Star Reloading Company

[Walt_Jabsco]

Alright, I'm sort of stumped on this one. I recently came into a few boxes of .38 Wadcutters from the Star Reloading Company. The company was located here in Indianapolis, and appears to have made excellent ammunition. It looks to be 60s-70s vintage in original boxes.

Does anyone know anything about these?

 

[shooter521]

I don't know anything about your bullets in particular, but I shot a metric crapload of Star bullets back in the day (they were in business until maybe 5 years ago). Their FMJ was good stuff, but IME their hollowpoints sucked (inaccurate and WAY too wide of a mouth; I couldn't get 'em to feed in a Glock or a Beretta, if that tells you anything). A buddy and I used to stop in periodically and buy out all their "scrap seconds" in 9mm and .40. You'd get a relatively high percentage of deformities (5-10% or so), but the rest of the lot was fine, and the price was so absurdly low that you still saved money over buying their first-run stuff or even their regular seconds.

I cried a little when they finally closed their doors for good.

 

[4sarge]

Back in the day when 357 was King, Star Reloads in 38 was our practice ammo. Great Company and was on the west side just north of 86th street. I still have some of the 38's

 

[mospeada]

My experience with their lead bullets is that they were pretty soft as they were swagged from lead rope and not cast. They were dirty as hell too because of the lube they used (molly coated maybe?) because they didn't have a lube groove (due to being swagged) and that lube got up in the dies and... well I stopped using them.

Anyway, they shot fine.

 

[Flintlock]

I've got a box of 38 wadcutters and they are incredibly accurate in my S&W snubnose (1" bbl, I think). I've hit bullseye at 40 yards with them (though I think that was luck! )

 

[calcot7]

Yes, I also went through alot of those reloads back in the day. They were very dirty, so I just always traded them in for a new box at the discount price rather than bother to clean and reload the brass myself. And for being mixed or mismatched manufacture cases they were remarkably accurate. I used to carry them i my snubbies. Does anyone know why and when they went out of business? I'm guessing it was in the mid 80's. Probably a liability issue.

 

[4sarge]

Yes, I also went through alot of those reloads back in the day. They were very dirty, so I just always traded them in for a new box at the discount price rather than bother to clean and reload the brass myself. And for being mixed or mismatched manufacture cases they were remarkably accurate. I used to carry them i my snubbies. Does anyone know why and when they went out of business? I'm guessing it was in the mid 80's. Probably a liability issue.

Seems like they closed once but reopened after a short absence, The department switched to autos and we were not buying reloads. I would imagine, the EPA, liability and the real estate location all played factors but I have no inside knowledge

 

[Bisley Man]

The lady that worked there told me the owner was retiring. Why he didn't sell it, Idon't know. It's a shame, one less local place to get ammo(remember A toZ?).Their 125gr 9mm soft pt. shot well in my G-19. A buddy and I would split a case of their target 38 wadcutters, all once fired Win. cases. That stuff was much better than the wadcutter ammo you'd get in the stores.I'd reload those cases many times. We would shoot this on some stages of a league in the '90's, did well for us.

 

[shooter521]

The lady that worked there told me the owner was retiring. Why he didn't sell it, Idon't know.

He tried. There was a fairly serious overture on the part of a local ARFcom or Glock Talk member (I don't recall which) to buy the joint, but the deal fell through. Shame, really.

 

[Crystalship1]

Back in the day when 357 was King, Star Reloads in 38 was our practice ammo. Great Company and was on the west side just north of 86th street. I still have some of the 38's

Me too!!!! But that stuff was diiiirty!!!! Reliable and accurate, but dirty.

 

[Farmritch]

I knew the guy and bought Jacketed bullets from them for years ( cheaper than I could buy lead )
I do not remember him ever having anything but jacketed bullets
They closed the doors about 2 or 3 years ago then got a large contract and re opened for a short time.
I think IPD could have & did keep him in business for years
He was 68 years old & had no family that wanted to run the business
Nor did he have anyone truly interested in taking the reigns
The last lead he bought was running $1.25 per pound and I can't remember the price of copper and this was before the BIG price jumps we had last spring/summer and it was terrible ( we are talking processed metal here not scrap )
I bought most of the last bullets he had left in the end.
All the equipment went to South Americia
He said he could not compete with the products coming from overseas
I knew a few people who thought of buying the business but just could not find the cash.
If he'd stayed in business a bit longer or kept the doors open a but longer he could have doubled his price for the business in this ammo hungry frenzy.
In hind sight now I wish I had looked at it a bit harder as I have had a friend who would have loved to by my partner and could have backed it with no issues.

