Starline?

[Revolver]

Is starline good quality brass?

[btroj]

Umm, yes!

I prefer it over anything else.

[H.Callahan]

+1 Some of the best.

[Revolver]

Then why does it seem to be more reasonably priced than other brands?

I have a bag of 100 starline cases in 44 mag that I am getting ready to bust into, was just curious.

[oneokie]

Probably due to less overhead costs.

[H.Callahan]

That would be my guess, too.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

maybe...

But more likely it is due to the fact that they no longer anneal their brass. The rifle brass I have purchased in the last year, 50-110, 45-90, and pistol calibers is harder (work hardened) than woodpecker lips.

Rich

[ShooterAZ]

A Fellow by the name of Charley Petty recommended this brass to me a number of years ago, and I have been using it almost exclusively ever since. The only brass that I like better than this is IMI (Israeli), but I'm not even sure if it is still available. I have a large hoard of it in 45 ACP.

Shooter

[MikeS]

I've often wondered why it's cheaper too. I think it's better than most other brass out there. If I buy new brass it's almost always Starline.

[btroj]

Maybe because that is all they do is make brass? They also sell direct to consumers so they can cu out a ton of middlemen and price increases.

As for it not being annealed, I don't think that is a real issue with handfun brass. As for the black powder cartridge brass, I will anneal it myself if I can save a bunch of money.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

yes they do make good brass

[94Doug]

I always wondered if it had anything to do with it only being straight walled brass?

[MrXrings]

Getting more expensive as time goes by though.

[Longwood]

Retailers mark stuff waaaaay up. sometimes as much as 100%.
If Starline sells their brass directly to the public at 25% cheaper, they are making out like bandits.

[Bigbore4me]

The very best and usally the lease expensive. When I can I buy it over all other brands.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I have bought new brass in several calibers from them a few times and it has always been good quality, cheaper in price and they have picked up the shipping, So why go anywhere else to get ripped? IMI is Israeli military stuff and it is strong quality. LLS

[geargnasher]

Ya, goot. First choice for me if they make what I need. Wish they made bottleneck rifle brass.

Gear

[pistolman44]

First time loading for my new Marlin 45-70 GBL. New Starline brass and new set of dies. Running the brass thru the sizer die I got dents in the brass just below the case mouth. I lightly lubed every other case and got dents in most of the ones I lubed. Using RCBS case lube with pad. Been reloading for over 35 years and never had this happen before. any sugestions?

[Miata Mike]

Good stuff from what I hear. I use mostly only used brass.

[Rockchucker]

I use a good bit of Starline brass now, I find it cheaper than some sell their 1x fired brass for here on this site. Especially 45 Colt brass, some think it's made of gold.

[GP100man]

maybe...

But more likely it is due to the fact that they no longer anneal their brass. The rifle brass I have purchased in the last year, 50-110, 45-90, and pistol calibers is harder (work hardened) than woodpecker lips.

Rich

Learn summtin everyday here !!!

Woodpeckers have lips !!!!:groner:

But on the ops ? I`ve had batches of 357mag that was in my personal specs then the next order alot too long & some short cases.

I have a few bags of 30-06 I bought from a vendor at a GS but it was sealed so I stashed it .

[smokeywolf]

I've bought a bit of brass from Starline. No problems whatsoever. I've cut down a couple of hundred new 45-70 cases to 45-60 and sized them without nary a problem. Talked with them on the phone once or twice; very kind and very responsive.
I too wish they would do necked cases. Sent them an email suggesting that they should consider tooling up for 348 Winchester brass. They would probably have enough demand, with little, if any competition.
Their case wall thickness is pretty generous, which is good for 44-40, but for 32-20 it makes for a bit of a close fit in the chamber of my model 65.

smokeywolf

[adrians]

you bet ,, all my 45-70 and 32-20 is Starline :grin::smile::grin:

[ku4hx]

My experience since buying my first Starline 10mm Auto brass in the early '90s is their stuff is very high quality. I've bought 10mm, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, 44 Magnum and 357 Magnum in batches of 1,000 and have never been displeased. Fact is I still have a lot of it, fired and unfired, and considering what I paid then as opposed to what it costs now, the purchases were an exceptionally good decision.

[chboats]

I will buy it again!! I did have one problem with Starline 44mag brass. With moderate to heavy loads (not max) I got gas bleeding around the primer when using soft Federal pistol primers. Switched to CCI, Remington, or Winchester and the problem went away. Did not have the problem with any other brass

Carl

[LIMPINGJ]

As the saying goes. Is the pope catholic?

