The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old March 2, 2005, 11:07 PM   #1
irvb
Junior Member
 
Join Date: March 2, 2005
Posts: 3
steel caseings

question, are steel 45 ACP acceptable to reload or shall I just stick with brass?
irvb is offline  
Old March 2, 2005, 11:13 PM   #2
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,484
I have reloaded a few of the Wolf steel .45 ACPs just to see if it could be done. They are Boxer primed, run through the dies with only a little extra effort, and shoot normally. But I would be concerned about the steel work hardening more than brass and would not put them through many reload-shoot cycles before discarding. I would only use them to get my load for use somewhere I could not recover the empties.
Jim Watson is online now  
Old March 2, 2005, 11:14 PM   #3
scottys1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 21, 2004
Posts: 316
Stick with brass. I forget the metallurgical reasons, read about it in one of my loading manuals, but steel cases are not meant to be reloaded.
scottys1 is offline  
Old March 3, 2005, 09:08 AM   #4
HSMITH
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 21, 2002
Posts: 2,019
Ditto Jim Watson.
HSMITH is offline  
Old March 3, 2005, 04:33 PM   #5
Poygan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 28, 2004
Posts: 125
It can be done and I've done it. But I agree with the others that its not a good idea.
Poygan is offline  
Old March 6, 2005, 09:26 PM   #6
dodgestdshift
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 14, 2002
Location: Marilla, N.Y. (outside Buffalo N.Y.)
Posts: 113
I used to reload the Wolf steel cases, until I got two with small flash holes. The depriming pin was pulled out of the die, and tied up the press since it stuck in the ram. I had to remove the cases with a screw driver, and all my steel cases were dumped.
__________________
The shortest distance between two politicians is through your wallet.

Don N.
dodgestdshift is offline  
Old March 12, 2005, 09:58 PM   #7
Harlie
Member
 
Join Date: March 1, 2005
Posts: 41
Steel cases

Reloaded .45 ACP steel's for about two years. Good for about 6 shots and then split. Reason I quit was due to very hard extractors in my 1911's, was chipping the extractors (4). Can do and won't cause any of the internet rumor problems. If times were to get tough, would be a vieable source for reloading. Never shot new Wolfe, ever. All cases were range pick ups.
Harlie is offline  
Old March 12, 2005, 11:43 PM   #8
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
"Can do and won't cause any of the internet rumor problems."

Such as?
__________________
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old March 14, 2005, 08:38 PM   #9
Smokey Joe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 14, 2001
Location: State of Confusion
Posts: 2,106
Steel cases

NO! Don't fool with 'em! It's not worth it!
__________________
God Bless America

--Smokey Joe
Smokey Joe is offline  
Old March 14, 2005, 10:16 PM   #10
Harlie
Member
 
Join Date: March 1, 2005
Posts: 41
Rumors

Such as ruining your dies, lacquar gumming up you chamber, scratching your chamber, can't reload, cases sticking in chamber, etc, etc. They are no more hassle than a brass casing, out side of very slightly harder to resize. A-merc brass are far more of a nuisance and a problem than Wolf steel cases. Having reloaded several thousand Wolf' casings, have a fair idea.
Harlie is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 10:37 AM   #11
highteckredneck
Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2005
Location: Loogootee, Indiana
Posts: 36
I picked up a few hundred stainless .357 mag casings cheeeeeeeeeep once, and reloaded them a few times. I pitched them after ruining a set of LEE carbide dies
highteckredneck is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 12:25 PM   #12
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
Well, steel cases will definitely be harder on your dies, simply because the material is harder than brass. Will you ever wear out a set of dies reloading steel cases? Probably not.
__________________
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 12:26 PM   #13
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
"I picked up a few hundred stainless .357 mag casings cheeeeeeeeeep once, and reloaded them a few times."

Stainless steel?

Are you sure they weren't nickle plated?

