What primer depth should I look for with 38 special?

[rcmodel]

commy stars on the head stamp

That sounds like Starline brass, and if it is, there is no better brass being made anywhere.

Commy? Not hardly.
It's made right here in middle America, in Sedalia, MO.

http://www.starlinebrass.com/

rcmodel

 

[The Bushmaster]

Does that have two stars and a dash between them like *-*... Starline brass...

 

[Mal H]

Could also be *I* which is Independence brass, made by CCI/Speer, IIRC.

 

[AgentAdam]

There are two stars with a curved line connecting them. Whats so good about starline. Are the specs different or is it just better quality brass and quality control? I didn't see .357mag listed on there site. Does any commercial ammo use starline.

 

[Mal H]

Yep, that's Starline.

Whats so good about starline.

Just about everything brass wise. Like you mentioned - better QC and better cases in general. Don't take our word for it, search on here and on TFL for "starline".

You didn't find .357 Mag? Look again under "Product Price List".
http://www.starlinebrass.com/

 

[.38 Special]

AFAIC, brass "quality" is pretty much determined by how many times the cases can be reloaded. I mean, there are occasions where there are other problems like flash holes incorrectly drilled, etc., but those are pretty rare. Mostly I just want to be able to reload a case a dozen times before it wears out, and Starline generally fills that bill better than about anything else.

I have, BTW, had far better luck with Starline nickeled cases than with anyone else's. Nickeled cases have been pretty hit-or-miss for me, with lots of flaking plating and premature cracking. Even batch-to-batch with the same brand can show a lot of variation. Starline nickel cases have been extremely consistent and long lasting, and as I prefer nickeled handgun cases these days, almost everything I use is Starline now.