Reloading Steel Casings...

[UtopiaTexasG19]

No, I am absolutely not intending on reloading any steel casings but am curious so I thought I'd ask the question. I assume since steel is not as malable as brass it eventually work hardens, cracks then breaks. What area of a steel casing would wear out first and what might happen? Thanks.....

[Ickisrulz]

There's an article floating around the internet where a guy reloaded some steel 223 and was able to make it work.

I think it would put extra stress on your press and dies.

I'm not sure what caliber you have in mind. Ranges are full of pick-up brass or you can order once fired stuff fairly cheap. I personally don't think it would be worth the effort.

[fryboy]

some are reloadable ... the wisdom of it is where it deviates , one can not state where any case will fail - or when , my crystal ball is so ummm clear that i cant seem to find it :P there's also a couple other things in play , one of them is the coating ( be it lacquer , vinyl, copper wash etc etc ) this acts as a lube since steel is also a bit harder than brass after the first shot it tends to deteriorate rather quickly and tumbling it hastens this , there were many many materials tried for cases , reloadable cases seem to work best with about 70% copper and the remainder zinc ( that's the common cartridge brass alloy btw ) it's not because folks havent thought outside the box but it is hard to argue with what works so well and reasonably cheap , and if you dont think brass is reasonably cheap compare it to your loss of life or limb or those around you , the best way to use a steel case again is to melt it down and start fresh IMHO

[BigRix]

I tried it and got a little unexpected discussion going in this thread.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ght=steel+case

I have not fired them yet but I expect good results in my 625 revolver.

[Lizard333]

Steal doesn't react the same as brass when reloaded. I have a buddy that reloads his steel cases once, and only once. More than that and he says that he has to many problems. These include brass that no longer holds the boolit well, and primer pockets that are loose. Why bother?? You can readily find range brass or purchase it cheap and know you have a reliable product. You'll find many people don't bother with the hassle.

[odfairfaxsub]

i do it fine once or twice and leave it

[mpmarty]

I use a magnet to find and discard steel cases when I find them. Too hard on dies and not maleable enough to obturate properly

[JohnH]

I ran a test of the Wolf 45 Boxer primed cases to see what I'd get. I loaded the cases using the Lee 230 TL boolit and 4 grains of Green Dot. Fired the loads in my Rock Island. I loaded the cases ten times with nary a problem. No split cases, no case growth, no primer pocket problems, nada. The load shot quite well at 12 yards and funtion was perfect. I did nothing special to the cases as far as lubing them etc when reloading them. I also didn't do any tumbling (an over-rated exercise, I regularly shoot 45 brass to failure without tumbling) or such either, fire 'em, process em, shoot 'em again.

Steel is not like brass or aluminum in that so long as the elastic limit is not exceeded, it will expand and contract (read bend) indefinately. Brass and aluminum both work harden, and with each cycle the elastic limit is lowered. This is why brass fails.

Think also about how soft the steel must be to be drawn in the same processes as are brass cases and one begins to realize that steel cases offer an exellent option to reloaders. Assuredly, no data exists designed around the reloading of steel cases, but where volume is equal, I see no reason to treat the loading differently, pressure is a function of case volumn and bullet weight. Yes I stayed on the mild side of the load in my experiment, nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution. But I'd have no problem with loading steel up to full pressure. The primary reasons we dont see it used by the major makers here are storage problems, and customer perception. Most people associate steel cases with cheap military ammo. Yes, steel is cheaper than brass, simple economics. But that does not make it inferior in function.

The real problem is getting to the range before the rain and range trolls take thier toll.

[felix]

Excellent post, JohnH. I have loaded those ACP cases with full loads for many, many rounds. The primer pockets will expand but never enough to matter before the case is lost in the weeds or rust prohibits their reuse. ... felix

[moses]

I too have been reloading the wold steel case 45 acp and have had zero problems!

Probably have 3 or 4 reloads so far.

I love it because everyone else throws them away or leaves them on the ground so as long as you get them before the rust your GTG!!!!

Also this reminds me of people who talk about not shooting bullets that attract a magnet through there rifles because it will wear out their barrel quicker.
The steel used for cases and jackets on FMJ bullets is a very mild steel, a guy on the FALFILES forum did a hardness test on a steel jacketed FMJ bullet and a standard copper covered bullet and the steel was actually softer on the hardness scale than the copper.

So don't think just because it's steel it's gonna where your gun out quicker, or break extractors or ejectors.

[badbob454]

moses good to know i didnt think steel would (could) be softer than copper ,interesting ....

[MikeS]

Don't forget, just like we can cast boolits that are either very soft (pure lead), or very hard (linotype), they're all still called lead, the same holds true for steel, there is very low carbon very soft steel, then there's very hard steel, but they're all called steel. I've reloaded steel 45ACP cases, and they shoot the same as brass cases. I also have almost 500 rounds of steel cased 7.62x39 that even tho they're berdan primed, I plan on reloading them! The thought that steel cases and/or berdan primed cases can't be reloaded is just another myth that's not based on reality.