I've never heard of anyone making casings out of stainless steel.
__________________
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 02:05 PM   #14
tjhands
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2005
Posts: 1,718
Whoa, are you guys serious? I just bought about 500 silver cases for .357mag. Are these steel? Should I not be reloading them?????
tjhands is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 03:10 PM   #15
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
TJ,

No, I would suspect that what he thought to be stainless steel was actually nickle plated brass.
__________________
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 03:36 PM   #16
Harlie
Member
 
Join Date: March 1, 2005
Posts: 41
HiTeReNe

Man, now I've heard it all. Ruined a set of dies yet, with steel cases yet and pitched them yet. Yes sir, heard it all. Mild steel can not, will not harm carbide until you reach hundreds of thousands of uses. Only die being subject to any possible wear is the resizing. Also the coating on steel cases isn't normally even scratched during resizing so where does wear come from? Dies, believe I'd sent them fellers back to Lee. I've probably run a conservative 10K steels thru my Dillon, and another 80K brass on top of that and the dies are all fine, go figure.
Harlie is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 04:33 PM   #17
Russ5924
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 18, 2005
Posts: 1,874
There is nothing wrong with the Nickel cases but they won't last as long as the brass.Being harder they will split faster BUT they will last for quite a few shootings.Myself I have never used the steel cases see no reason to.
__________________
Russ5924
Russ5924 is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 05:24 PM   #18
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
No one said they were carbide, Harlie.

Or, if they did, I missed that.
__________________
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 08:14 PM   #19
tjhands
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2005
Posts: 1,718
Well, actually highteckredneck did say that he ruined a set of carbide dies. Just sayin'.....
tjhands is offline  
Old March 21, 2005, 09:24 PM   #20
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
"Well, actually highteckredneck did say that he ruined a set of carbide dies. Just sayin'....."



Damn getting old sucks...
__________________
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old March 22, 2005, 09:01 PM   #21
Desert Dog
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 22, 1999
Location: Deep East Texas
Posts: 474
Quote:
Damn getting old sucks...
Roger that...
__________________
Yes, in fact I do have a 454... in more ways than one.

"No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority" - Thomas Jefferson
Desert Dog is offline  
Old March 22, 2005, 09:10 PM   #22
Harlie
Member
 
Join Date: March 1, 2005
Posts: 41
Wouldn't have

Made any difference regular dies or carbide. No finish is removed, scratched or otherwise damaged during resizing of steel, so where would wear come from. If you don't believe, run one steel case thru your die and be sure it is a clean unscratched case prior, so you can observe the results. Dirt, grit, debris can do damage to dies, if casings not cleaned before sizing. Wearing out a modern set of dies would take some doing, wouldn't you think. Have cans totally 54# of powder, hanging from a line in a tree out side my reloading building from last three years reloading, at 5gr per .45 ACP, you can figure out the numbers and dies aren't even more then shiny.
Harlie is offline  
Old March 22, 2005, 10:57 PM   #23
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
"No finish is removed, scratched or otherwise damaged during resizing of steel, so where would wear come from."

Excuse me, but in order for that to be so there would have to be no contact at all of ANY kind between the case and the die.

Even with lubrication, wear is still a factor.

If wear were not a factor, and lubrication were 100% effective, mechanical devices of all stripes would last forever.
__________________
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old March 23, 2005, 02:04 AM   #24
CaptainRazor
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2005
Location: Charleston, WV
Posts: 302
Just curious, but how many rounds do you guys load in say, a month?

I've loaded thousands of rounds through my some of my dies and they aren't even close to being worn out. I've even loaded some steel cases with them, honestly, I just don't see how you can wear a set out. Believe me, I've tried.
CaptainRazor is offline  
Old March 23, 2005, 10:13 PM   #25
Harlie
Member
 
Join Date: March 1, 2005
Posts: 41
Mike Irwin

Yes you are correct, steel against steel. Brass on carbide? Mild steel on carbide? Think about what you just said and then tell us how many dies you have worn out reloading. The lacquar coating isnt damaged during resizing, try it your self, then let us know the results. If you abrade, allow to glawd, use dirty materail wear can and will happen. Heat is the real enemy of wear induced problems, and I can't reload that fast, can you?
Harlie is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:50 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.12608 seconds with 10 queries