38 Sp Brass question

[Northport_brian]

At a garage sale over the summer, i picked up a boxed of Brass/bullets. The lady said that her husband reloaded and he die awhile ago... Most of the boxes were fired but all labeled with the load data, dates/powders. etc..
It was mostly 38sp with at least 2000 cases and a few hundred 357 and 45 long colts.

But here is my question/problem. I put them thru my tumbler and my FL Lee sizer, (did not bell at this point) but about 500 or so 38 sp cases have low neck tension.I can easily push a bullet in the case by hand and it will slide right out with pushing with a paper clip thru the primer hole. I tried different box of bullets with same results.I measure the bullets with a micrometer of 0.357 125g JFP

The other 1500+ case are as tight as i would expect and there is no way i can push a bullet in by hand.

I am puzzled over this, since the Lee FL sizer resizes the outside of the cases and 1500 came out fine while 500 did not, all done around same time with same sizer. Thus my only thought is that the brass is thinner on the 500 with low neck tension.

What would cause a straight wall brass case to thin out so much or did they come from the manufacture that way.

SHould i use these cases and just put a good roll crimp on them?

 

[SSGSAD]

One solution would be to use cast lead, sized @ .358, and use light loads, like 4.5 gr. Unique, or 3.5 gr Bullseye...

 

[sloughfoot]

I'm not sure why they are so large, but a heavy crimp won't make up for proper neck tension. I don't think I would use them for live ammo. Scrap em' out is my answer.

 

[Leadeye]

SSGSAD has the right idea if you want to save the brass, I've used the same method for years. With low velocity straight walled pistol stuff the cases are usually good until the neck splits. You can use the Lee factory crimp die for them if the bullet diamater gets too big to chamber easily and still have usefull ammunition.

 

[SSGSAD]

SSGSAD has the right idea if you want to save the brass, I've used the same method for years. With low velocity straight walled pistol stuff the cases are usually good until the neck splits. You can use the Lee factory crimp die for them if the bullet diamater gets too big to chamber easily and still have usefull ammunition.

Thanks, I appreciate that !!!!!

 

[2cool9031]

Generally as the cases are used over and over again, they tend to get longer and have to be cut to length. This metal has to come from somewhere....the walls just are getting thinner. Until they eventually split.