harter66

Are all the case "blanks" for a given family the same . For example arethe 308 , 7-8mm mauser, 06' drawn as the "basic" case before getting their heads and necks . What about straight wall cases 38,357,357 maxor 45,454,460 ?

I read some where that this is done for some of the straight and tapered40 and 45 Black powder cartriges ie 45-120 is like a basic case for the 45-110,90,70 etc .

Remnard

Cases are made of brass, steel, or aluminum. Brass is the most common. Shotgun shells are often made with a polypropylene

Many handgun and rifle bullets used for competition shooting are cost using conventional costing methods. The molten lead is poured into the bullet mold cavity, cooled quickly, and then extracted from the mold. The typical brass case is formed from annealed sheet by drawing with a multiple punch and die set. [/align][/align]plastic case attached to a metal base. A few handgun cartridge cases have been made of plastic, but have not received wide acceptance.


Case Design &
Manufacture
Nearly all small arms ammunition cases are of brass alloy. Some use aluminum, steel, or plastic, but the brass case is most popular and easiest to manufacture.
The design of the case is determined by the firearm in which the ammunition is used. The typical brass case is formed from annealed sheet by drawing with a multiple punch and die set. The first stage of the multiple die set forms the metal, the second stretches the metal deeper, the third forms the rim, and so on. Each step stretches the metal slightly farther until the final stage produces an accurately formed case. The cases are trimmed to length and the primer hole is punched. Heat treating and stress relieving are performed to selected types of cases to improve durability.

This is accomplished in large batch ovens, where baskets of cases are heated with enough temperature to gently soften the metal without distorting it. When cooled, the metal is "relaxed" and better able to take the punishment of firing. Some handgun caliber cases are nickel plated for durability in reloading, corrosion resistance, and for appearance. Each case is stamped with information such as caliber, manufacturer, munitions codes, and year of manufacture.

harter66

As usaual the question I asked wasn't detailed enough to get the answer to the question I thought I asked .

I know that if I put 11.0 grs of H110 in a 38 case and seat the bullet at the minimum OAL it'll blow up in my 1946 S&W ruin the gun and send me to the ER . And its not going to do any thing good for my stainless 357 Ruger .

If loaded to a max OAL for 357 would it be effectivly a 357 or is it an over loaded 38 .

Remnard

it's an overloaded 38. Ther is more air space in a 357. If you stuff that much powder in there (which is misleading as even a double charge might not fill the case with some powders)the fast burning handgun powder doesnt have sufficient space to expand at the proper rate. if it can't push the bullet out fast enough, the energy has to go somewhere. That usually results in a blown cylinder and top strap

DWFan

A .38 Special loaded to a cartridge overall length of 1.58"-1.60" is essentially a short-brass .357 Magnum. A .38 Special powder charge, (with a few exceptions),is not appropriate.Another problem is that the bullet will not be seated very deep in the case, won't be crimped,and poor ignition may result. Conversely, deep seating a .357" bullet in a Magnum reduces case volume and will cause a serious overpressure condition.

eldeguello

I would think so. Of course, the makeup of the various brass alloys used by different manufacturers variessignificantly sometimes. For example, not only does case capacity fora given cartridge vary from maker to maker, some makes of brass are much tougher than others.

As a matter of fact,it would not surprise me to learn that some cartridge makers buy their blanks already stamped from some company that makes tons of nothing but brass blanks. But I am not sure about this.....

(For S&W products, anyway, the thing that sets a magnum apart from a standard round, ie., .357 vs .38 Special, is that the .357 Magnum revolver has acylinder made from a stronger steel-different alloy,different heat-treatment.