7.62x54r reloading(advice)

[Gun_nut83]

I had a question for the veteran reloaders out there. I have a ton of steel case surplus ammo for my mosin, have any of you considered reloading it? I know that brass ammo is easier to load and more forgiving to the number of times it can be reloaded but I was hoping I could at lease get some use of the steel cases until I have enough brass ones to do the job(got to start somewhere). Also the silver case, not too sure what it is, if it's steel or what? And any advice you're willing to share would be greatly accepted.

[bruce drake]

Yes. Its called making "Mexican Match" if you are a HighPower Shooter where we used to pull the FMJ Ball ammo from our Surplus 30-06 and 7.62x51 ammunition and replaced them with a quality American made bullet. A lot of us would also download the ammo a little bit to make the shooting a little easier at the end of a 88 round match.

I also use Russian Surplus 7.62x54R ammo for components. A case of surplus cartridges usually nets:

1) (880x49gr) about 6.5lbs of medium speed powder,
2) 880 steel-cored .311 149gr FMJ bullets, Mostly Boattails lately. These are excellent in my P14 Enfield.
3) 880 berdan primed cases. I usually purchase the Russian brass cases but poly-lacquer coated steel and zinc-coated steel are out there as well. the white case in the picture above are zinc-plated the brown are the lacquer coated. I buy the brass cases and bell the empty case and use them as plinkers with LEE's 160gr Spirepoint mold for the kids. Just make sure you always clean well after shooting them. they are corrosive.

Bruce

[CHeatermk3]

Gun nut
If I understand your question you're wanting to reload the cases after they've been fired?

Keep searching there is a well - done "tutorial" on converting those Berdan-primed steel and brass cases by converting them to Boxer primed.

it's in the stickies on the stickies forum:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ckets-to-Boxer

[petroid]

Its doable to convert Berdan to Boxer but not easy and you won't get many firings out of a steel case.

[Gun_nut83]

Yea, that's what I was wondering. If it's doable, if so how many have done it and what 's the average number of reloads to expect of a steel case?

edit: and is the silver case steel as well?

[petroid]

Yes it's steel. If unsure check with a magnet. If you're using light loads and beck sizing only I would be surprised if you got three or four firings before the neck split. Not worth it IMO. Now if it was berdan primed but brass cased then converting might be more worthwhile

[Nashvegas Welder]

What if you anneal the necks? Can you get more reloads then? Just wondering, as I'm pulling the trigger on a Mosin soon.

[WILCO]

Yea, that's what I was wondering. If it's doable, if so how many have done it and what 's the average number of reloads to expect of a steel case?

edit: and is the silver case steel as well?

Some endeavors, are best done after experience has been gained through time, effort and understanding, of basic principles to reloading the metalic cartridge. Standard rule on steel cases is they are not to be reloaded. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

[CHeatermk3]

Nut83:
Open the link I posted and read Larry Gibson's post--it's all there.

New unprimed PPU (Privi Partizan) cases are available online for about 50 cents apiece, delivered to your door. I bought 100 from Graf's last week.

Nashvegas--same advice, read Larry's post.

Steel cases are real hard on reloading dies.

[mold maker]

Nut83:
Open the link I posted and read Larry Gibson's post--it's all there.

New unprimed PPU (Privi Partizan) cases are available online for about 50 cents apiece, delivered to your door. I bought 100 from Graf's last week.

Nashvegas--same advice, read Larry's post.

Steel cases are real hard on reloading dies.

Thanks for the info. Just did the same.

[dnepr]

Yes. Its called making "Mexican Match" if you are a HighPower Shooter where we used to pull the FMJ Ball ammo from our Surplus 30-06 and 7.62x51 ammunition and replaced them with a quality American made bullet. A lot of us would also download the ammo a little bit to make the shooting a little easier at the end of a 88 round match.

I also use Russian Surplus 7.62x54R ammo for components. A case of surplus cartridges usually nets:

1) (880x49gr) about 6.5lbs of medium speed powder,
2) 880 steel-cored .311 149gr FMJ bullets, Mostly Boattails lately. These are excellent in my P14 Enfield.
3) 880 berdan primed cases. I usually purchase the Russian brass cases but poly-lacquer coated steel and zinc-coated steel are out there as well. the white case in the picture above are zinc-plated the brown are the lacquer coated. I buy the brass cases and bell the empty case and use them as plinkers with LEE's 160gr Spirepoint mold for the kids. Just make sure you always clean well after shooting them. they are corrosive.

