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Old May 28, 2000, 09:11 AM   #1
solo
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A friend of mine was asking me if I could try to reload some of his 7.62*39 metal cases for him. I had never given it any thought even though I know I probaly can't. Has anyone ever tried this.
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Old May 28, 2000, 09:41 AM   #2
Nukem
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By *metal* do you mean steel? Last time I looked brass was considered a metal also

To answer your question, no, it's not a good idea to try. Besides, it's probably Berdan primed anyway.
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Old May 28, 2000, 11:55 AM   #3
alan
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Solo:

If the cases are brass, not steel, and assuming that they are BOXER PRIMED (reloadable), no real reason that they couldn't be reloaded. Be careful as to the powder and bullets you use, chack your data, same as you would when reloading any other cartridge.

[This message has been edited by alan (edited May 28, 2000).]
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Old May 28, 2000, 12:28 PM   #4
Mal H
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I don't have a definitive answer for you, but I have several reasons I wouldn't want to do it (assuming the primer problem is not an issue).

You would be sizing steel with steel, not very good for the sizing die. And the steel casing may be harder than the steel of the die. Probably not, but who knows.

The steel alloy may be chemically changed with the heat process of firing. Unlike the more malleable brass, it could be more brittle after one firing or two or ...

A safe load in a brass case may not be so in a steel case since the volumn may be different. You will have to check the volumn of the case to be sure.

Most steel cases have a varnish to prevent rusting and to help the chamber seal. That will probably be gone or damaged with the first firing. How long will the reloads last? How will it affect your chamber? (Again, steel on steel.)

If you do decide to try it, you should first ask the experts at RCBS, Hornady, Lee, etc. what they think.
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Old May 28, 2000, 03:42 PM   #5
BigPig
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Aside from all the good advice on why it CAN'T be reloaded, here is a reason why it SHOULDN'T.

7.62X39 is so damn cheap to buy, it doesnt make sense to reload it. I mean the steel cased, steel jacketed Russian (or other former bloc countires) stuff.

If you're firing it in an AR15 with a 7.62X39 conversion, then I would go with brass cased and copper jacketed ammo in the first place.
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Old May 28, 2000, 03:57 PM   #6
johnwill
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I don't know of anyone reloading steel cases, and most of them are Berdan in any case. I suspect that steel cases would be pretty hard on your dies, though I've never tried them. Personally, I'd skip trying to reload any steel cases.
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Old May 29, 2000, 09:49 AM   #7
Hueco
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Steel cases are NOT reloadable -- period.


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