38 special brass- what brand do you like by best? Any to avoid?

[6GUNSONLY]

I have a lot of W-W, Federal, and Remington, so that's what I use. I do sort by head stamp for no particular reason except I'm picky like that. I've never trimmed . 38 cases. I do segregate the double cannelured wadcutter cases from others and use them for wadcutters exclusively. My wadcutter brass is vintage Western and R-P. I have the old original boxes to these - the yellow Western boxes and the green/white Remingtons. If I were buying new 38 brass it would be *-.

 

[Dan W. Cady]

I have had very poor luck with AMERC brass, as noted above. Every time I find one I crush it and throw it in the trash so it doesn't get back into the component stream by accident.

I load a considerable amount of ammo and I simply toss unwanted and or cracked brass in the recycle bucket. You can sell it.

 

[minconrevo]

There is a reason why AMERC marked brass has problems. The company making that loaded ammo kinda made up their spec's as they went. The company has been defunct for several years now. I have a simple rule for ANY brass I find with the AMERC headstamp; it goes directly into the recycle box. Any loaded AMERC ammo, which I haven't seen for a while, will not be fired, but legally disposed of.

While Remington cases may be thinner, the brass seems to be more prone to cracking than several others. Back in the days when I owned a Mod 52, I preferred Remington brass.

These days, Starline is making pretty good brass. It is my go-to for .41 Mag loads. I have enough mixed .38 Spl cases that I can get good performance from, such that I don't sort nor buy new brass in that caliber.

 

[duke2002]

I agree on remington brass. Nice thing about 38's range brass is cheap. I stumbled into 1,000 70's dated winchester military brass wish i would have got more. Really good brass.

 

[gwpercle]

I loaded range pick-ups for years ... because it was Free and I am Cheep ... but the best , for the money , is brand new Starline !
I wish I had bought from them years ago ...
but Free Brass was just too tempting for me back then !
Gary

 

[SSGRock]

Got about 2000 pieces of 38 special brass. I do not separate the different manufacturers. I load all the different kind as I pick them up. They all preform well.

 

[Engineer1911]

IF you are shooting a S&W M52 pistol or 38 Spl revolver, there might be a need to trim brass to minimum case length. Or, if you are shooting 38 spl loads in a 357 mag revolver, you will never need to trim 38 spl cases. Case mouth roll crimp is needed on 38 spl ammo to hold the bullet in the case, a light crimp is all that is needed. With untrimmed brass the amount of crimp varies -- not an issue unless you are shooting 50 yards in a Bullseye or Precision Pistol match.

In 1975, I bought a new box of 357 nickeled unprimed brass. It was reloaded 10 times with max powder charge and 158 grain cast lead semi-wadcutter. Nothing happened to the cases. I threew that brass into my 357 mag brass container and never worried about case life again. I have trimmed FIRED 357 mag cases to minimum case length and also have a very consistent case mouth crimp. The cases split / crack before a second trimming is needed. I use 357 nickled brass and 38 spl plain brass cases. If it gets mixed at the range, sorting the fired brass is very easy.

Just one person's observations and practices on a divisive topic.

 

[rockquarry]

It all works well. I've never found a bad brand of brass in sixty years of handloading. Mixed pickup stuff will work and often works well, but it will never work better than brass that's all the same. Brass may be more expensive than it used to be but so is everything else. Brass is still a bargain considering how many times it can be used.

 

[john17427]

I load every brand of brass for 38, but PMC and Starline have been the best for me.

 

[rockquarry]

I load every brand of brass for 38, but PMC and Starline have been the best for me.

As I stated in my post, it's all good. PMC .38 Special brass is noticeably thicker than any brass I've ever used. But if you're using a batch of PMC brass it's the same and doesn't matter.

A bit off topic, but regarding PMC rifle brass, namely 7mm Remington Magnum. I bought some new PMC brass several years ago, only because I couldn't find any Winchester brass. The PMC was 14% heavier and with less case capacity than Winchester. 14% is significant. The powder charge had to be adjusted between the two makes to get the same velocity.

