Starline Brass

FROM THE HIP

- Brian Pearce

Starline Brass began producing newly manufactured cases in .38 Special and .357 Magnum in 1976, which I began using almost immediately. In the decades since, the company has added all popular handgun calibers, including many less popular and formerly obsolete versions. This has allowed hand loaders and ammunition manufacturers to keep vintage guns in service. Starline has also added many straight- and semi-straight walled rifle cartridges. The latest new cases (which have been anxiously awaited) include bottleneck rifle cartridges based on the .308 Winchester family of cartridges.

Like most companies, Starline has had a learning curve to manufacture top-quality cases. It took considerable experimenting for the company to adopt ideal combinations of brass type and manufacturing processes that result in strength without the brass being brittle. Cases also had to be annealed to allow the repeated “working” associated with firing, resizing, neck expanding and crimping.

During the early 1990s, I began to take notice of the performance and strength of Starline cases. At that time, I was shooting a considerable amount of +P .45 Colt loads that generated around 32,000 CUP; however, when used in custom-built, five-shot revolvers and Freedom Arms Model 83s, some loads were approaching 50,000 psi. The Starline cases exhibited impressive strength and durability.