[rintinglen]

I have generally found their stuff to be OK to good, but short and varying markedly in length.
I measured 100 38 Special cases a while back, and found them to be all well under the recommended trim length(1.149 inches), as well as running from 1.134 to 1.145. For most uses, I don't think that would matter, but for a Bullseye match where I need all the help I can get, uniform crimps are a necessity. I also got a really bad batch of 9mm Largo that split on first firing 80 % of the time.
However, I have 45-70 brass that has been reloaded many times and still works great. I also like their 32-20 brass as it seems just a skoatch stronger than the rivals. Like every mass manufacturer, I guess they have their hits and misses.

[David Bachelder]

I have a bunch if it in .40 and .357. I like it, no trouble at all.

[Shuz]

Anyone else note that Starline's street address is within a block of Sierra Bullets? Perhaps they can economize on metal delivery costs with Sierra? All kinds of possibilities here. Who knows, they may even be a wholly owned subsidiary of Sierra or vice versa!

[rond]

First time loading for my new Marlin 45-70 GBL. New Starline brass and new set of dies. Running the brass thru the sizer die I got dents in the brass just below the case mouth. I lightly lubed every other case and got dents in most of the ones I lubed. Using RCBS case lube with pad. Been reloading for over 35 years and never had this happen before. any sugestions?

Clean your die, it may still have oil in it from manufacturing.

[MikeS]

Anyone else note that Starline's street address is within a block of Sierra Bullets? Perhaps they can economize on metal delivery costs with Sierra? All kinds of possibilities here. Who knows, they may even be a wholly owned subsidiary of Sierra or vice versa!

Actually that makes a bit of sense, after all the machinery to draw cases isn't much different (if any) from machines used to draw bullet jackets. I'm not familiar with where they are, but in many industrial areas where a single building can take an entire block, there could/would be different addresses for the front door, side door, rear door, etc.

Back in the early 80's (before I moved to FL) our business was located in a 2 story building that had entrances on either side of the building, our entrance was on 33rd Street and was at ground level, and the landlords shop was above us with their door on 34th Street. What was really interesting was that that part of the city was on a bit of a hill, so their entrance was also at ground level! Made it real easy to get deliveries as both of us had our own loading docks!

[fcvan]

You used to be able to order starline brass with a custom head stamp. 25 years ago, Midway sold brass stamped Midway, and advertised custom head stamping. My .41 and some of my .45 brass is Midway stamped starline. The only brass I buy is starline which of late has been .44Mag and .45 Colt. Winchester, Remington, and Federal Brass seems to split sooner than starline, at least in my experience. Their factory reps at the NRA Annual Meeting were very friendly folks. Frank

[Humbo]

If Lapua or Norma brass is not available, I always look for Starline first. I never had any problems with it.

[adrians]

i use Norma for my 7.65 argies and for my 6 .5 carcano's ( usually buy loaded ammo ,it's spendy but the benefit is the empties you get.) but for straight walled it's starline all the way :evil:[smilie=w::evil:

[ku4hx]

Anyone else note that Starline's street address is within a block of Sierra Bullets? Perhaps they can economize on metal delivery costs with Sierra? All kinds of possibilities here. Who knows, they may even be a wholly owned subsidiary of Sierra or vice versa!

This past May, wife and I were vacationing in/near her hometown in Michigan. In one of our drives we passed several plants that made transmissions and such. On one strip of road we passed both GM and Chrysler plants that built the same item for their respective make car or truck.

I think trying to get Starline and Sierra to get together to make [even non competing] components would be like getting GM and Chrysler together to do the same.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Seems like very good brass.

The only glitch you may need to watch out for is their delivery time which can at times be waaaaay out there.

Their communication can also be spotty or zero at times.

Just make sure you speak with a real person when ordering, rather then ordering on line, get a name of the person on the phone and a delivery date and go from there.

Then if there is a glitch, you have a name/person to go to.

Quality product!

Personally, for my 45/70 brass, I much prefer to deal directly with a supplier such as Buffalo Arms Co. here in Ideeeeeho.

You can check with them on availability and if it is in stock, you have it in just a very few days.