 

[Sevens]

I have also found PMC brass to be quite thick. I have found some bullets that work well in almost anything — and then give me chambering issues when loaded in to PMC brass.

This isn't a huge problem once you're aware of it, but it is (yet another) reason you will never find me building a box of ammo with random mixed headstamps.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Federal Match when I competed in PPC.

Now for plinking I still sort by headstamp. But I do have a bucket of range pickups.

 

[rwsmith]

Hard to go wrong with Sttarline if you are buying new brass, but any major brand is fine with me.

 

[rockquarry]

Hard to go wrong with Sttarline if you are buying new brass, but any major brand is fine with me.

I buy Starline a good bit now as it's the equal of other brass and is usually more available than just about anything else. Prices seem very reasonable as well.

 

[Roofuss]

Starline when possible !

 

[sousana]

For some odd reason, I've always been taken with Remington 130 fmj-rn. Back in the 80s, I laid in a supply of a new manufacturer making reloadable plastic cases. 50rds for 4.99 ended up buying thousands of rds, in the area of an entire ups truck. The driver hated me for like months. My Pythons and 586, 686 loved those rounds.

 

[Oil Field Trash]

I load .38 Special in Starline Brass to use for various .357 Mag wheel guns I've got. No wear and tear on the guns and perfect for working on trigger control. Also, use Starline for wife's Charter Arms revolver and it's manageable for her. I've loaded and shot most every brand, new and range pickups. Starline is my favorite, consistent and never had a failure. Price is right, customer service is superb.

 

[mtgianni]

I sort my brass by headstamp and cannelured wadcutter brass. I keep the big three together and lump Hornaday, and other misc brass together. I buy Starline if buying new and usually make 30 Badger brass out of it by running it through a 30 Mauser die.

I get better groups in all cartridges with brass weighing similarly so I sort. I then take just that brand to the range with me.

Late FIL had a friend that was ex LEO and wanted to get into reloading. He never did but gave me 20,000 pieces of 38 special brass he wouldn't use. It is all sold now but that was sorted nickle, brass and wc. I try to avoid nickle brass as it can flake and stick on a die.

 

[Phatforrest]

Bulk once fired and range scrounged brass works for me.

Wet tumble it, sort it for cracks and defects, and reload away.

 

[oneeyedpete]

I collect every brand of .38/.357 brass at the range. My favorite is the Federal nickel plated cases. Having said that, I don't think there is any great difference in various brands. Of course, I reload to mostly mild tartget load levels. If you reload to max pressures, then you may find some last much less than others.

 

[Lou_the_welder]

Specifically with 38 specials, I recently had a problem with "aguila" and " pmc" cases, buckling while loading them with wadcutters.
My preference would be Winchester cases followed by starline.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I have no brand preference for brass to reload 38s, assuming it's not for bullseye competition. I don't sort brass by brand.

Sorting according to number of times the brass has been reloaded is more useful to me.

Me either........I have a couple of bushels of 38 brass........I just grab a handfull and load.

 

[KenTheHunter]

Speaking of Starline Brass, I rarely buy new brass but sometimes I have to. I just bought some 38 S&W brass and 32 Auto brass. I bought them from Starline. When I have to buy new it's always Starline is possible.

Like said above, Excellent Brass!

I prefer Winchester because it has softer brass

 

[rockquarry]

I prefer Winchester because it has softer brass

I don't know about "soft" but WInchester may last longer than all the rest. Regardless, the rest is good brass, too.

 

[Lance Boyle]

Unless you are shooting bullseye at 50 yards any conventional brass will be fine. I have noticed that nickel plated brass seems to not last not as long.

I was always told that is due to the pickling solution they use to etch the brass prior to the plating. They have to etch it for it to stick well but it's an acid. If it soaks too long it really has a short life.

I have some really old Winchester nickel brass I bought as .357 ammunition. It is my most frequent batch that splits.

I avoid buying nickeled brass anymore.

