I need to cut 60x .38 spl cartridges down 5mm from the rim

[Buckshot Bear]

I need to cut 60x .38 spl cartridges down just 5mm from the rim for some decorative touches on our gun cart.

 

Hacksaw fail

Junior hacksaw fail

Lathe fail

Miniature pipe cutter fail

Dremel works but the cuts aren't straight and really wonky.

 

Anyone got a clever idea?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Try to find some 38 Colt brass?

[Too Tall Bob]

Why don’t you use a case trimmer?

[Rip Snorter]

If you can make a simple fixture to hold the case, (a scrap of pipe or conduit) you might try a belt sander or angle grinder.  If you have a case trimmer, do a rough cut with a jewelers saw and the last bit with the trimmer for straight and uniform.

[Matthew Duncan]

20 minutes ago, Buckshot Bear said:

I need to cut 60x .38 spl cartridges down just 5mm from the rim for some decorative touches on our gun cart.

 

Hacksaw fail

Junior hacksaw fail

Lathe fail

Miniature pipe cutter fail

Dremel works but the cuts aren't straight and really wonky.

 

Anyone got a clever idea?

I used a “hobby” chop saw from Harbor Freight and a eBay jig to cut 223 brass to 300 Blackout.  I cut it a fudge long, then I used a case trimmer (after resizing) to insure end is square and OAL is correct.

 

 

[Texas Red]

BB,

I use little different saw than the one above but from Harbor Freight and these

 https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313&_nkw=trim+38+to+38+long+colt&_sacat=0

Hope it Helps

TR

[Blind Squirrel]

Small pipe cutter?

[Jackalope]

If available, try to chuck brass in a drill press, run about 1100 rpm, use hacksaw blade, file, etc.   FWIW, I've used a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel to make some fairly uniform cuts in a similar fashion.  If you can position the brass uniformly, this might be a solution.

 

Good luck.

Jackalope

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Quote

I used a “hobby” chop saw from Harbor Freight

 

Ditto.   Works real fast.  I made a holder out of a block of oak with a snug fitting hole to hold the case head while chopping off the rest. My task was (still is) chopping .45 Colt down to Cowboy .45 Special cases.

good luck, GJ

[Eyesa Horg]

I picked up a half inch bushing at the hardware store, scribed it good with a pipe cutter and then cut with fine hacksaw. Slip the brass in and trim with the Dremel cut off wheel guided by the bushing, touch up with a trimmer.

Oh crap, forgot we were talking about 38, well you get the idea!!

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I cut a bunch of 5.56 brass down to make 300 blackout cases.  I used a bandsaw with a metal cutting blade and drilled 10 holes in a block of wood to uniform depth with the drill press.  Then I split the wood and put a hinge on it so I could clamp the cases snugly.  Use a fence or a clamped board to set the wood block a uniform distance from the blade.  Worked great.  Krazy Kajun filmed me using my brass cutting contraption.

 

 

[J.S. Sooner, SASS #73526]

Miter saw with a high tooth count carbide blade will make a very clean cut. Difficult part is holding fixture to do it safely.

 

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

2 hours ago, Too Tall Bob said:

Why don’t you use a case trimmer?

Try this!

that is what they do! Trim cases!

The Lyman basic model ($129.99 at Midway with included adapter) to attach a cordless drill has worked for me for nearly 30 years. 
Regards

    
Gateway Kid

[Rip Snorter]

I have a high end Lyman trimmer, it would be a pain to trim that much, both time and effort. These are for display, not use.

[Yul Lose]

Do you have a bandsaw? I use a bi metal blade and a fixture that slides in the T slot in the bed, works pretty slick.

[Turkey Flats Jack]

3 hours ago, Matthew Duncan said:

I used a “hobby” chop saw from Harbor Freight and a eBay jig to cut 223 brass to 300 Blackout.  I cut it a fudge long, then I used a case trimmer (after resizing) to insure end is square and OAL is correct.