The small extra cost is worth it for me, not to have the hassle of waiting when expected shipments haven't happened for whatever reason.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Sierra's CEO owns Starline. IIRC, he recently retired and is running the company himself these days. At least the ads this year have shown him and his wife with the ponytailed son.

Rich

[jameslovesjammie]

From Starline's website's FAQ section:


Why is Starline, Inc. brass shorter than the trim-to-length in our reloading manual?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Trim-to-lengths given in most manuals often confuse people if they are unsure of their actual purpose. Most manuals generate their own trim-to-lengths from SAAMI maximum cartridge drawings. They usually pick a number just below the SAAMI maximum and state this as the recommended trim-to-length. Depending on specific caliber, some cases will shrink and others will grow when fired and reloaded. The trim-to-length is trying to say: "If case is longer than trim-to-length, then trim back to this." The confusion comes in when people purchase new brass and want to trim it back to trim-to-length stated in the manual. One must understand that a manufacturer will not produce cases at maximum length and that we as manufacturers must have a reasonable tolerance to work with. Most people do not wish to trim brass, so at Starline, Inc., we operate a tolerance of .005 below SAAMI maximum and that window ranges from .003 to .010 below, depending on the caliber. All auto-feeding cartridges are held within .004, and revolver normally is within .005.

The trim-to-length we recommend for peak performance is a variation of no more than .005 and length within .010 of published trim-to-lengths, but never exceeding trim-to-lengths.

Remember, consistency in length relating to consistent crimp is more important than all cases being the same length as the trim-to-length in manuals, assuming it is not too long.

[jameslovesjammie]

Sierra's CEO owns Starline. IIRC, he recently retired and is running the company himself these days. At least the ads this year have shown him and his wife with the ponytailed son.

Rich

That is correct.

[MtGun44]

I think the son was running it a few years ago.

It is right next door to Sierra - never had the time to stop and see if they give neat tours
like Sierra sometimes does.

Bill

[W.R.Buchanan]

For Strait Walled Rifle or pistol my first choice is always Starline. Everything I have gotten from them has been first rate.

As far as buying it goes,,,,

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/238/1 is the place. Their prices are lower than the factory.

Randy

[onehousecat]

For Strait Walled Rifle or pistol my first choice is always Starline. Everything I have gotten from them has been first rate.

As far as buying it goes,,,,

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/238/1 is the place. Their prices are lower than the factory.

Randy

Their prices are very slightly lower, but they charge shipping. Starline doesn't. Starline's price break at 1000 cases makes this especially noticeable. Since the link pointed to 44 specials, I compared this brass. TOTW is $198.38, Starline is 158.00.

I have had good success with Starline brass. For some cartridges, it is almost the only way get brass. In fact, I have just received some 9mm Win Mag brass that I am going to load soon as possible. Loading data is very scant, and I am still waiting for dies.

re: custom headstamps. I just looked at my old Midway 8mm Nambu brass (originally loaded ammo), and it is indeed stamped "Midway 8mm Nambu". My old man brought the pistol back from WWII, and I wanted him to be able to shoot it back when he was still able to. I do have dies for it, and have reloaded the brass.

[TAMU74]

I haven't bought brass from TOTW but have bought some other items. Their shipping charges are very reasonable, and their speed of delivery was phenominal, 2 days from order to delivery for mold handles and sizing die. Theirs is the fastest most plesant service I have had in years.

[63 Shiloh]

Even down here, Starline brass is priced better than the other brands.

I use it exclusively in the 45-70 now, both yellow brass and nickle plated.

I am on my 8th reload on one batch of Starline in the 45-70, had to trim only twice.

A mate uses it in his 45-90 and also has similar experiences of satisfaction.

In the 45-70, give me Starline over remmy anytime.

Mike

[ku4hx]

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/238/1

Good site, thanks. When I got into casting, Lyman sizer dies for my 450 machine were $5. Of course at that time gasoline was $0.299 per gallon ... sometimes less.

[ukrifleman]

Good stuff, I use it in 45 Colt, .357 and 44-40.

ukrifleman

[kir_kenix]

Starline is good stuff. I use it in all of my pistols and it seems to hold up longer then most other brands. I have had a batch of 45 acp that was all very short, so I just shoot them out the revolover. Other then this one time, I have been very pleased with Starline.

[paul h]

You used to be able to order starline brass with a custom head stamp.
(sic)

That might still be option as they can do special orders but the minimum run is 10,000 cases. I wanted to get some 357 extra maximum cases i.e. 2" long. At the time I contacted them they said they couldn't draw brass that long. But now that they are offering 45-70 brass, maybe it's an option.

