to sort out unwelcome head stamps anyway. I look at every piece. Fortunately, I am not dealing with buckets full at a time. Good question.

 

[mdi]

All you gotta do is look. 1/10" is fairly easy to see. Put a .357 Mag case in the bench for an example. Pick up a case and look at it, you'll see the difference right off...

 

[Drail]

A comfortable seat, a cold drink and some Led Zeppelin is how I do it.

 

[Bullseye]

On occasion I have maybe a couple/few hundred to tumble. They seem easier for me to sort when clean. I use an aluminum colander, pour off about half the Frankford Arsenal tub and swish the media and brass around with my hand. The heavier brass seems to end up mostly at the bottom anyway, which would be the .357.
But me, I just have to look and pick em out a few at a time and put them in the trays they belong in.
I did just see an interesting thread on sorting .380 and 9mm yesterday here though.
http://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/sorting-380-from-9mm.812718/

 

[splattergun]

great way to spend the time between base hits during a baseball game, or through 4 hours of beer commercials during an NFL game.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

38/357 require a close inspection of the neck for cracks. Do it while you sort.

 

[JO JO]

I use a mtm/berrys plastic ammo box load 50 pcs brass and you can see the height difference easy, I cut the lid off so its a tray fill with brass pick out / separate
I use this style for 9mm /380 sorting too

 

[Cannibul]

I use a mtm/berrys plastic ammo box load 50 pcs brass and you can see the height difference easy, I cut the lid off so its a tray fill with brass pick out / separate
I use this style for 9mm /380 sorting too

This sounds like a winner.

I can't drink beer any longer due to the pain meds I take.

It also sucks sorting .40 Short and Weak from 10mm brass.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have not found a way other than standing them up on a table or other flat surface and seeing the difference in case length. Sorry...

 

[Rule3]

As mentioned There really is no "easy" way

Just pick at them a little bit at a time rather than looking at all of them at once,

If you hold a 357 in one hand and then pick from the pile with the other, you just compare, and no need to really "think" about it

 

[JO JO]

Here is a video of what I do works great

 

[tcj]

I do it the same way I separate out 380's from 9 range brass - stand them up on a flat surface next to each other and it's obvious.

 

[ATLDave]

If you're an OCD lunatic like me, then you sort by headstamp within calibers anyway... so you sort it out then.

 

[greyling22]

I have not found a way other than standing them up on a table or other flat surface and seeing the difference in case length. Sorry...

This. It's also the way I sort 9mm from 380 and 9mm mak.

 

[9mmepiphany]

If you're an OCD lunatic like me, then you sort by headstamp within calibers anyway... so you sort it out then.

That isn't OCD.

I do that and have never been accused of being OCD

 

[vaalpens]

I keep my 38spl and 357mag brass together until after resizing. Resizing is done on a single stage and I can feel the difference between the two. After resizing I sort by headstamp so I have the difference in resizing feel and looking at the headstamp that helps me sort them out. When it comes to loading time then they all go in a tray, so any incorrect sorts sorts will show.

 

[RealGun]

I've got around 4 gallons of mixed .38 SPL and .357 Mag brass. Anyone got a quick way to sort the two?

I am thinking about use of a baking pan, laying all the brass down, lining it up along the rim and then easily enough comparing lengths.

 

[Rollie]

All my 357 mag cases are nickel, and my 38 spec.cases are brass. I run them all through the 357 carbide sizer, then sort quickly by brass vs. nickel. I inspect after they are sized, and expanded. This way I don't run 357 cases through the 38 spec. expander. Nickel cases seem to fail with neck cracks sooner than brass for me, but I shoot 38 spec. more, so it works out. Of course this won't work on mixed range brass.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I keep my 38spl and 357mag brass together until after resizing. Resizing is done on a single stage and I can feel the difference between the two. After resizing I sort by headstamp so I have the difference in resizing feel and looking at the headstamp that helps me sort them out. When it comes to loading time then they all go in a tray, so any incorrect sorts sorts will show.