 

 

Exactly what I'd recommend. Make a jig so they're all exactly the same length and be done in a few minutes

[Sedalia Dave]

9 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

I need to cut 60x .38 spl cartridges down just 5mm from the rim for some decorative touches on our gun cart.

 

Hacksaw fail

Junior hacksaw fail

Lathe fail

Miniature pipe cutter fail

Dremel works but the cuts aren't straight and really wonky.

 

Anyone got a clever idea?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get a mandrel that will fit into the case snugly. Then insert the case, mouth first, into your lathe chuck and clamp down on the case pinching it against the mandrel.

Now use a parting tool and cut the rim + 5mm free. Done with a sharp tool the rim plus 5mm of the case should part cleanly. Touch up any burs with a fine file.

[Hoss]

8 hours ago, Texas Red said:

BB,

I use little different saw than the one above but from Harbor Freight and these

 https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313&_nkw=trim+38+to+38+long+colt&_sacat=0

Hope it Helps

TR

That’s what I use to trim 45-70 brass to 45-60

[Old Man Graybeard]

If you can find a way to hold the case...a Forstner bit in a drill press will cut them down and keep them even

[Buckshot Bear]

Thanks one and all appreciate the advice. I ended up putting them in the chuck on my lathe and turned them at around 60rpm and held a hacksaw against them, rough, but worked.

 

All a bit mute though in the end

 

I printed out some images of 6 shot cylinders and tried to use them as templates and used an automatic centre punch to mark the middle of each printed primer and then drilled a shallow hole for the case, but the end result doesn't look perfect. Every step has added a little movement and it doesn't look perfect enough for me.  Test on a scrap piece of wood with scrap shells.
 

I'll have to try something else. I don't know anyone who has a rotary table on their milling machine

 

 

 

 

[Rip Snorter]

5 minutes ago, Buckshot Bear said:

Thanks one and all appreciate the advice. I ended up putting them in the chuck on my lathe and turned them at around 60rpm and held a hacksaw against them, rough, but worked.

 

All a bit mute though in the end

 

I printed out some images of 6 shot cylinders and tried to use them as templates and used an automatic centre punch to mark the middle of each printed primer and then drilled a shallow hole for the case, but the end result doesn't look perfect. Every step has added a little movement and it doesn't look perfect enough for me.  Test on a scrap piece of wood with scrap shells.
 

I'll have to try something else. I don't know anyone who has a rotary table on their milling machine

 

 

 

 

Get a Moon clip, lock the de primed cases in and clamp to the wood, punch through the primer hole?

[Buckshot Bear]

17 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

Get a Moon clip, lock the de primed cases in and clamp to the wood, punch through the primer hole?

 

That's definitely worth a try. 

[Oregon Ace]

22 hours ago, Rip Snorter said:

If you can make a simple fixture to hold the case, (a scrap of pipe or conduit) you might try a belt sander or angle grinder.  If you have a case trimmer, do a rough cut with a jewelers saw and the last bit with the trimmer for straight and uniform.

This is the way here A+ Jig and knife belt sander or similar

[Oak Ridge Regulator]

Since you have a lathe, turn a brass mandrel .001/.002 under the inside diameter of your cases, slide case over mandrel, clamp case and mandrel in 3 jaw chuck, chuck will crush case against the mandrel evenly, drill pilot hole in primer with tail stock chuck, use a cut off tool or almost any tool on your crossslide to cut your case head off, remove case from mandrel, rinse and repeat 60 times, I do this when I turn brass shotshells into custom knobs for drawers and mounts for gun displays

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

Why do you care one whit about how smooth or even the cut edge is?  Drill the holes in the wood just deep enough so that when you epoxy the cut cases into the holes, the rough sharp rim is completely and safely encased in epoxy in the bottom of the hole.

