To sort or not to sort 38 special cases

[greenwart]

I came across a deal and acquired about 2000 38 special cases. They are about 60% brass and 40% nickel plated. About 1/3 are +P. I usually sort but it always seems like a PITA. I always come back from shooting and they are all mixed up again and I will end up with 48 of one type and 97 of another. Those missing cases must be having a party with the solo socks that never make it back from the dryer.. I will usually make a pile of all the odd ball cases load them up and give them to someone else to shoot. Is there any significant differences in cases between the major manufacturers?

Bob

[sealer]

probably no need to sort for casual plinking, but i still do it anyway
YMMV, Dennis

[00buck]

Are they all the same length?

[troyboy]

I sort all brass by headstamp.

[roberts1]

im a nonsorter but I only do casual shooting. Ocasionally though, I do run across a short one while crimping.

[lancem]

38 special with target loads, no way would I mess around with sorting. I clean them, toss them in the case feeder and go. If I've loaded one I've loaded 30,000 over the years and never have I sorted a pistol case, other than those pesky small primer 45 acp.

[greenwart]

They are all between 1.145-1.150.

[dubber123]

Knocking around cans at 25 yds.? probably a waste of time. Trying to shoot 1" groups at 50 yds.? It certainly helps.

[ruizhernandeztrust]

I only sort to separate nickel plated cases and plain brass. I don't bother sorting different head stamps.

[dragon813gt]

Separate brass from nickel. Trim each type to the same length. Load and shoot. Pistol brass is easy. Load till they fail. I don't keep track of times fired like I do w/ rifle brass.

[waco]

I am a lazy SOB. I do not sort .38 cases. But I only plink. nothing serious.

This question is like a lot that have to do with casting and reloading. you can get as picky as you want to, or just reload safe useable ammo. It all depends on YOUR standards.

When I shoot steel at 900 yards, yeah, I nit pick everything. Beer cans at 20 yards with my K-38....NO.

[dragonrider]

I sort brass from nickel, that's it. I really do not like nickel cases. I put all nickel cases, no matter the caliber, into a medium flat rate box and when it is full I will give it to someone.

[rmatchell]

I only shoot 38 spl with family for fun so no real sorting. I do however pull out any military cases I find, but not for any real reason I guess.

[TMenezes]

I'm also a non sorter for general range loads. Only time I make the effort is for some special +P hunting or defense type loads.

[rking22]

Only sorting is for wadcutter loads, some cases get a bit-o-belly when fed a wadcutter. Why sort brass from plated ?? Am I missing something? If it's a 38special I'm gonna shoot it till it splits :)

[Pepe Ray]

Waco, Post #11, has it right.
It all depends on what you demand/expect of your ammo.
If you've ever done a serious study of a wide assortment of 38 Spl. cases, you'd discover that they are not all constructed the same.
F.I. G.I. brass is invariably much heavier, ie. smaller combustion chambers. Cases from original wad cutters are thinner with straighter inner walls to accommodate
wad cutter configuration. etc.
For casual plinking, just be safe.
Pepe Ray

[rintinglen]

When I shot PPC, I had Federal Wadcutter cases that were kept religiously for matches only. My practice brass was everything else, unsorted, except that I threw out military and S&W head-stamped brass. Those were so thick that they would ruin an otherwise promising group.

[StrawHat]

When I shot PPC, my match ammunition was loaded into cases with the same headstamp, I had buckets of the stuff. For practice, I loaded my recipe into what ever brass I had on hand (also buckets of the stuff). The difference in scores was not enough to concern me. I still preferred match stuff to be all the same, but they both shot the same.

[opos]

I never load standard loads in cases marked +P and never load +P in standard cases..not so much for me but in case someting happened to me and the +P's in standard cases fell into someone elses hands than may not have a modern, +P rated handgun...I'd hate to see some of my +P's end up in my old Saturday Night Special RB31..might be a nasty surprise as the RB frame is pot metal and they are known to come apart at very unexpected times.

[mold maker]

Nickel from brass only, because tumbling nickel till the brass is cleaned, wears the nickel thin.
While all shooting is serious, I do it only for fun, and SD. In both cases min/can at 25 yd is good enough. With my old eyes that's the best I can do with a hand gun.

[TMenezes]

Mold Maker, you just answered a question I was always wondering about. I love my nickel cases but was hearing from others that they don't last as long. Since my nickel cases seem to last every bit as long as my brass cases I was wondering if that was a myth or something. Since I don't use a tumbler I am quessing that is why my nickel lasts as long as my brass cases. Plus most of my shooting is with revolvers that don't stretch them much compared to my occasional shooting in lever guns. If anyone wants to rid themselves of those nasty nickel 45 Colt, 38 Special, or 357mag cases, just send them my way ;-)

[StrawHat]

The nickel cases lasted as long as brass ones for me. Eventually, the case develops a split and it gets discarded, whether brass or nickel.

[Dan Cash]

I have other things mor pleasant to ddo than sort pistol brass; root canal and PTA meetings come to mind. Load it, shoot it and wear it out.

[375supermag]

Hi...