Bruce

glad to see I am not the only one who looks at the cases of milsurp ammo this way , I add up the costs of primer , similar powder , and the cheapest j-words I can find , and if the case of surplus is a better deal I go for it . I do shoot the stuff as is , but lately I find my self breaking it down for the components more frequently

[nagantguy]

As those before me said, the pay off isn't worth the work I involved and the steel cases are real hard on dies. It can be done, has been done our own Larry did a great write up but there is better ways to skin a cat.

[Eddie2002]

I've been working on the large berdan to boxer primer conversion with some range brass I picked up. So far I've found that it really is not that easy to do even with a swager and I would not waste the time on converting steel cases over and only getting 3-4 reloads out of them. Getting the copper bushing in properly has been kicking my butt so far.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

TULA Berdan primers are available from Powder Valley. What size ?? I have no idea. Berdan cases can be decapped using water in a close fitting die. Saw that on YOUTUBE long time ago. Once decapped, re-priming is similar to Boxer I would buy brass Prvi Partisan cases. I have used Prvi in .303 Savage, .30-06 and .303 British. They are equal to most run-of-the-mill or 'bulk' US made brass or better. Grafs and Powder Valley carry Prvi brass. Annealing steel is a completely different process than annealing brass and probably shouldn't be considered for steel cartridge cases. I have tinkered with steel .45 ACP and 5.56 Boxer primed 'just to see'. I consider reloading steel only as serious emergency process.

[NuJudge]

All but Albanian and very early Bulgarian 7.62x54R have .254" diameter Berdan primers, which have not been available in 20 years. The Albanian and very early Bulgarian has .217" Berdan primers.

Berdan primers in .217" diameter are available, in two different types. Both are made by Murom in Russia, and marketed by TulAmmo. Several different vendors have had them, Powder Valley and DAG being amongst them.

Berdan primers come in a bewildering array of diameters, heights, hardnesses and explosive strengths. Use of the wrong strength or hardness primer is a bad thing. The right .217" Berdan primer for 7.62x54R is the KV-762N, available here:
http://www.dagammo.com/shop/non-corr...mers-p-47.html
I have used a lot of these in 7.5x55, some in 7.62x54, and in other calibers with excellent results. This primer is .217" diameter, but taller than the other, softer, and with more explosive strength. Trying them in a semi-auto rifle that did not have a firing pin retraction spring, I got some doubling.

The right primer for the 7.62x39 is the KV-24N: http://www.dagammo.com/shop/non-corr...mers-p-46.html
This primer is .217" diameter, but is shorter, harder, and with less explosive strength. Use of it in full power size cases results in hangfires and duds. They work great in 7.62x39.

[texassako]

I tried a few steel case conversions just for grins since I had some steel Hornady military match berdan cases. I got around the tough FL sizing issues by neck sizing with a Lee collet die knowing it was only going to work for the rifle the cases came from.

[Janoosh]

+1 texassako....I do the same. I reload the steel 223 cases and limit them to the rifle they were originally first fired in.

[chaplaincolby]

What size primers do the new berdan primed 7.62x54r, like the herters or brown bear, have.

[I'll Make Mine]

What size primers do the new berdan primed 7.62x54r, like the herters or brown bear, have.

The Brown Bear 203 grain JSP I have on hand appears to have the same primer size as the 1981 Russian surplus silver-tip (147 gr steel core FMJ) -- which latter I've previously measured as .257 (i.e. the largest Berdan I'm aware of, and large enough to be a royal pain to convert to Boxer large rifle size, at .210 diameter). Can't say this is a surprise; since they come from the same Barnaul ammunition plant.

[303Guy]

Apart from the primer issue, what about loading a boolit that fits the fired neck? Paper patching works this way just fine.

I used to load for my hornet with it's rather large chamber using jacketeds and unsized necks. I did so so by seating a paper towel 'cup' into the unsized neck then seating the bullet into that. I would then dip the upturned bullet and neck into molten 'waxy-lube' which would soak into the paper towel and 'glue' the bullet in place when it froze. It worked in the 303 Brit but accuracy was iffy, probably due to inadequate grip. it was a slow process but it produced very good accuracy in the hornet and cases lasted forever (literally - if you don't count losses in the long grass).