Starline Brass....

[Robby from Long Island]

Have just received my order of 500 new pieces of Starline brass in .38 special +P. I will be loading 148 gr. DEWC's using 2.7 gr of Bullseye powder.

Was wondering if anyone knows approx. how many loadings I can get out of this brass. I use a S&W 686 with an 8 3/8" barrel. The above load is the only one I normally use and don't plan on changing things. I always tumble my brass after every use so as not to mess up my dies and am trying to get the maximum use out of this brass.

Thanks for any thoughts on this.

 

[bullseye308]

I would expect 30+ unless you crimp the heck out of them and wear out the neck.

 

[Walkalong]

With that light load, it will be countless reloads. I don't keep track, but a couple dozen easy.

It fails by splitting at the case mouth, so the less bell the better. Just crimp lightly on those DEWCs as well. Case life will be very, very, good if you do these two things.

How much you work the brass is the only real control one has over case life.

 

[Steve C]

You will loose count or get board counting the reloads long before the cases wear out.

 

[Robby from Long Island]

Hey guys,

Thanks very much for all the replys. I was hoping to hear that kind of good news regarding that many loadings. I always treat my brass with the utmost care and this is the first time buying direct from a supplier.

 

[bullseye308]

Starline is some of the best brass you can buy. Doesn't matter the caliber. Lightly loaded 38's in any brass will last a long time.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Starline lasts a long time with heavily loaded .38 spl as well. I've been loading a 900 fps round for years. I bought 2000 Starline cases and have loaded over 20,000 rounds and don't see need for new brass for some time to come.

 

[Sport45]

Just out of curiosity, why did you order +p brass?

 

[Oyeboten]

Is there a difference between '+P' Brass and regular Brass?


Anyway...good to hear favorable mentions of Starline...just bought some myself...

 

[Sport45]

Is there a difference between '+P' Brass and regular Brass?

About $2 a thousand for the extra characters on the headstamp, I guess.

From the Starline site:

38 SPL+P has no difference from the standard 38 SPL, other than headstamp designation for load segregation. This is due to the fact that our standard case design will handle +P pressures with no problems.

 

[BADUNAME37]

I know the reason I have +P and non +P brass is because some of my loads are hot, while my normal loads are non +P.

I realize that the boxes I have them both in are clearly marked, however if the loads are not in a box and are in my speedloaders, or MTM case guard wallets, for instance, I want to know at a glance which I might expect to shoot.

For example, there may be a time when I shoot without hearing protection, and that is one of those moments when I might not take the shot at the fox or coyote if I know it is going to be EXTRA loud!

 

[Oyeboten]

Makes sense for there to be different Head Stamps even if Brass is the same, so one can re-load accordingly.

 

[wcwhitey]

Robby, Starline is good strong brass. Good Luck.

Bill, West Babylon

 

[Robby from Long Island]

The reason I ordered +P instead of regular .38 spl is because I have a few hundred cases of Remington and Winchester that were originally factory loaded and not +P, therefore don't really know if they would support hot loads if I did wish to go that route. This way with the Starline brass, I am simply mentally reminded they are good for it.

By the way, the cost of regular 38 spl and +P is identical. Starline doesn't charge a penny extra for that headstamp as it's the exact same brass.

 

[Robby from Long Island]

Just wanted to correct a mistake I just made in saying the price I paid for +P was the same as regular 38 spl. Actually paid $1.15 extra for 500 cases. Very similar to what Sport45 mentioned in his post.

 

[243winxb]

Starline 38 and +p are the same brass, different headstamp. 45acp and +p are different brass, read there website.

 

[Walkalong]

I do like several here. I use +P brass for +P loads, just to be able to easily tell them apart them at a glance, despite the fact the box should be labled correctly. Labels get lost etc sometimes.

 

[Noveldoc]

Thanks for the info. I just ordered some Starline 44 mag and 44 spl.

I just put a dot on the primer with a Sharpie for my stouter loads.

Tom