I load all my .38Spl brass with the same generic plinking load.
My brass gets separated by headstamp when I load. I keep plain brass and nickel-plate separate...no reason, it just looks better in the plastic cartridge boxes.
Sometimes, I don't even put the reloaded rounds in cartridge boxes. I just load 500-1000 and put them in an ammo can and tape a reloading label with all the pertinent information to the inside of the lid.

Both my .38Spl revolvers are fixed sight models and they shoot well enough with my generic plinking reloads to keep paper targets, occasional targets of opportunity and tin cans quaking in fear.
I reload .38Spl for a friend's Ruger GP100 .357Mag revolver. The same reload shoots pretty well for him in his adjustable-sighted revolver. He shoots more .38Spl rounds than .357Mag loads because he is a bit recoil-sensitive.

I only shoot .38Spl in my two .38Spl handguns...all my .357Mag handguns get .357Mag brass only.

[Horace]

I sort everything I reload.

Horace

[dtknowles]

If you are asking the question then it probably does not matter for you, don't sort. I sort all my brass, even my reloads with mixed brass are sorted by headstamp in the ammo boxes.

Tim

[HATCH]

I am a sorter when it comes to 38sp
I sort for wadcutter brass then I sort if its plated or not.
I don't worry about headstamp so much.

Most of the wadcutter brass gets sent to my brother Robert. He loads 148 gr WC.
I have a nice little 105 grain wc mold that loads perfect in standard brass.

[Char-Gar]

I came across a deal and acquired about 2000 38 special cases. They are about 60% brass and 40% nickel plated. About 1/3 are +P. I usually sort but it always seems like a PITA. I always come back from shooting and they are all mixed up again and I will end up with 48 of one type and 97 of another. Those missing cases must be having a party with the solo socks that never make it back from the dryer.. I will usually make a pile of all the odd ball cases load them up and give them to someone else to shoot. Is there any significant differences in cases between the major manufacturers?

Bob

I would need to know your understanding of "significant difference" to be able to give a direct answer.

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm mostly in the just sorting nickel from brass crowd. When I'm trying to make really consistent rounds (read that as accurate) I'll take the time to sort by headstamp and do all sorts of other things to get the most consistent batch possible. The 38 Special is very forgiving and for most informal shooting it just doesn't matter. I'm with Waco, it's your time use it as you see fit.
Now when I'm sorting nickel from brass I look for wadcutter brass (double cannelure) and set that aside for wadcutter loads. So there are three piles - nickel, brass & wadcutter (the nickel plated WC brass generally gets tossed into the nickel pile)

[bobthenailer]

I sort all pistol brass by brand and sometimes by lot # , and then at least once in its life cycle resize & trim to min length. for cartages using a roll crimp , resize and ck length for some auto brass where max accuracy is needed!

Then i use a certian brand of brass for a specfic load or batch of ammo in whatever caliber. as a + you can look at any misplaced rounds headstamp and know what is loaded in it.

[GoodOlBoy]

I sort. Then I sell off or trade off the nickle brass. Never cared for it. Don't know why, but I like good old yeller brass cartridges.

GoodOlBoy

[KYCaster]

I sort out the wadcutter brass and everything else goes together.

BTW.....FC wadcutter has only one cannaleur, at the base of the WC bullet.

Jerry

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Naw, I dont sort 38 spl brass.

[tazman]

I will occasionally sort for wadcutter brass if I have something special to try. Other than that, nope. I am not really good enough(yet) to tell the difference in accuracy obtained by doing that.

[greenwart]

When I posed the question of significant difference I was concerned with case capacity differences (which it sounds like military cases are reduced) and cartridge length. Are +p cases any different in wall thickness? I am putting a slight taper crimp on my cases when formed. With mixed cases there are always a few that I could seat the bullet by hand if I wanted to, so I crimp. I guess sorting by head stamp would be preferable to case length resizing. Separating +P cases to load hot charges would be a good practice also.

My own experience with nickel cases is they seem to be weaker. When shooting my sons 10mm Glock the failure rate for nickel seem to be higher than brass. The Glock gets a half moon bulge at the unsupported area of the chamber and it just feels that there are more nickel than brass in the reject bin. That could be be due to the cases being weaker or that I just notice the deformation more with nickel than brass. most importantly I think the brass one look prettier.

Bob

Bob

[Lefty Red]

I do, I sort. But only because I am a brass ***** and have OCD. Put them in boxes and use that batch til they split. And still waiting....

I get bored and will sort while watching tv or listening to the radio. I will sort nickle from brass and then WC brass from non. Then I will sort by headstamp and +p or standard. Makes me feel like I did something, but most the time I reload plinkers from a grab bag assortment and go with that.

Jerry

[dtknowles]

I made a mistake a while back, actually years ago. I decided to sort my .357 mag. brass and I saved all the brass that was in big lots and started loading the dribs and drabs figuring that I would wear it out and move on to the good stuff. I am still shooting the dribs and drabs. It is still sorted but a box of shells might only have 30 or so rounds in it and then the next box would have 20 of one head stamp and 15 of another and so on. I did reload a few boxes of Winchester brass with measured charges and sorted cast bullets and a few boxes of RP Nickel brass with stiff charges and 125 grain JHPs but after the load development and testing I am now back to shooting the dribs and drabs with thrown charges and cast bullets with no sorting just reject the ones with big flaws. At 25 yards shooting offhand at the plate rack they don't miss.

