Numerous unfamiliar .38 Special case head stampings. I'm sorting as advised.

[Tallbald]

On the advise of so many here as I returned to reloading and added casting to my hobbies I sorted all my sized and primed .38 Special and .357 cases today. The accumulation stretches back to the early 70's, and some headstamps are from long gone makers while some I have no clue who they are or were. I have many of some and only one for example of "Browning" in .38 Special.
What to do when I'm trying for consistency? Best I can figure, some will just have to go in a plinking "mixed brass" box for light loads to use in training new shooters.
Here are some case stamps I'd like help identifying if you please. I'd be please if they were made by another manufacturer I could group them with, but some stuff may be lost to time. Thanks. Don

CBC with 38SPL on it and radial lines connecting top to bottom writing
GFL with 38 SPECIAL
FC 05 38SPL in nickel
FC with 38SPL+P+ in nickel
Frontier
WRA at top with SPECIAL TOOL at bottom. No caliber stamping seen.
WCC spaced across top and at bottom, 9 5 No caliber stamping seen.
Two stars across top with radial line connecting stars, and 38SPL at bottom
A-MERC with 38 SPL at bottom
WCC +P+ at top and 87 at bottom. No caliber stampings.
IVI
MASTER
HI-PER with 38SPL+P

[Outpost75]

If you trim cases to uniform length, to ensure uniform crimps and sort by brass weight within +/- 1 grain within a batch, and you are using light loads of fast burning powder at standard pressure which fill less than half the case volume, you can mix headstamps with no worries.

[Texasflyboy]

Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos, Brazil: CBC with 38SPL on it and radial lines connecting top to bottom writing
Giulio Fiocchi, Lecco, Italy (Known as "Fiocchi" in USA): GFL with 38 SPECIAL
Federal Cartridge (USA): FC 05 38SPL in nickel
Federal Cartridge (USA): FC with 38SPL+P+ in nickel
Frontier
Winchester Repeating Arms: WRA at top with SPECIAL TOOL at bottom. No caliber stamping seen.
Winchester Cartridge Company: WCC spaced across top and at bottom, 9 5 No caliber stamping seen.
Two stars across top with radial line connecting stars, and 38SPL at bottom
American Cartridge (Junk): A-MERC with 38 SPL at bottom
See above: WCC +P+ at top and 87 at bottom. No caliber stampings.
Industries Valcartier Inc, located north of Quebec city (closed): IVI
MASTER
HI-PER with 38SPL+P

[Tallbald]

Thank you. All my cases are once to twice fired by me or my Daddy at some point over the last 40 years. An ongoing trouble for me until I can afford a different scale is that my Lee scale only goes to 100 grains. I am unable to weigh my cast slugs right now either, since they are supposed to be 125 grains. One day...... DOn

[Tallbald]

Texasflyboy thank you! Related question. I have a large group of Winchester and W-W cases I've grouped as one maker. Do you think perhaps the WCC and WRA cases (which I guess are government surplus) could be grouped in with the commercial Winchester and W-W as identical for accuracy testing purposes? Same thing for the FC and date cases with the rest of my commercial Federal cases? As said, I've been encouraged to sort cases by maker, weight and length. Don

[fecmech]

Do you think perhaps the WCC and WRA cases (which I guess are government surplus) could be grouped in with the commercial Winchester and W-W as identical for accuracy testing purposes?
The WCC cases that I have (WCC 74) are noticeably thicker than my commercial Winchester brass and run on average 30-40FPS faster with the same load. I would not mix them for accuracy testing. For close range shooting say to 25 yds no problem with general plinking. If you are accuracy testing a good load I would not mix the Mil brass with commercial brass.

[BattleRife]

Two stars across top with radial line connecting stars, and 38SPL at bottom


This is Starline brass, universally considered to be excellent.

[RayinNH]

If your A-MERC is like the one I had, throw it away and save yourself the aggravation. There's almost no rim to it and it slips out of the shell holder after you've shoved it into your resizing die.

[doctorggg]

Frontier is made by Hornady

[Tallbald]

Excellent and all responses sure help me. As to the military WCC cases, I have no clue where they came to me from. Perhaps Daddy got them at one of the dozens of real gun shows we attended at the National Guard Armory in Louisville, KY back in the late 60's up to the mid 70's. I found one case marked 65 for the date. Stands to reason. Hey Daddy!! This one's fer you my best buddy ever!! Don

[dakotashooter2]

If your A-MERC is like the one I had, throw it away and save yourself the aggravation. There's almost no rim to it and it slips out of the shell holder after you've shoved it into your resizing die.

I've also bent and stuck a few depriming pins on these... Undersized or irregular flash holes.

[TMenezes]

Wow you have more patience than me. I picked up a bag of 1,000 38 cal brass and started sorting. After a 100 or so I gave up on sorting as they were just going to be low velocity range loads. Plus my time for reloading is limited by family responsibilities with the wife, kids, and maintaining the house.

[mdi]

In my limited experience (started reloading .38s in 1970) sorting by headstamp is plenty. I have about 1,500 cases and many times I'll just grab a handful of mixed cases to load up some informal target shooting ammo. I don't compete nor do I spend a lot of extra time preping my brass. I have been able to get very accurate ammo by sorting by headstamp, and some good, safe, and just as accurate ammo by using mixed brass.

It is your brass, your guns, your reloads. There is no major downside to weighing each case, trimming (whaz dat?) to .001", and sorting by lots. If you want to prepare your brass this way, cool, do it! I don't trim my cases, I don't weigh them, but I already have about 1,000 already sorted by headstamp.The most important thing is to enjoy your reloading and shooting...

[Alexn20]

Check out http://www.igman.com/ammunition/codes/ and http://cartridgecollectors.org/?page=headstampcodes

Between these sites you should get all the info you need. :bigsmyl2:

[Boogieman]

WRA special tool were used in stud driving guns. Bought 200 in the 70's I'm still using most of them, best 38 special cases I've ever had.

[Echo]

The WCC cases that I have (WCC 74) are noticeably thicker than my commercial Winchester brass and run on average 30-40FPS faster with the same load. I would not mix them for accuracy testing. For close range shooting say to 25 yds no problem with general plinking. If you are accuracy testing a good load I would not mix the Mil brass with commercial brass.
A BIG Plus 1...

[w30wcf]

I have seen WCC referred to as Western Cartridge Company.

w30wcf

[Tallbald]

Thank you all again. Last night I adjusted my lee die set in its turret to create .38 Specials. Made up a hundred little wimpy loads using the starting 3.0 grain Trail Boss load behind my proudly home cast 125 grain RNFP lead slugs. RayinNH I saw exactly what you mean about the A-MERC cases. I had two pre-primed and after charging, went to place the slugs. Ran them up into the seating die and for whatever reason, even though they had been sized full length, they felt like they had not been. It looked like the lead slug expanded the case all over again. I ran them both through my factory crimp die, but only put them in the finished box after marking them clearly to be thrown away after the next firing. Also. One military case accidentally got put in with the regular Winchester cases I was loading. Felt like I was resizing all over again too, but had a better "feel" than the A-MERC cases. Methinks you are sure right. They are thicker somewhere. But they're keepers.
These light light loads (I like the description somebody used..."cat sneeze loads") will be easy on my wife and me in our revolvers and I'm gonna try a couple in my Ruger 77/357 to see if they make it to 75 yards before hitting the ground and rolling (grin). Later all. Thanks once more. Don

[lead-1]

Similar bad things from A-merc here also. I'm a hoarder when it comes to brass but I didn't shed a tear tossing about 150 rounds in the scrap bucket, as a matter of fact I had a smile on my face.