Reuse For Reloading

TheBrassMan

Here is a good one for all you reloaders out there.
I have about 350-400rds of Ulyanovsk 7.62x39 124gr HP, steel case that I got for nothing.
Reason is the steel cases are very rusted.
I have started disarming them with no problem. The bullets are good, may need a short tumble
to clean them up. The powder seems to be good also, no clumpiness or wetness.
What I was wondering, if I take an average of the overall cartridge length and an average of the
powder charge coming out of each cartridge.
Would it be possible to then use the powder and bullet to reload in brass cartridges?
I personally would see no problem, but I would like all your feelings on the subject.
Yes I do reload 7.62x39. Makes my SKS shoot so much nicer.

charliemeyer007

It could work. Commercial ammo usually is thinner than military brass cases. Compare the case volume of your steel cases vs the brass ones you want to use. Military ammo is loaded by lot#, powder might look the same but it could vary enough to cause issues. Best to dump the powder out of one case into another rather than mix it up in a batch.

The Forster style collet puller works well. The harder you pull the tighter it get unlike some design that loosen the harder you pull. Set the bullets deeper in the case about .100 before you pull them, this will help break the bond of the sealing stuff and make them much easier to pull.

Ray B

It would likely work but it is very little cost (at least regarding the powder) compared to the risk that you're taking.

casper1947

I would use the powder in the flower bed.

Powder of unknown origin (corrosive?) would not be worth the risk.

I found with 54R's using steel case that the pressure is lower (I split cases at 47g H4895), using -2g solved that. Now you are going the other way. I would not expect the cases to split but performance would be interesting to measure.

On a side note a few years ago I had a 38 derringer blow up in my hand. I am convinced it was due to a LOW powder charge.

Tailgunner1954

quote:Originally posted by casper1947

Powder of unknown origin (corrosive?) would not be worth the risk.


Powder is NOT the corrosive element.
What compound the primer is charged with is what may be corrosive IE: those made with Potassium Chlorate leave a hygroscopic salt in the barrel. The salt attracts/holds water in contact with the steel. The fastest/easiest/cheapest way to deal with that is to flush out the barrel with HOT water, followed by normal cleaning & oiling.

navc130

Your proposal would work. As charlie007 said, best to use the powder direct case-to-case. However, why not just clean-up the rusted cases and use as-is? Thirty seconds on a wire wheel is a lot less time than breaking down and reloading.

RobOz

I would dump the powder in the garden.

bpost

I would average the powder charge out over all the rounds you break down, drop the charge by .01 grain, use CCI mil spec primers in brass cases and reload the bullets.

jonk

I have reused powder quite a lot; however, as with any other change to components, drop the charge by 10 percent and work up. I learned this lesson when transferring some pull down 8mm mauser powder to new cases, as the original primers had gone south but the powder and bullets were good. I had done this with other cartridges before, but this batch (FN belgian) was way hot. Dropped the powder charge 10 percent, worked up, and found that 2 grains less was the new 'max' with a Winchester primer and brass.

casper1947

If I were to reuses the powder I would go with the direct case to case transfer or drop .01g.

Perhaps someone more familiar with steel cases could correct me but I have found (as noted earlier) that steel cases function with LOWER PSI.

I wanted to use steel cases and the only load data I had was for brass. The MAX was 49.5g (50,000 PSI) and I had been using 47g with satisfactory results in brass cases.

This same load split the steel cases 10 out of 10. I manage to find the manufacturer of the steel cases and their ammunition had a 39,000 PSI. Using LEE's powder chart I reduced the load to 45g and the speed compared well with the chart as just under 39,000 PSI.

The point being I had to reduce 10% going from brass to steel loads. So that same quantity going the other way would be a significant reduction. But - another 10% ? My concern would be under charge.

The least I would expect is the SKS would not function.

Nuts, I am rambling. Please keep us updated on how this works out. This is a very interesting concept.
Could you cron your loads?

wanted man

quote:Originally posted by TheBrassMan
Here is a good one for all you reloaders out there.
I have about 350-400rds of Ulyanovsk 7.62x39 124gr HP, steel case that I got for nothing.
Reason is the steel cases are very rusted.
I have started disarming them with no problem. The bullets are good, may need a short tumble
to clean them up. The powder seems to be good also, no clumpiness or wetness.
What I was wondering, if I take an average of the overall cartridge length and an average of the
powder charge coming out of each cartridge.
Would it be possible to then use the powder and bullet to reload in brass cartridges?
I personally would see no problem, but I would like all your feelings on the subject.
Yes I do reload 7.62x39. Makes my SKS shoot so much nicer.


I wouldn't do it, plain and simple...

machine gun moran

If powder is properly processed, it won't be corrosive. However, some powders that were made in a hurry, such as late-war German powders, were not washed because it was anticipated that the ammunition would be used within a very short time, and fast production was also a consideration. The result was powder with contaminants that would corrode the inside of steel cases. This produced iron oxides which could eventually change the powder burn rate and temperatures (thermite anybody?, LOL). I sectioned some 8x57 rounds that were dated 1945, that were loaded with the SMe Lang 200-grain bullet (for MG34/42's) and blue-annulus (non-corrosive) primers, and found that some of the cases were corroded halfway through, at midpoint.