As the title goes, what brass can be converted to 7.62x25 Tokarev brass and how difficult is it? Any special dies or tools needed to make the conversion?
As the title goes, what brass can be converted to 7.62x25 Tokarev brass and how difficult is it? Any special dies or tools needed to make the conversion?
Try trimming 223 and running through a full length die then trim again. Might run a lil large but should get you close
If you value your time and labor as more than slave wages, why would you even bother to rework 5.56 brass, when you can buy new, high quality brass from Starline?
Even with FREE brass as feed stock, I value my time more highly than that.
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
A long time ago I made some using .223 brass. I had a RCBS file trim die. Still needed to outside turn the necks are inside ream. They did work. I also made them from 38 spec. brass but you will need to turn the rim down.
Its easier to buy the brass but its always nice to know how to make it yourself.
case forming from .223 isnt bad if you only do a coupel hundred at a time, otherwise you may drive yourself insaine, kind of like loading 1 round at a time on a single stage press ... uuuggghhh
I have some .223/5.56 Military issue Blanks that I have been slowly converting into 7.62x25. I believe the blanks are thinner brass, which makes the process a bit easier. But I recently just gave up and bought 5 boxes of Privi Partizan 7.62x25 simply so I don't have to mess with this to just to shoot my Cz-52.
Doable, yes, pain in the posterior, yes, hard to find a mold that will go into the chamber far enough to let the round enter fully and the slide go into battery, yes. In the end, dollars saved lost vs pains. Your mileage may vary or be different from mine.
I agree with the general consensus. It can be done cutting down 223. I only had 5.56 NATO brass when I tried, and it all required neck turning, and definitely benefited from annealing prior to necking down. It was more work than it is worth to me. It doesn't help that my only 7.62x25 really flings the brass, so I end up losing quite a few. All of that work for 1 use? No thanks.
I did one little batch of 100, and have another 100 cut and formed, waiting to neck turn. They'll probably end up being scrapped during my estate sale. Starline or PPU for me.
Guess I am one of the few that enjoys this part of loading as much as shooting. Try making 43 Spanish from 300 win mag sometime.
Yes. Part of the fun of reloading for me is the reforming brass while saving money for powder and primers. cast lead 100gr non-gaschecked bullet and reformed 5.56 commercial brass (Milspec does require neck turning) with alox lube and 4gr of powder and a small pistol primer and I'm good to go for less than the cost of a 22LR to plink with.
I Cast my Boolits, Therefore I am Happy.
Bona Fide member of the Jeff Brown Hunt Club
I made up a big batch years ago when you could not get brass for .30 mauser. I am down to about 100 now . but when I need more I will make it again. I am retired now and have more time then money.
I've used both in the past, both 38spl and 223 cases. Although they both can be made to work the 38spl brass is much easier to work with providing you have access to a lathe.
223 case: trim to length, form, ream.
38spl: Form, trim, remove head and cut a new extractor groove..
Click to see what I'm doing and have available, this takes you to the VS (Vendor Sponsor) section of the site. Currently..25Rem,30Rem, 32Rem, 35Rem, 257Roberts, 358Win, 338Fed, 357 Herrett, 30 Herrett, 401 Winchester, 300Sav, 221 Fireball, 260Rem, 222Rem, 250 Savage, 8mm Mauser (AKA 8x57), 25-20WCF
Annealing Services
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/foru...php?117-Grumpa
There is also a 9x25 case that can be formed down, but they seem to be rarer than 7.62x25.
"It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone to believe anything on insufficient evidence."
-W. K. Clifford "The Ethics of Belief"
"They hate you if you're clever, and they despise a fool."
-John Lennon "A Working Class Hero"
I've made it from 9mm win mag brass.........a lot less work than the 223 route.
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." - Ernest Hemingway
The 9mm Win Magnum case is a LOT easier to reform to 7.62x25. .223/5.56 needs neck reaming, .38 Special needs rim turned and extractor groove recut. 9mm Mag needs running through the sizing die. I've tried them all when 7.62x25 wasn't available. Biggest problem with 9mm Mag is people who get mad at you for "ruining it" when they are looking for 9mm Mag! Now that brass is available again, easiest conversion is to convert cash to brass.
Best is here
https://www.starlinebrass.com/brass-...Tokarev-Brass/
but in the past I made MANY using 223 brass and 9mm Win Mag brass
Swage primer pocket, if needed.
Using extended shell holder, RCBS 7.62x25 trim die. Whack it off
Put in my electric RCBS trimmer with cutter modified to hold
a Forster inside neck reamer.
Chamfer, full length size and load
All done, what a pain, but necessary in the old days before Starline.
Mike
NRA Benefactor 2004 USAF RET 1971-95
I have done it, it is way more work than its worth. The trimming and sizing is easy, its the reaming. And not all brands of brass seems to work as well. I converted some, just a mix of stuff laying around, some worked fine some wouldnt extract very well. Certain brands did it consistently. And being what it is, alot of work for brass your liable to only get one use out of. Now if you could use a heavier spring in a tokarev, I have 24lbs spring in a 1911 conversion, they dribble out the side with full power loads.
I just went and bought a 500rd bag from Starline, should last a while.
This is how I see 223 Rem (5.56x45) Commercial cases:
1st to 3rd loads - Highpower Match use. Used for high velocity jacketed loads
4th-5th loads - cut down to 300BLK (7.62x35) use or converted to cast boolit 223 Rem usage
6th-10th loads - cut down to 7.62x25 use with Lee's 93gr Roundnose boolit mold. By that time, if I lose it in the high grass at the range, I'm not too worried about losing new brass...
I Cast my Boolits, Therefore I am Happy.
Bona Fide member of the Jeff Brown Hunt Club
I've made Tok brass form both 38 SPL and 223/5.56. As others have pointed out ease depends on tooling at your disposal.
If you have access to a small metal lathe the 38 SPL brass is 'easiest'. If you don't then 223 is your option.
Half of my bag of brass for the Tokarev these days is reformed. The rest range pick-ups. But I'm lucky in that I still have about 1000 rounds of COMBLOC surplus ammo too.
Mike
Politicians should be limited to two terms.
1 in office. 1 in prison.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |