7.62x39 steel case reloading

fiddler said:
I admire your determination, but its a waste of time on calibers that are plentiful on the market. Steel cases are not worth the bother and its my opinion that they are not re-loadable. Even my attempts on good brass cases were futile when I can shoot factory PRVI rounds at half inch groups at 100 yards.
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My reasons are as follows, yes 7.62x39 is extremely plentiful a crate of it corrosive primers and all for the low price of $300 or less. Non corrosive is about $10 per box of 20. Stripping and cleaning your SKS everytime you shoot corrosive is a gigantic pain in the ass (I take care of my firearms as if they were my children) . Also want see how many times steel cases can be reloaded. I want to reload them with Hornady 123gr Z-Max it is far easier for me to get the projectiles then the rounds. My load recipe is as follows Hornady 123gr Z-Max, Bulgarian Mil-Surp cases, 24.5gr of IMR4198 and NON-Corrosive Tulammo berdan primers (love to hear thoughts on this load). I intend on loading 1000+ of these for hunting coyote,deer,rabid melons and pumpkins (possible zombie hordes lol). Oh and I wouldn't mind trying to make some subsonic rounds (anybody do that one yet)? I will let you know in the future when I have reloaded these how good my groups are. And how dead the coyotes are;)
 
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Some of the milsurp is in brass cases. I have Romanian and Yugo in brass cases. If you want to reload Berdan, buy this milsurp ammo to start, or pick it up at the range.

I reload 7.62x39, but i bought 1000 cases of boxer cases (IMI) for about $200 to start with. If you value your time and blood pressure, contact someone like Budget reloading Supply or Tradex and see if you can source some box brass. It is an easy round to reload.

Yes, you can make subsonic, too. See if you can find some 200 gr RB bullets for the 303. They would be a good start, along with 2400 powder. Start with 9 gr and go up or down from there.

200 gr cast lead bullets are perfect for making sub sonic.
 
Ganderite said:
Some of the milsurp is in brass cases. I have Romanian and Yugo in brass cases. If you want to reload Berdan, buy this milsurp ammo to start, or pick it up at the range.

I reload 7.62x39, but i bought 1000 cases of boxer cases (IMI) for about $200 to start with. If you value your time and blood pressure, contact someone like Budget reloading Supply or Tradex and see if you can source some box brass. It is an easy round to reload.

Yes, you can make subsonic, too. See if you can find some 200 gr RB bullets for the 303. They would be a good start, along with 2400 powder. Start with 9 gr and go up or down from there.

200 gr cast lead bullets are perfect for making sub sonic.
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That might be fun. Did the subsonic 200 gr cast bullets have enough pressure to work the action or does the shooter need to rack each round?
 
Ganderite said:
Yes, you can make subsonic, too. See if you can find some 200 gr RB bullets for the 303. They would be a good start, along with 2400 powder. Start with 9 gr and go up or down from there.

200 gr cast lead bullets are perfect for making sub sonic.
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I have been out of this stuff for quite sometime. The last time I reloaded I was 14 I was at my (step)grandfathers, Back in Calgary (I now live in niagara) and we were casting and reloading 45 long colt (he was a collector of antique,colts some of you may even know him). Now since my divorce from my ex(she is a liberal from toronto, the worst kind). So I gave my dad all my rifles just in case. Now I am trying to relearn a lot of stuff I learned twenty years ago. But since the days of long colt and having my ass whipped with a colt navy holster I became a welder and boilermaker (not the drink). I learned about metalergy and the difference between the steel cases and brass in terms of malubility in minute. I PMI' ed a steel case and the composition closely resembles A36/44W mild steel. Now what the steel lacks in malubility it makes up for in toughness (actual term) and ductility. Which may actually aid in it being reloaded more times then brass (ie neck failures cracking ect ect). Now I know for a fact those cases never meet the curie point of steel soooo quench tempering is out of the question. I do intend on drinking beer and hydro swagging the spent berdan primers out on a hot niagara day (patience I have a lot). But any input is great and there has been a lot thank you gentlemen.