[JesterGrin_1]

Well I have never used Starline Brass for pistols. But with all of the good reports here I broke down and put in an order for some .44 Magnum Brass.

[mpmarty]

Best 10mm brass I've ever used. As far as Israeli brass goes I've got 5 gallon buckets full of once fired TZZ.

[Gibson]

Well I have never used Starline Brass for pistols. But with all of the good reports here I broke down and put in an order for some .44 Magnum Brass.

Wise move, IMO.

I bought a thousand of 'em during the summer. STRONG loads and they hold up beautifully. You will not be disappointed.

[JesterGrin_1]

Gibson Thank You for the report. I also picked up 1000 .44 Magnum as it was easy to justify the cost difference between 500 and 1000. I felt it would be just plain dumb to just get 500 with so little difference.

I plan to use these in my New Lipsey's Ruger Bisley Super Blackhawk with the 3.75 barrel when it shows up lol. Might be a couple of months. :(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/00818_KRBS-43N_Sd_Rt.jpg

[felix]

The length of the brass is indeed an option provided the supplier of the "slugs" for the caliber to be drawn add a little more to the core slug to cover the extra expected draw. ... felix

[JesterGrin_1]

The length of the brass is indeed an option provided the supplier of the "slugs" for the caliber to be drawn add a little more to the core slug to cover the extra expected draw. ... felix

What was this about Felix?

[W.R.Buchanan]

What a difference a few years makes.

I had to make my 5" barreled SBH, then a year later I bought a BH with 4.5/8' bbl which was a Lipseys special run for SASS which was rejected. Lipseys sold all of that batch of 500 in two days! and then reordered 1000 more and sold all of them in 3 days!

They do know how to move guns! And that's why Ruger will build anything they want. My GSR also came from them. Now you can get an SBH with a 3.75" barrel?

I bought 250 Special cases from Track of the Wolf a few years ago and that will be enough for me for along time, as they will probably be reloaded dozens of times in the .44 Special. Like .45 acp cases any of them will last indefiantely, however the Starline ones will last forever cuz they are that good.

As a side note: My mothers father was the only Republican to ever be elected to the Office of Sherriff in Sedalia MO. He served from 1931-32.


Randy

[Cherokee]

First time loading for my new Marlin 45-70 GBL. New Starline brass and new set of dies. Running the brass thru the sizer die I got dents in the brass just below the case mouth. I lightly lubed every other case and got dents in most of the ones I lubed. Using RCBS case lube with pad. Been reloading for over 35 years and never had this happen before. any sugestions?

I got those when I used too much case lube. I cut back on the lube and the dents were rare. Now I use Hornady One Shot and don't get dents.

[JesterGrin_1]

Now you can get an SBH with a 3.75" barrel?

Randy

I hope so lol. I Pre Paid for one. But it is the CRAZY time of year so the next batch might be in at the end of December or January. Keeping my Fingers Crossed. :)

Here is the Link http://www.lipseys.com/itemdetail.aspx?itemno=RUKRBS-43N&items=exclusives

[John Allen]

I have been using the Starline brass in 45 long colt and 44 special. I have not had any problems and have been totally satisfied.

[Gibson]

I have been using the Starline brass in 45 long colt and 44 special. I have not had any problems and have been totally satisfied.

My revolvers all use them and God knows they have taken strong loads and multiple loadings in most: .45 Colt, .357 mag, .44 mag, .500 mag. I'd trust these when in search of the white buffalo ;)

[hiram1]

I live close to them so i go there a lot to pick mine up.fine folks to.showed me the place lots of times.and next door is a fine place to buy bullets.Sierra bullets 1400 w henry street sedalia mo.But as i said it is good brass.

[John Guedry]

Starline brass= good stuff

[M Hicks]

I love Starline for my wheel guns. I never really questioned why it was less expensive I just assumed I was getting lucky and they priced it wrong.

[HighHook]

Starline is supper Dooper Brass!!!

[JesterGrin_1]

Starline is supper Dooper Brass!!!

So I take it that means More Better. :)

[theperfessor]

I've used it in .41 mag, .44 mag, and .45 AR. So far it has all been great.

[cbrick]

Starline brass? Well . . . It's Super Dooper. :mrgreen:

Rick