Hey,
I know a bunch of you forum members were looking for 14.5x114mm PTRD/PTRS rounds, and I managed to get my hands on a whole bunch of rounds with struck primers.
I was just wondering if anyone knows which country manufactured these, here is a pic of the head-stamp:
Thanks
First, is that a round, or a case? IF the primer is struck, and there is still a projectile, is it a misfire?
Is that tip painted black, or does it have a black and red strip of paint on the tip. Could be very likely you have your hands on some prohibited Armour Piercing Incendiary Ammo.
If they are misfires than they probably also contain a bunch of 30-50 year old Russian made gun powder that has failed to ignite that will need to be disposed of.
Those will be of limited value to PTRS owners without significant rework. More valuable to an ammunition collector, if not prohibited.
Not to mention the challenges of pulling a 14.5mm projectile being a bit more involved than your typical .308, If thats a B32 API projectile, you will want to dispose of it unless you have a business license for prohibited ammunition.
The cases themselves are Berdan primed, and even if you could successfully decap them without destroying the primer pocket, 14.5mm cases use a larger primer pocket than even 50BMG primers, and any such primers would be likely to be corrosive.
If you had access to a machine shop and some wherewithal, you will want to drill out the primer pocket to approximately 0.020 thou larger than a 50 BMG primer and drill out a concentric flash hole in the centre of the primer pocket. You will also need to machine a copper bushing with an OD of 0.0015" larger than your new whole, and an ID of 0.0015" smaller than a 50 BMG primer. You should make at least one bushing for every case, with spares, as they only last a few firings each before they fall out.
If they have been fired, you would probably also want to wash any corrosive salt residue from the case after it has been emptied and drilled, and then allowed to dry before reloading.
Legal projectiles can be made out of solid brass. Non prohibited lead core ammo is out there, but tolerances are generally poor, and they are expensive as sin.