Now as for the subsonic round that 200gr .303 won't tumble? Will it cycle the action on a SKS?

If you can't tell I have been drinking so I apologize for grammer and spelling in advance...

Thank you all again
 
supersharpshooter308 said:
My reasons are as follows, yes 7.62x39 is extremely plentiful a crate of it corrosive primers and all for the low price of $300 or less. Non corrosive is about $10 per box of 20. Stripping and cleaning your SKS everytime you shoot corrosive is a gigantic pain in the ass (I take care of my firearms as if they were my children) . Also want see how many times steel cases can be reloaded. I want to reload them with Hornady 123gr Z-Max it is far easier for me to get the projectiles then the rounds. My load recipe is as follows Hornady 123gr Z-Max, Bulgarian Mil-Surp cases, 24.5gr of IMR4198 and NON-Corrosive Tulammo berdan primers (love to hear thoughts on this load). I intend on loading 1000+ of these for hunting coyote,deer,rabid melons and pumpkins (possible zombie hordes lol). Oh and I wouldn't mind trying to make some subsonic rounds (anybody do that one yet)? I will let you know in the future when I have reloaded these how good my groups are. And how dead the coyotes are;)
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I'm not trying to dissuade you but your logic makes no sense.
Follow my logic and see where it goes.

Hornady z-max or v-max in .310 diameter sells for $25.00/100
Large Rifle Berdan Primers sell for $30/1,000 or $3/100
Powder for 100 rounds will cost you roughly $10.00

Your total cost for busting your ass trying to reload 100 rounds of berdan primed brass will be $38/100 or $380/1,000.
It will take you 20 hours to reload 1000 rounds of berdan primed steel cased brass on a single stage press assuming depriming and priming goes smoothly.

The other option is to buy the 1,000 rounds of brass cases boxer primed ammo at $10/20 or $500/1,000

When you go to reload them with boxer primers
Your cost will be
$250 for bullets
$100 for powder
$30 for primers
This comes in at $380+ $500= $880 for 2,000 rounds or $440.00 per thousand.

I'd gladly pay 6 cents more per round and work with brass cases and boxer primers.

In reality you can probably get away with a couple of hundred cases and reload them more frequently.
I have about 300 brass boxer 7.62x39 cases which I have picked up at the range over the last 3 years.
I haven't even shot that many in that caliber.

I can understand doing it for a caliber that boxer primed brass is not available for.
 
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sunray said:
Steel cases are not reloadable. Despite the nonsense seen on the internet. The mild steel in 'em is not elastic like brass is and will not go back to factory dimensions. And nobody is currently making or selling berdan primers. Nor does 'converting' berdan to boxer priming actually work. Throw 'em into the recycling bin.
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Curmudgeonly as ever, i see :)
 
Grizz Axxemann said:
Curmudgeonly as ever, i see :)
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Yes as always the leading authority :) . I remember he jumped all over me one time for making shot shells out of .303 British brass cut down for a .44 Mag revolver. Said it was idiots like me that get people killed or hurt. Really!!! So I then posted the reference to the article published by Elmer Keith where he went into detail on how to make them. If Elmer was alive today I would like to see him write in and let Elmer have it because Elmer obviously doesn't know what he was talking about.
 
sunray said:
Steel cases are not reloadable. Despite the nonsense seen on the internet. The mild steel in 'em is not elastic like brass is and will not go back to factory dimensions. And nobody is currently making or selling berdan primers. Nor does 'converting' berdan to boxer priming actually work. Throw 'em into the recycling bin.
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So, your sig says "Spelling and grammar count!!!" What about accuracy? Truth? Valid information?
jethunter said:
Steel cases are reloadable - even off the internet. :)
Canada Ammo is currently selling Berdan primers. $29.95 / 1000.
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Thanks for clearing that up, hope Sunray will stop to say thanks for correcting him, but I am pretty sure he is more concerned with padding his post count, and hitting that 20K mark.

It is good to see how easy it is for newbies like me, to figure out who is talking out of their butts. Keep up the rapid posts sunray!! I don't think your post count, should ever be higher than your rounds fired count. But that is just me.
 
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