Brass Starline .45 AUTO +P

In Handloader No. 345 (August — September 2023), in my “Bullets & Brass” Column, I indicated that 45 Auto +P brass and standard 45 Auto brass from Starline are the same other than the headstamp that is for load identification purposes. This statement was based on information provided by Starline many years ago to this writer, but was also confirmed by weighing cases, etc. However, after that issue of Handloader was received by Hunter Pilant, process manager and chief ballistician at Starline, he contacted me with this response. “While our 9mm Luger and 38 Special are no different than other +P variants, the 45 Auto and 38 Super do differ from the +P variants. Both the 45 Auto +P and 38 Super +P are made out of heavier cups so that we can hit the head harder in the heading process to get a stronger case head. The 45 Auto +P also has a little thicker sidewall at the base than our standard 45 Auto.”

This is useful information and important to know when handloading these two cartridges. As Hunter indicated, this serves to increase case strength, which makes them ideal choices for +P pressure handloads. Handloaders should also note that +P cases in 45 Auto and 38 Super will have slightly less capacity than their non-+P counterparts, which can result in increased pressure when compared with the same load in a standard case.