[Buckshot Bear]

5 hours ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said:

Why do you care one whit about how smooth or even the cut edge is?  Drill the holes in the wood just deep enough so that when you epoxy the cut cases into the holes, the rough sharp rim is completely and safely encased in epoxy in the bottom of the hole.

 

Because getting jagged edged round brass into neat tight 9mm holes drilled into hardwood isn't a pleasure. 

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

1 hour ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

Because getting jagged edged round brass into neat tight 9mm holes drilled into hardwood isn't a pleasure. 

Just use a case mouth deburring/chamfering tool -- give it a quick spin and it should be smooth enough to tap in.  That's the beauty of brass -- it is flexible, much more flexible than the hardwood.

[Buckshot Bear]

20 minutes ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said:

Just use a case mouth deburring/chamfering tool -- give it a quick spin and it should be smooth enough to tap in.  That's the beauty of brass -- it is flexible, much more flexible than the hardwood.

 

After cutting down, they aren't long enough to do that. As mentioned in my first post, they are cut down to just 5mm.

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

28 minutes ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

After cutting down, they aren't long enough to do that. As mentioned in my first post, they are cut down to just 5mm.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1204387724/bullet-slices-assorted-primed-or-de?click_key=116b02257ea9c957e35f466ac12afb9c1e76de55%3A1204387724&click_sum=f16d9e14&ref=internal_similar_listing_bot-4&sts=1&listing_id=1204387724&listing_slug=bullet-slices-assorted-primed-or-de&variation0=2725148111

 

[Buckshot Bear]

50 minutes ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1204387724/bullet-slices-assorted-primed-or-de?click_key=116b02257ea9c957e35f466ac12afb9c1e76de55%3A1204387724&click_sum=f16d9e14&ref=internal_similar_listing_bot-4&sts=1&listing_id=1204387724&listing_slug=bullet-slices-assorted-primed-or-de&variation0=2725148111

 

 

Yes, that's what I'm trying to achieve.

 

And then get them perfectly spaced to 'look like' they are in a cylinder on this practice piece of scrap wood.

I thought this was going to be a quick tinkering session in my workshop! So far, that ain't the case!

 

[Sedalia Dave]

To get the spacing right you cannot eyeball the hole placement. The hole centers need to be exact.

I have some software that I think I can make a template on that will give you the correct hole spacing with a precise point for the hole center. 

 Let me try it tomorrow night and see if I can get it right.

[Buckshot Bear]

51 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

To get the spacing right you cannot eyeball the hole placement. The hole centers need to be exact.

I have some software that I think I can make a template on that will give you the correct hole spacing with a precise point for the hole center. 

 Let me try it tomorrow night and see if I can get it right.

 

Thanks Dave that would be super appreciated mate!

[Oregon Ace]

1 hour ago, Sedalia Dave said:

To get the spacing right you cannot eyeball the hole placement. The hole centers need to be exact.

I have some software that I think I can make a template on that will give you the correct hole spacing with a precise point for the hole center. 

 Let me try it tomorrow night and see if I can get it right.

I sent him an accurate  template 

[Sedalia Dave]

19 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

Thanks Dave that would be super appreciated mate!

 

Emailed a file this evening.  You will need to watch the scaling when printing it. I put the correct dimension in SAE and Metric on the template. 

 

When I printed them directly from the program (VISIO) they came out exactly to scale. When I made the PDF and printed it, the scale was off. Took a a lot of experimenting with the printer settings to get the scale to come out correctly. It would be easier to print them and then use a copier's enlargement function to get the scale back to 100%

 

I will attach it here in case someone else wants to use it. It is to scale for a Ruger Vaquero chambered in 38/357

 

Buckshot Bear.pdf

[Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485]

On 4/21/2023 at 7:06 PM, Buckshot Bear said:

Lathe fail

If I had access to a lathe I would turn a mandrel just small enough to go into the case. Put the case with the mandrel in it into the chuck mouth first ( rim out ) and cut it off with a parting tool.