 

[4sarge]

I knew the guy and bought Jacketed bullets from them for years ( cheaper than I could buy lead )
I do not remember him ever having anything but jacketed bullets
They closed the doors about 2 or 3 years ago then got a large contract and re opened for a short time.
I think IPD could have & did keep him in business for years
He was 68 years old & had no family that wanted to run the business
Nor did he have anyone truly interested in taking the reigns
The last lead he bought was running $1.25 per pound and I can't remember the price of copper and this was before the BIG price jumps we had last spring/summer and it was terrible ( we are talking processed metal here not scrap )
I bought most of the last bullets he had left in the end.
All the equipment went to South Americia
He said he could not compete with the products coming from overseas
I knew a few people who thought of buying the business but just could not find the cash.
If he'd stayed in business a bit longer or kept the doors open a but longer he could have doubled his price for the business in this ammo hungry frenzy.
In hind sight now I wish I had looked at it a bit harder as I have had a friend who would have loved to by my partner and could have backed it with no issues.

What year did it finally close and it seems like (memory) we (PD) were only paying about 30-40 dollars per thousand for wad-cutters but that may have been with brass exchange and was in the late 70's

 

[jason conley]

My dad was sponsered by them when he was in the State police pistol team. He bragged his photo was on the wall in the factory. They sold out and some equipment went to mexico and somewere else, louisiana maybe.

 

[STEEL CORE]

Mid 90's I guess, I have a cardboard box of 1,000 .40 180 gr trunctuated cone first time loaded with the star stamp on the shells I think, been sitting im my attic about 15 years now?!?

 

[drewvanracer]

It has been years since I have loaded my own rounds but want to start loading again. Googled Star Star Reloading and found this. So SAD.

 

[BGDave]

There was an ad to sell the place in Shotgun News. Must have went quick. Only one time ad.

Bought a metric ton of bullets when I heard they were quitting production. Really squished the Chrysler down.

Star Bullet Company was the best kept secret for cheap bullets.

The 148 gr wadcutters have some kind of black lube on them. Dirty, dirty and dirty.

 

[17 squirrel]

Star has been out of business for about 10 years, they were located on Rockhampton ct in Indy. We used to buy jacketed seconds from them for about 30 bucks a thou. I still have a few thou of 9, 40 and 45 bullets.
Quite a few people tried to purchase the company and / or the equipment. The owner was not interested in selling it to anyone in the USA, is what I have been told.
What I read years ago was all there equipment went to South America.
To maybe Aguila I think ???????

 

[SSGSAD]

Star has been out of business for about 10 years, they were located on Rockhampton ct in Indy. We used to buy jacketed seconds from them for about 30 bucks a thou. I still have a few thou of 9, 40 and 45 bullets.
Quite a few people tried to purchase the company and / or the equipment. The owner was not interested in selling it to anyone in the USA, is what I have been told.
What I read years ago was all there equipment went to South America.
To maybe Aguila I think ???????

I bought their seconds, all the time, good bullets, for reloading ..... I miss that place .....

 

[STEEL CORE]

I used to go in all the time, bought cases and cases of ammo from them. I thought they closed civilian sales, and kept making reloads for agencies, a few years ago I found a case of .40 FMJ and finally shot it all up, Too bad all good things have to end.

 

[deanald2pt0]

Yes, I also went through alot of those reloads back in the day. They were very dirty, so I just always traded them in for a new box at the discount price rather than bother to clean and reload the brass myself. And for being mixed or mismatched manufacture cases they were remarkably accurate. I used to carry them i my snubbies. Does anyone know why and when they went out of business? I'm guessing it was in the mid 80's. Probably a liability issue.

If my memory is correct, the closed around 2007 because the owner was retiring. I bought some of their remaining inventory right before they closed the doors.