Rifleman700 said:
Hows it going? I was wondering can igman factory brass be reloaded? i am assuming it can because its brass but if someone knows let me know anyways thx in advance
Will
Until a scientist proves to me that it is in fact brass, I would say the jury is still out on that one
Igman can be reloaded, as long as the following conditions are met:
1) the flash hole is the proper size and not the miniscule size that for some reason alot of it has (the depriming pin gets stuck/breaks)
2) the flash hole is somewhere remotely close to the centre of the primer pocket (sometimes it is not)
3) you have some means of de-crimping the flash hole as Igman utilizes a military-style crimp
4) you are ready to anneal it to soften the neck
Now, the above 4 conditions is my relatively minor experience with Igman (800 cases). I have found that the brass (if that is really what it is) is very very hard right from the get-go. Even on first fireing with the factory load, I have had split necks. For it to have proper bullet grip, I find I have to anneal, neck-size and re-anneal again before I am satisfied it is gripping the bullet sufficiently.
Also, the flash hole was so small that I had to drill it out from the neck, and then decap the primer. There was no way in heck my decapper would have ever fit in one of those cases. I think I have a few non-drilled ones, I will cut one in half and post a pic.
Often, the minuscule flash hole is severely off-centre.
The primer pocket de-crimping is just a pain, but at least it is a once-only pain. I just use a normal Lee chamfer tool and shave off the crimp. Works great after. Leaves the pocket nice and tight, likely good for many loadings.
NOW THE GOOD NEWS:
Once I have beaten the Igman into submission, it then becomes great brass, tough as nails. A bit more work, but since it is all I have save about 100 winchester cases, I use it all the time. It makes the case prep all that more enjoyable, gets me away from the usual drag of life
