5.45x18 Russian

[Missing Something]

So.... being a glutton for punishment... and always looking for an interesting project.... I took up reloading for the 5.45x18 Russian cartridge.

Here is the size of the cartridge... with a 9mm Para for size reference.

I usually don't reload for small cartridges.. they are a pain.. this one is no exception

First I had to find a suitable donor case... btw.. there is little info on reloading this little russian fella....

Looking in Cartridges of the World... I went to the spec. section and selected a couple of cases that were close in specs.... 22 Hornet and 5.7x28.

The Hornet cases were easier to come across.. but I lucked out and got 600 5.7 cases as well.

First.. I took some measurements and set up the Taig mini-lathe

Believe it or not RCBS makes dies to special order.... so out comes the Visa ...

I also talked to the Tech at RCBS and found out that they make a case forming die set.... so more Visa pain

And away I go...

I got some Hornet based bullets.... (they have to be resized to .221 dia.) And thanks to LEE, I got a bullet sizer die....

More to follow.....

 

[MiG25]

where's the gun?

 

[broncoo]

Neato

That caliber looks similar in size to .25 acp

 

[jdman]

Yeah lets see the gun that fires this sucker.

 

[Missing Something]

You asked for it.....Here you go....

I did get a nice little pistol.....a nice Russian issue PSM pistol in 5.45x18.

I also went into my library at home and found an original Russian manual that I had.... I also lucked out and got an issue holster and spare magazine with it. I do however seem to be missing a cleaning rod....so if anyone has seen one....

Here you go... for your viewing pleasure.

Serial number is distorted... thats not the finish

The 5.45x18 round is left... 9mm Para is Right.

The PSM pistol was designed during early ninety seventies at the request of the all-powerful KGB (State Security comitee of Soviet Union), which required a concealed carry weapon for their plainclothes operatives who were operating “in country”. Original papers, approved by the Government, requested a “flat-sized pistol, not thicker than a standard matchbox (17mm)”. There were no specifications for caliber, and it is not known why TSNII TochMash dared to develop an entirely new round when other rounds were already available and had previously been manufactured in the USSR, such as the 6.35x16SR and 7.65x17SR Brownings. The only real (although of doubtful value) advantage of the new 5.45x18 MPTs round (official designation 7N7) is its deeper penetration, especially against soft body armor at short range. The stopping power of this round is so miserable that some police operatives officially refused to carry this pistol in harm’s way, asking for the venerable Makarov PM instead. The PSM itself was quite conventional weapon, but of very thin and flat profile. It was tested against only one other competitor, the BV-025, which was more or less a scaled down Makarov PM copy, chambered for the same 5.45x18 ammunition. The Government officially approved the PSM for service in 1972, and from the mid-seventies it was issued mostly to top-ranking officials of the military, law enforcement agencies and the Communist party, as a self-defence weapon (or suicide special, as it turned out during turbulent first half of the nineties).

A few of these pistols came in in the 90's, so there is a few out there floating around.

 

[Missing Something]

Some more of the "build".... cause you need stuff that goes bang...


Using the form die on the newly rimmed and trimmed Hornet brass...

Out...

Then it goes into the trim die for a haircut...

Then for the neck reaming to remove material to bring the neck to the proper thickness....

The case then goes into the FL sizer die (just me being obsessed)...

Then a chamfer on the inside and outside of the neck and she is ready to load...

The factory load is on the left... the finished product is on the right...

 

[jdman]

Cool!

 

[Rotaxpower]

Very neat thanks for the pics!

 

[Missing Something]

Fruit of the Labour:

 

[connexion123]

You have skills! Nice work.

 

[dudley2112]

read about this cartridge once, never knew any guns chambered in it made it here, pretty cool.

 

[Ohno]

Very interesting.
Necessity truly is the mother of invention.

 

[jdman]

That amazes me you can just trim brass like that and make something else. You must have found specs of the brass, or did you just pull a china and reverse engineer it from one single case you had?
I know who i am calling next time i get a hankering for something i cant find.

 

[Missing Something]

That amazes me you can just trim brass like that and make something else. You must have found specs of the brass, or did you just pull a china and reverse engineer it from one single case you had?
I know who i am calling next time i get a hankering for something i cant find.

I have made rounds from other cases before.... 7.92x33 from .308, .455 Webley Auto from 45 auto rim. So this is not new to me...

Books like Cartridges of the World, Handloaders manual of cartridge conversions are helpful as well. As there is not a lot of info on this cartridge.. I hit the books and had a live round in my collection. So doing some measurements and hitting the books.. as well as an Internet search... I came up with the project...

Luckily RCBS had some dies and case forming stuff available for special order (I am not the only foolish one to tread down this path!) So I didn't have to reinvent the wheel and get some custom dies made (C4HD can do this for a price).

Quick Load is also a wonderful tool in finding suitable powders... although bullet size and selection is a problem. So, some reloading knowledge and a chronograph are a must.

I also had to sacrifice my live round for the sake of science to get the velocity specs.

All for the quest of knowledge and to make the obscure go bang....


The 5.45x18 beside the 14.5x114

 

[8 ball]

Neat! And I thought I was hardcore! Thanks for the photo's.