Steel Case and Cat Sneeze

[PerpetualStudent]

Spent a while searching the archives. Some stuff on reloading steel, some on trying to change berdan to boxer, but I couldn't find anything quite on this topic.

I wound up with some steel case 38 special. Worked fine and out of habit I kept the cases. And now that winter is coming part of me is going "y'know....as long as you're loading up the brass you have with cat sneeze loads over the cold weather, why not the steel too?"

The reloading books advise against reloading steel as the temper of the steel might have changed over the firing cycle. So a crimped bullet might not release as it should and give you a dangerous pressure event. But for a noncrimped cat sneeze load, that shouldn't be an issue. Or are there other safety concerns I'm not aware of? I mean no sense risking my gun and hand for saving 3 cents. But no sense following a rule that doesn't apply either.

Thoughts and experience?

[Dusty Bannister]

I would think that you might want to check on a list of several things. Then you will be able to make a decision if YOU want to try it.
Is the case clean and undamaged?
What kind of primer, boxer or berdan?
Crimped primer or just press out and press in, and do they fit correctly?
Were the cases fired in your firearm?
Will they chamber as is, or will they need to be sized?
If they need to be sized, is it full length or just partial sized to fully chamber?
Do you have a steel die set that you might need to use to size just enough to chamber and not over work the cases?
Then you are to the point of seating a bullet without excessively squeezing it down in the steel case that will resist expanding to accept a bullet like the brass cases will.
Will the steel case crimp if needed?
Knock it out with a bullet puller and see if the bullet diameter remains large enough to shoot without leading the bore.

Those are just some of the things I would think about before I decided it not worth my time.