Reloading 7.62x38R Nagant on the cheap!

[OTThomas]

After playing around a bit I found a way to load for my nagant revolver for as cheap as I can! First I took my once fired nagant brass and decaped it with the 303 British neck sizer die ( but anything that will decap it will work). The 9mm shellholder works. Then I cut the brass down with my Dremel to around 1.198 inches then finished it off with the case trimmer to 1.196. Next, I re sized the brass halfway with my .32acp sizing die because the 32 bullet's (.312) is too large to fit in the nagant cylinder so I had to use 125g .309 size bullets. 1.5 grains of Bullseye works fine. Then using the .38 special seating die I seated the bullets to around 1.508 inches in oal. All together I didn't spend any extra money for reloading this round and now only costs me $4.50 a box instead of $30.00 a box for factory rounds!

[Artful]

You loose the gas seal that way, but you get to shoot so I guess unless you have suppressed it that should be one way to go.

[OTThomas]

Yes it sure beats $30.00 a box. Awesome gun by the way!

thanks for the reply.

[Artful]

Yep, Ammo's expensive and no surplus for it now (thou when offered it wasn't that cheap either)

- I bought a bunch of commercial thru J&G Sales
http://www.jgsales.com/product_info....oducts_id/5408
little under $25 per box in bulk - when I empty all those I'll start reloading for it

- Got the Lee dies so I'll have to modify them to seat below the case mouth.

The gun is just same as your's probably - a Tula just have it threaded ...
Just had to do it after watching the video posted on youtube ;^)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvF4yurWSc0

several of us then had to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGoPE7VQ9GY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCMHEpBxegM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8qCz1clA0U

Nice to be able to win an argument with someone less well informed about suppressing revolvers. Nagants design would be interesting in say 38 spl but cost prohibitive I'm sure.

[Chicken Thief]

Yep, Ammo's expensive and no surplus for it now (thou when offered it wasn't that cheap either)

- I bought a bunch of commercial thru J&G Sales
http://www.jgsales.com/product_info....oducts_id/5408
little under $25 per box in bulk - when I empty all those I'll start reloading for it

- Got the Lee dies so I'll have to modify them to seat below the case mouth.

The gun is just same as your's probably - a Tula just have it threaded ...
Just had to do it after watching the video posted on youtube ;^)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvF4yurWSc0

several of us then had to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGoPE7VQ9GY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCMHEpBxegM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8qCz1clA0U

Nice to be able to win an argument with someone less well informed about suppressing revolvers. Nagants design would be interesting in say 38 spl but cost prohibitive I'm sure.

While you're dreaming why not something in 500S&W? A 700gr slug whisperer, that'll tilt a Bison

[mazo kid]

OT, how did you arrive at your powder selection? Was it a work-up? Have you tried any other powders? Thanks for any insight. I am in the process of reforming 32-20 brass, still have to thin the rims, then will ready to go...

[OTThomas]

I tore apart one of the factory loads of 7.62 nagants and it only had 1.3 grains of powder. Who knows what powder it is but their bullets were 96 gr. and mine is 120 gr. so I just tried 1.5 with a little more power and that is all I have tried. Works great at the range!

[WRideout]

I reload factory Prvi 7.62 Nagant brass using the 30 carbine dies. I have gone up to 5.5 grains of Unique with the Lee 100 gr .308 boolit, but recoil is a bit brisk; no pressure signs though. Now I use 5.3 gr Unique, and find it to be quite pleasant. I get noticed at the range from the muzzle blast that the gas seal creates.

Wayne

[kjg]

Mazo who said you have to thin the rims, I've got starline new production 32-20 brass, no thining done, I also used 40 yrs old Remington umc, brass, thus stuffs old, part of box detririated, and Nickle, 218 vee brass haven't trimmed any brass , my loads Ieas came from cartridge conversions, say to use 3 grn bullseye, it works well, and seated bullets out of case just enough to clear as you rotate cylinder, went down to 2400, and1.5 grains bullet seated into case and crimped ever so slightly , decent load to, but it's seams more accurate with bullseye, use lee nagant dies, by the way.

