357 Mag /38 spcl sorting equipment?

[xman777]

Is there anything out there that takes the pain out of sorting 357 magnum from 38 special? I have looked high and low, so I figured I'd ask the experts.
Thanks

[Garyshome]

You must have a lot of it?

[bhn22]

Set batches of it on a flat surface, like a table top and pick out the tall cases & segregate. I'm not aware of any machines that'll sort them based on 1/10 in length difference.

[dsbock]

A good machinist should be able to come up with a vibratory case sorter of some sort. Perhaps a plate style with cutouts in .38 Special silhouette. If they fit in the cutout they fall through, otherwise they stay in the pan.

Just my first thought. If someone build one from my suggestion, let me know how it works.

David

[xman777]

What I ended up doing was placing them individually in bullet trays upside down then grabbing the tall ones out. I had about 8000 to sort. Been saving a while.

I have a concept of a shaker table which would vibrate them into the trays where the operator could simply pick out the tall cases. Thats about as automated as I could possibly see it getting. The cases are virtually identical except length.

[VHoward]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?217494-Auto-culler-for-45ACP-small-primer-brass
jmorris modified his Dillon 1050 to be able to kick out the small primer pocketed 45 acp brass. I wonder if a similar concept tcould be used for 38 spl / 357 mag?

[Bushrat]

Put the brass in a shallow box and shake from side to side, it will stand the brass on their rims and you can pick out the tall ones. You can do the same buy placing the box on top of a vibatory tumbler and it will stand the brass up for you.

[jmorris]

I built a cull device a number of years ago for the first collator I built. A few years ago I tried it out sorting brass by height, here is a video.

Click photo to play
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/brass/th_9mm380.jpg (http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/brass/9mm380.mp4)

A short case runs around and falls down a tube. A long case hits the switch that opens a trap door dropping it down a different tube. If you didn't already have a case collator, it would be pretty useless though.

[gwpercle]

I see a Rube Goldburg potential here, somebody run with it.

What is a collator?

[ReloaderFred]

I just went through a little over 4,000 mixed .38 Spl. cases, with a couple hundred .357's mixed in. I was sizing all of them, so I just put a bin aside and when I sized a .357 case, it went into the other bin, simple as that. You can certainly tell the difference when you hit a Magnum case when sizing .38's.

Of course, this wouldn't work for a progressive, but I size and decap all my brass so I can clean the primer pockets before it hits my progressive case. My process may not work for others.


Hope this helps.

Fred

[Norbrat]

Just last week, I was loading some 38 specials, but I knew there were a few magnum cases mixed in the batch of brass.

So I set up the case collater/feeder on the Lee Pro 1000 to be just a little higher than the 38 sp cases. When a magnum case tried to get fed into the shell plate, it tipped out of the case "pusher" so it was easy to catch them.

[blackbike]

I use the plastic case separator sold at midway and others, the yellow one catches 45s and bigger, blue one catches 40s and bigger. 38 & 357 fall through but hang on the case head, so I rise it up and look underneath and you can see the difference in length. Then just poke the ones out to separate.
You know what I mean?
Thanks, bb

[jmorris]

What is a collator?

It is the "hopper" that feeds cases, like the one feeding this roll sizer.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/casepro/DSC02028-1.jpg

Or this Rube Goldburg one I put together.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/DSC02187.jpg

[kayak1]

It is the "hopper" that feeds cases, like the one feeding this roll sizer.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/casepro/DSC02028-1.jpg

Or this Rube Goldburg one I put together.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/DSC02187.jpg

How do you like your casepro?

[williamwaco]

I find that I can tell a .357 from a .38 lying on the ground without picking it up.

After you sort a few, you will be able to sort them by sight.

[jmorris]

How do you like your casepro? They work quite well, the one I automated above beats the pants off the manual one though.

[dragon813gt]

I find that I can tell a .357 from a .38 lying on the ground without picking it up.

After you sort a few, you will be able to sort them by sight.

I thought I was alone. Sorting 357s from 38s is easy work. The difference is very noticeable when you look at them. Now sorting 380 from 9mm, there is a reason I bought a sorter to do that one.

[bobthenailer]

I can usually do pretty good at sorting cases of different lengths such as 38/357, 38 super, 9mm/380 and 44 mag / 454 casull just my visualy looking at them upright of lying on there side after years of pratice.

[9.3X62AL]

I just went through a little over 4,000 mixed .38 Spl. cases, with a couple hundred .357's mixed in. I was sizing all of them, so I just put a bin aside and when I sized a .357 case, it went into the other bin, simple as that. You can certainly tell the difference when you hit a Magnum case when sizing .38's.

Of course, this wouldn't work for a progressive, but I size and decap all my brass so I can clean the primer pockets before it hits my progressive case. My process may not work for others.


Hope this helps.

Fred

I've used this method for years with both single-stage and semi-progressive (Ponsness-Warren) load sequences. Very definite "feel" differences between the two calibers when they go through a sizing die. 357s, 38 Specials, 9mm, and 38 S&W all get tumbled together--the short ones are obvious and get set aside, the "cousins" start the load process together and get separated after sizing is complete.

[waco]

Don't mix them!!!!:kidding:

[williamwaco]

Don't mix them!!!!:kidding:

Good advice!

[ReloaderFred]

I just finished sorting 6 buckets of range brass, so that isn't an option. I found where all the .22 LR ammunition is going, since I've got two 5 gallon buckets full of the stuff now.

After tumbling the sorted .38/.357 brass, I just sized and decapped it all, and cleaned the primer pockets. It wasn't any problem sorting out the .357 brass as I sized it.

The real problem is sorting out 9x18 Mak. brass from 9x19 Luger brass.......... That will make your eyes cross!

Hope this helps.

Fred

[xman777]

Thanks for the actual input/advice. I ended up trying a few different methods, the one I settled for is placing all of the brass in shell holders as fast as I can and then picking out all the taller cases.
My eyes must not be good enough to just pluck out the cases visually without this extra step.

[ACrowe25]

Maybe I'm weird, but I inspect my brass prior to loading. Looking through the flashole from the bottom allows me to read headstamps.

Or maybe I enjoy the extra 5-10 minutes at the bench when loading a 100...