[XWrench3]

i have done it a few times, just to see if it was reasonably possible. in straight walled pistol cases, i have loaded a few of them 5 times without incident. on 223 rounds, i only did that once. while it did work once, i have so much brass, that i did not want to put the soft steel dies under that much punishment over and over. once was enough. i know that if i had to, i could do it. the pistol dies are carbide, and i do not worry about them.

[lavenatti]

All the steel I've reloaded had a laquer or polymer coating.

I don't worry much about damaging my dies because the steel case never actually contacts them. I've also never noticed any "force required" difference when resizing steel.

I toss any rusty stuff.

[Poygan]

Regarding the thread BigRix refers to: after the fifth firing, the Wolf cases were getting somewhat harder to extract from the Ruger Blackhawk. Of six cases reloaded, one finally split. Of the twelve CCI aluminum cases, two had split this time. End of the experiment.

[mdi]

Don't forget, just like we can cast boolits that are either very soft (pure lead), or very hard (linotype), they're all still called lead, the same holds true for steel, there is very low carbon very soft steel, then there's very hard steel, but they're all called steel. I've reloaded steel 45ACP cases, and they shoot the same as brass cases. I also have almost 500 rounds of steel cased 7.62x39 that even tho they're berdan primed, I plan on reloading them! The thought that steel cases and/or berdan primed cases can't be reloaded is just another myth that's not based on reality.

I don't think any experienced reloader will say positively that steel cases can't be reloaded, it's just is it worth the trouble when brass is so readily available. I've never heard of any documented reports of one wearing out a sizing die reloading steel cases, nor have I heard any reliable info about confirmed damage to any gun shooting reloaded steel cased ammo. So, I feel it's up to the individual if he wants to try reloading steel cases, just be aware of the shortcomings (work hardening, low case life). As for Berdan primers, I may have tried it if primers were available and the process weren't more difficult to do. The only tools/processes I've seen to deprime a Berdan case is labor intensive (can't pop them out during resizing) and the hydraulic method is messy.

[Rocky Raab]

It might be possible. It might even be feasible. I'll let you know when there isn't a single brass case available on earth.

[theperfessor]

The only time I would bother with steel or aluminum cases would be (1) no brass cases available or (2) couldn't pick up brass after shooting (a match, on the water, etc.)

Otherwise no, but that's just me. Others are welcome to do as they see fit.

[MtGun44]

I occasionally run into a Wolf .45 ACP case and used to cull them out. Finally missed one
and noticed it sizing harder in the Dillon 550. Pulled it out and was surprised to find that
it was boxer primed and had sized OK, so I loaded it and kept it separate. Tested it and
it worked OK. So, I don't cull them any more, but probably only have one in 300 cases,
no problems except a bit more grunt on the Dillon handle.

No problems, not too worried about doing any sort of official testing, the seem OK for a
loading or two in a low pressure case like .45 ACP. Beyond that, I have no idea.

Bill

[W.R.Buchanan]

I can see how .45 ACP cases would reload just fine, and just because your using a carbide die doesn't mean you can't use some case lube too.

In bottleneck cases if you only resize the necks I dont' see too much wear to the sizing die. If you have to Full length size and set the shoulder back very much then there could be some issues with die wear over time. But I also don't see steel cases fireforming to chambers nearly as much as brass ones do, so maybe you don't need to full length size.

Despite what others have said, as a machinist for the last 30 years, I'm pretty sure that copper is softer than even the softest steel, and 1018 CRS is the softest steel.

Copper can be more abrasive than steel, but that's not because of the hardness. The bronze age was only in place becasue they didn't have steel, once they got steel the bronze age was over and then was only used for things they needed to cast and that was only becasue they hadn't figured out how to cast steel.

The Russians use steel for cases for only one reason. It's cheaper than brass. Little kids in Pakistan reload the stuff every day. I bet not many get reloaded more than once.

Knowing that you can do it if you have to is a good thing. If the guys behind the "Occupy Wall Street" thing get their way, you might need to.

Actually doing it routinely just because you can, doesn't take into account the long term damage being done to the gun. UNless you can come up with some way to keep the coating clean and in tact on steel cases it will eventually have a negative effect of the chamber of a gun. That coating also gets charged with dirt which you can't just remove by wiping, and that will wear thigns also.

You've got to know that over the long haul it is going to wear a guns internal parts and chamber faster than brass does.

It might work in an AK forever, but who cares? AK's are AK's and they were made to shoot that stuff.? Most guns don't have hard chromed chambers and bores. I don't own any that do.

Randy