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Brassman's 37mm Aluminum Shells for Reloading Folks have been talking about the 37mm aluminum shells that the Brassman, a pistol and rifle brass casings supplier, has been selling recently. They aren't listed on his site so you have to ask for them specifically. They're priced economically at $1 per shell. I was interested in checking some of them out, so I dropped John (the Brassman) a note and ask him about them. A few days later I had a box full at my doorstep, and here are my findings. These aren't teeny like most of the casings you get from other suppliers. In fact, you may have to trim a bit off the length in order for them to fit your launcher--they vary in length from 5 & 1/2 to 8 & 1/4 inches tall! Additionally, you may have to remove a little off the "lip" as it may not seat well enough to close the launcher. You can use a bandsaw to remove the extra length and a grinding wheel to whittle the lip down to size.   There are typically three different markings on the shells: 20F - Baton Foam Round 264R - Multiple rubber Batons 264W - Multiple wooden batons Both were made by Federal Laboratories in Saltsburg, Penn. Overall, the appearance of the shells is decent, though most of the markings are rubbed off, and there are small scratches on the shell's exterior. This doesn't detract from the usefulness of these shells, as you don't really want them to have the markings on them when you re-use them anyway (you wouldn't want someone to think you had a 37mm anti-personnel round, which is what they were when they were originally loaded). Also, there is a bulge in the top of the shell by the lips, which causes no problems at all in chambering the round. You'll probably want to wash the shells initially, as they are dirty inside. As a suggestion, you can run them through the dishwasher on the bottom shelf with the bottom of the shells pointed down, and then tear off a couple paper towels and use a wooden spoon handle to work them around the inside of the case. It also wouldn't hurt to buff their exterior lightly to remove the rest of the markings on them. To remove the primers, you can set the top of the shell on a ratchet (a rachet has a hole in the middle, which will hold the shell but allow the primer to fall out of the hole). Get a metal rod, such as those you find holding up political yard campaign signs, and take a hammer and tap the primer from the inside with the rod. Some are a little tight but most will fall out easily. You can use a C-clamp and a disk of wood to press the new primers down into place. Some folks cut the shells down to 5 & 11/16th inches so the nose cone just enters the bore for better stability. You can cut these cases down on a small lathe (and be sure to have them clamped in the lathe from the inside to avoid crushing them in the process). Loads Film canisters (those with the caps that fit almost flush) seem to fit well, but electrical tape makes them fit even better. The "regular" film container cap (just the cap) can be used as the wadding, as they fit very snug and seem to be secure (the caps are used right side up). For more information about using film canisters, see Bishop's article on Loading the 35MM Film Projectile. Other loads will work equally as well, and these shells are safer for trying experimental reloads than the typical plastic casings. For $1 per shell, you can't beat them. If you're interested in trying these shells out, drop John a note to order your own shells. Tell him 37mm.com sent you! This article includes information taken from threads from the 37mm.com discussion forums as well as the observations of the editor, shots. Thanks to those members who contributed to this article.

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