case life 38 special

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mickbr
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case life 38 special

Post by mickbr »

folks for 38 special or 357 loaded down to 38 levels in carbines what sort of case life can one expect reloading?
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J Miller
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by J Miller »

mickbr wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 5:14 am folks for 38 special or 357 loaded down to 38 levels in carbines what sort of case life can one expect reloading?
Indefinite.
I've got 38 spcl cases that are ancient. They're still good to go. The plating is worn off many of them from the old sizing dies but no splits or cracks.

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M. M. Wright
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by M. M. Wright »

As my 8 year old say; "infinity". Really, I have some I know are 40 years old. Nickel cases split first but I know some of them have been loaded 30 or more times. They last a long time.
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by piller »

I load for .45 Colt, and it is a low pressure round, too. Low pressure rounds can last a long time if treated with proper care. I have only trimmed to length one time. The cases do not need it if kept in the power range that they were originally designed for. Less working the case means less case cracking. Minimal crimping gives longer case mouth life.

My .45 Colt brass has been loaded 25 times or more without losing any to wear and tear.
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mikld
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by mikld »

I prolly still have a few 38 cases from when I resumed reloading in '87 (I started in '69 but sold everything during a messy divorce). I don't count reloadings on my handgun brass unless it's for a "special experiment", but I'd guess some have 25+ trips through the dies on them. I've reloaded some nickel plated 38 and a few 357 Magnum cases so many times the brass shows through the plating...
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JimT
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by JimT »

My Dad had one 44 Magnum case he kept count ... it was reloaded 1100 times and was still in decent shape. Low pressure loads .. no full length sizing ... they can last a long time.
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by Sixgun »

It really all depends on several factors........quality of the brass, size of the chamber, size of the resizing die, amount of belling, and load pressure.

Some calibers appear to last longer but in reality, they are all the same. 38 Spls seem to last forever but that is due to the modest pressure most guys use in them and the close chamber tolerances that quality manufacturers use. I've had 38-40 guns that after firing, swelled up the case like a 44-40 that only gave a few reloadings. Most 45 Colt guns have varying chamber dimensions .....like a Smith 25-5 I once owned that gave at best 5 reloadings even with mild loads. Ask someone with a Freedom Arms sixgun and you will get an answer something like...brass lasts forever.

Any high quality gun usually has minimal dimensions for longevity of the brass and concentricity of the chamber/chambers for accuracy.

On my quality high pressure bolt guns I only neck size the neck length the diameter of the bullet.

It all comes down to how much you work the brass and the pressures you use.----6
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mickbr
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by mickbr »

Thanks fellas I hadn't looked at reloading pistol calibres until getting back into levers this time around. Running bolt actions hot you are happy with a handful of reloads for case life. Infinity is a much nicer number to work off :D . I'm looking to set myself up with a lifetime supply of brass and a cast bullets. Its good to know that's not as much brass as I planned.
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by stretch »

Long time.

As others have said, how high the pressure is and how much the brass is worked
are the two main factors in how long it lasts.

An old friend of mine has some 45 ACP brass that's been reloaded so many times
the head stamps are worn off. It still works.

Rifle brass is a different ball game.

-Stretch
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marlinman93
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by marlinman93 »

I gave up counting the number of times I've reloaded .38 Spl. and .357 Mag. cases! Way too many to keep track of. Can't recall how many I've ever had to toss out due to failure from reloading, but I bet I can count them on one hand.
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fordwannabe
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by fordwannabe »

another added benefit to loading the 38 special is you can get about a gazillion of them for next to nothing. When you have a gazillion or so they don't get reloaded as often and that makes the case life seem endless. Several years back I had a guy on one of the forums (unfortunately I don't remember who) answer a wanted ad for some 38 special brass, he said he had more than he would ever use and would send me some. Well a few days later a box showed up with 11 pounds of 38 special cases in it. He wouldn't even let me pay the shipping. If ya need a few cases let me know.
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AmBraCol
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by AmBraCol »

One problem not mentioned above it - when were they manufactured and what kind of primer originally used? I was given some 38 spl several years aback, about 2006. About 4 of the old cartridges split on firing. They were all from the same vintage - first few decades of the 20th century. Cause of failure - brittleness. Likely cause of brittleness, mercuric priming used in original loading/reloading. As for longevity, my experience matches that above with the exception aforementioned - pretty close to indefinite. Had some nickel cases that almost only had nickel left on the case head, the rest having been worn off by numerous trips through the loading die.

Things to look out for when loading 38 Special - brass that's been run through a loose chambered firearm. My first excursions into 38 SPl were with a Lee Loader. I'd swap one loaded round for six cases. Ended up collecting a wide variety of brands, head stamps and even priming types (was given many Berdan system cases). Some of it had been fired in some old resolver that had rusted out chambers. The Lee Loader only neck sizes the cases, they'd not chamber in a revolver with normal, new, tight chambers. Ended up picking up an RCBS Junior press and a Lee Speed Die. Problem solved. The carbide resizer took care of the swelled cases.

Found out that the Berdan system could be used for target level loads. Drill the base of the pin, pop out the pin and primer while resizing as normal. Seat a normal small pistol primer, load with a low pressure load. Fire normally. That was when I was living in an area where brass was hard to come by and we didn't waste any of it. Don't recommend the practice if you've got access to plenty of Boxer primed modern brass, but mention it for general knowledge, educational, entertainment value. :lol:

The good ol' 38 is still one of my all time favorite calibers. It's not as popular today with so many folks starting out life with a bottom feeding pistol instead of the good ol' resolver, but it'll still get the job done and works great with a wide variety of loads. Need to pick up some 200 gr slugs and load up some for my Model 10 - just for grins. :D
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mikld
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by mikld »

FWIW, brass life for most handgun cartridges it really a moot point. Most handgun brass is easily found, and inexpensive and I haven't purchased any new brass in a very long time. There are those that will only reload with new brass, some will only use brass they fired, and some (like me) will reload almost any brass they can find. Low pressure cartridges can be reloaded many times and even some higher pressure rounds like 9mm can be reloaded a dozen times and more. Some say to use minimal flare on the case mouth and light crimps "to increase case life", but I say get shootable ammo now and worry about case life later, besides how much can you increase case life? Ten reloadings, 12 reloadings? The 38 Special is an easy to reload, much forgiving, very reliable, versatile cartridge, that has helped many thousands get started reloading...
(1969 "I wonder if I could reuse these" as I emptied the cylinder of my 38, and soon bought a Lee Loader)
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mickbr
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Re: case life 38 special

Post by mickbr »

thanks for those replies. I will have all the 38special and 357 theory nailed soon and will be able to stop annoying the forum about it. :)
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