Tim

[NoAngel]

I sort everything but not for the reasons most people do.
I know when I pick up a loaded round (that I loaded) exactly what it is even if it escapes the clearly labeled boxes. FC only gets one particular load, as does RP and so on and so forth.

As far as sorting for accuracy and consistently, in 99% of all handguns, it don't mean squat.

[Pepe Ray]

This post will address only one aspect of the O.P.'s question.
Re; +P marked cases. Do NOT assume anything. Whereas they MAY be acceptable as powder puff plinkers they should NOT,
under any circumstances, be used for plus P (+P) loads until you have weighed and separated the cases by capacity volume.
They are NOT all the same.
For me to dig thru my pig pile of data notes would be requesting much. Please trust me, I've weighed far too many 38spl cases to
not remember the basic facts. Some are average and some are heavy by several grains. I did NOT find this in the SAME BRAND so separating
can be a worthwhile indever.
Pepe Ray

[TXGunNut]

I'm an old PPC shooter too. For several years I started each year with once-fired brass from the same lot and used them all year. Before that I sorted by headstamp to help insure consistent case lengths and crimps. Other shooters shot just fine with their deaprtment issued reloads that were never sorted, just cleaned and poured into the loader by the bucketful. I didn't much care for nickel cases either but after 4-5 loadings and cleanings the plating was starting to go away. I felt like sorting was worthwhile but other than the added confidence I doubt it really was.

[Bored1]

I don't sort 38 spl. Only have a 2" snubbie in that caliber, so don't really shoot for any serious accuracy. Just plinking mostly. Figure there's other things I can do with that time. Short of it as it is!!!! I do sort nickel from brass though, that's for everything though. Helps me keep things straight myself.

[Geezer in NH]

I don't sort but, Trim all new brass I get after that unless they split and get crushed they keep going and going and going and going and going

[srtolly]

Never noticed any accuracy differences when I did sort so I don't sort anymore. Load and shoot everything.

[greenwart]

I ended up sorting out my brass for no other reason than they look better in the case and I am convinced r-p brass is less desirable than others. I am like Tim and end up loading all the dribs and drabs. I just got back from shooting and settled on a great load of 3.4g of Bullseye pushing a 358477. It clocked in just over 800fps and was super accurate.

[StrawHat]

Glad to hear it worked out for you. All to often a fellow will post a question and we never get to find out how things worked for him. Thanks for taking the time to let us know.

Kevin

[Petrol & Powder]

............... Other shooters shot just fine with their deaprtment issued reloads that were never sorted, just cleaned and poured into the loader by the bucketful.
............... I felt like sorting was worthwhile but other than the added confidence I doubt it really was.

/\ This is probably very close to reality.

I don't care for nickel plate brass but I seem to end up with a lot of it. I sort the nickel cases, shoot them till they split and toss them out.
Wadcutter brass has a different internal taper and is worth sorting and using for WC loads.
I'm not convinced that 38 Spl. brass that is marked +P is any different than non +P brass, other than the headstamp. YMMV but I've got other things to worry about.

[GabbyM]

I have a batch of 3,000 38 special cases here that I purchased "once fired". Within this batch is some PMC brand cases. With those testing over my chronograph. velocity jumps 45 fps with a 177 grain SWC over H-Universal. This jump pushes the standard pressure max load just past the velocity listed for the +P load. They run 940 fps with that 177 grain bullet which is for sure hitting +P pressure. I went ahead and loaded all the cases the same. Then sorted out the PMC cased loads and boxed them up marked +P and only use them for shooting at things made of meat. Plus I'll never intentionally shoot them out of my pre war 38's. Also these PMC cases weigh a lot heavier, like ten grains IIRC.

[mold maker]

I just found some balloon head 38s, in an inherited lot.
There aren't many, but I'll keep them since I know they came from my Uncle as a Police, and ABC Officer in the early 50s. He was the first in my family that loaded his own ammo.

[TCLouis]

I sort by headstamp, but doubt me or my loads are accurate enough to show the difference.

Nickle is sorted only because it gets UPPER level loads and Nickle only goes in 357 chambered guns.

[Petrol & Powder]

Using nickel plated cases to quickly identify a particular load is a good use for those cases. Pretty good system.

[tazman]

I agree. I use that system to identify my jacketed hollow point loads in 9mm and 40S&W.

[magyars4]

I do not bother sorting my 38 Special loads.
Has anyone else noticed that 357 seems to have a lot more nickel plated brass than 38?

[truckjohn]

No sorting for me... The only "Sorting" I do on pistol cartridges is to reject the ones that are too thick and don't want to run in the press right.... and I usually "sort" those when they stuff up....

Also - you may run into issues with some with rims too thick - jettison those... All the others - who cares...

Thanks