[Wayne Smith]

Somewhere here a while back I posted my process of making brass from .223 cases. Long enough to gas seal. I use a 32-20 sizing die to put a neck on the end of the brass to fit into the barrel. Still have to refine some of the last 50 I made, some don't yet fit the chambers.

kjg, thinning the rims is dependent on the revolver. They weren't made to the closest standard. Some have room for thicker rims, some don't.

[mazo kid]

Mazo who said you have to thin the rims...

Just something I picked up on YouTube while searching for "reloading the Nagant revolver". The guy said you have to take some few thousandths off the part of the revolver that pushes the cartridge forward. I just thought why not thin the forward part of the rim instead, keep the revolver stock. HOWEVER...I noticed that with the cylinder full of unaltered 32-20 brass that the cylinder functions just fine for rotating the brass in position. Now...will the long nose of the hammer go forward far enough to detonate the primer? Dunno, will have to put a primer in one and see.

[kjg]

No worries there they will go boom, I've been working with bullseye and 2400 , loaded them inside case mouth, with slight crimp, and bullet sticking out, just enough to clear rotation, that seems much more accurate, I have three nagant revolvers, and also load for three other guys nagant revolvers haven't had to thin any brass cases for anyof them, I have read that starline did at first make the nagant brass to thick and that had to be thined down some, now after checking, starline has ceaced making nagant brass

[mazo kid]

No worries there they will go boom, I've been working with bullseye and 2400 , loaded them inside case mouth, with slight crimp, and bullet sticking out, just enough to clear rotation, that seems much more accurate

I did test fire 4 of the thinned rim cartridges and they fired fine. I loaded with the boolit out just far enough to clear the frame. I won't be making any more of those, though, since you say the standard rim cartridges will work. I just didn't want to load up a box of cartridges and find they won't work. I used 3.2 gr of Bullseye in those cartridges I did fire.

[gandog56]

Instead of the the shellholder in the Lee Dies which do NOT fit real Nagant brass like Fiocchi and Hotshot? Apparently the old RCBS shellholder is no longer available because they quit making the dies. While I got one from Midway before THEY ran out of them, apparently CH4D still makes one. Their part # is 40803, and it cost $8.30 direct from CH4D. Now it also lists that it is good for the 32-20 brass, which is what the Lee shelholder is for But they do list it for 7.62 Nagant I KNOW that Hotshot brass will NOT fit in the Lee shellholder. And that the rims of Fiocchi brass can tear off if you can fit one in. CH4D is real high quality stuff and do suggest you send in a spent case for obsolete and wildcat calibers. I would send them a piece of brass and ask them if their #3 shellholder will fit it. They WILL make a custom made shellholder if you want one, but yeeks! At a $21 price? Glad I got mine from Midway before they ran out!

[texassako]

I use my RCBS #19 holder meant for the .25/.30/.32 Rems and 6.8 SPC. They have the same width at the extractor groove as the base of the 7.62 Nagant.

[xs11jack]

Some time ago, I read an article in a gun mag. that a person chronographed the Nagant ammo with the gas seal and some custom ammo that did not seal and the difference was less than 50 fps. Does this sound about right??
Jack

[Artful]

It would depend upon the the load but it's really not a high pressure round so your not loosing that much performance, so I'd say it's within reason.

[dmmccarter]

This is what I came up with...here.

I am curious about the photo Artful posted of the Suppressed Nagant. What is the purpose of the green shroud?

[Artful]

That's a kydex breakaway holster that holds the revolver with or without suppressor attached to your belt.

[dmmccarter]

Some time ago, I read an article in a gun mag. that a person chronographed the Nagant ammo with the gas seal and some custom ammo that did not seal and the difference was less than 50 fps. Does this sound about right??
Jack

In my experience, with a direct 28 round comparison between the exact same load and boolit (3.5 gr TrailBoss, 112 gr FN Cast) loaded in a 32-20 case and a gas sealed nagant case (PPU), the difference was ~150 ft/sec better for the gas seal.

That was enough for me to put aside the 32-20 brass for good and break out the lathe for custom die work.