 

[Lance Boyle]

Plus one on if buying Virgin brass, it's starline.

It's not the best for every purpose but it's generally a good choice. I've had issues with virgin nickeled remington brass, for on there is always some hard gritty nickel surface inside the necks for a couple loads. The expanders screeched going over it until was shot a couple times. Remington .30-40 brass with peeling layers on the neck like taking paper off a cigarette filter.


To answer the OP's question I seem to like Federal .38 special followed by remington best.

 

[Tabby Lynn]

I reload a lot of 357 cases, all to target velocities. I use once-fired as well as new brass. New is Starline or Winchester. They are reasonably priced and last several loadings. I avoid the so-called premium brass. The manufacturers are so proud and charge a premium price for lower quality brass.

I recently did a study on rifle brass to see if the prices on the premium brass was justified. I used 308, loaded again to target velocities. All was new brass by Starline, Winchester, Peterson and LaPua. The Winchester and Starline loaded flawlessly. The premium started with issues having the cases leaning off to the side, the bases and case not in alignment, difficult sizing, some not even wanting to go into the sizer die and cases so poorly made that they collapsed the shoulder when loading premium match bullets. The premium brass never made it beyond 3 loadings without a failure, The Starline and Winchester went on for several more loadings. You don't always get what you pay for.

In the photo, left to right, Collapsed shoulder, normal cartridge, crooked cartridge.

 

[rockquarry]

I reload a lot of 357 cases, all to target velocities. I use once-fired as well as new brass. New is Starline or Winchester. They are reasonably priced and last several loadings. I avoid the so-called premium brass. The manufacturers are so proud and charge a premium price for lower quality brass.

I recently did a study on rifle brass to see if the prices on the premium brass was justified. I used 308, loaded again to target velocities. All was new brass by Starline, Winchester, Peterson and LaPua. The Winchester and Starline loaded flawlessly. The premium started with issues having the cases leaning off to the side, the bases and case not in alignment, difficult sizing, some not even wanting to go into the sizer die and cases so poorly made that they collapsed the shoulder when loading premium match bullets. The premium brass never made it beyond 3 loadings without a failure, The Starline and Winchester went on for several more loadings. You don't always get what you pay for.

In the photo, left to right, Collapsed shoulder, normal cartridge, crooked cartridge.

I think something's wrong there and I'm pretty sure most users of premium brass would disagree with you; not me because I haven't seen a need for it.

 

[Tabby Lynn]

I think something's wrong there and I'm pretty sure most users of premium brass would disagree with you; not me because I haven't seen a need for it.

They can disagree all they want. Things that happened with the brass during the test are recorded. In one case one of the premium cases stuck in the sizing die and resulted in having to get a new die. I can only say things about what I saw and the results of the tests. Simply said, I am not impressed with premium brass.

 

[bph9]

When I first started handloading I quickly found out that there often is a big difference in wall thickness. Some brands of brass were so thick they bulged making it impossible for my handloads to enter the chamber without jamming up. I went so far as to send examples of the problem brass along with my sizing die back to RCBS who then made a custom die for me to work with this brass. I can no longer remember what brand it was.

Some brands of brass can be less malleable making them far more likely to crack after only a few handloads. Unfortunately it gets even more complicated because brass can also vary from lot to lot within the same brand. Its enough to make a handloader take up drinking.

I have also noted nickel-plated cases can often be of a bigger diameter and also build up nickel deposits inside a sizing die that is not a carbide die but one made of just plain steel.

Not all loading dies are heat treated to the same degree either which means some brands of dies last longer than other brands of dies. Soft brass that is dirty will wear out these dies quickly.

Soft brass will also stretch more quickly requiring more trimming and also cracking sooner.

Soft brass may not spring back as far after shooting resulting in them sticking in the chamber and the rims being torn off when being ejected.

The solution of course is to become a millionaire and then you can afford to leave your empty brass laying on the ground for peons like me to pick up, take home, and then go nuts trying to handload them.