7.62×63mm brass for 30-06

[H20FOWL]

I have a whole bunch of 7.62×63mm brass, well i believe it to be that i got from my grandpa that he stated was military 30-06. I believe thats the 7.62×63mm.

My question is i have a 30-06 that I hunt with and I want to make some reloads. Can I use the brass I received from my grandpa in a normal 30-06 die set or can I not use them. I know the case walls are thicker and that the primer pockets are crimped in.

Thanks

[Red_Eagle]

It should reload just fine. You just need to remove the primer crimp you can either ream it out with a chamfer / deburring tool or you can swag it out. You should also adjust the data back one full grain to compensate for the reduced case capacity.

[H20FOWL]

Ok that is what i was thinking just not to load them as hot due to the thicker case

[Gary L. Griffiths]

You might first want to check to see that it's boxer-primed. 7.62X63mm is the European designation for .30-06, and lots of European military cartridges were Berdan primed. If it has two flash holes, it's not easily reloadable. If one, yeah, deprime, ream if necessary and load. If you're not trying for barnburner loads, you should have no problem. If you're wanting to load them even warmish, you'll probably want to do a water test to determine their capacity.

[RC20]

I have been weigh cases and I have found FC heaviest by a lot (205 avg)

RP around 195 gr and then military, Winchester and others 190 and below.

As the weight should be in thicker inside as outside dimension should be fixed, , I am not buying that military brass is the over pressure issue reported (I could be wrong but ....)

And in reality, you want to start any new brass loads (even if its old stuff) at a mid load anyway or a bit lower and that should not be an issue with any brass regardless (I almost never start at the bottom unless it’s a very narrow powder range)

Primer pocket is the biggest one!

[Red_Eagle]

What does it say on the head stamp?

[10-96]

How long have these things sat around unloaded? Is there ANY chance old pre-war primers could have effected the integrity of the cases from the inside out?

[T. O'Heir]

7.62 X 63mm is just the metric designation for .30-06. It's the same thing. If it's milsurp, it'll won't be head stamped with 7.62 x 63 or any other commercial cartridge name. What's on the head stamp?
You'll likely need to remove the primer crimp, if there is one. Not a big deal. One time thing using either a primer pocket swager or your chamfering tool.
Milsurp brass is a bit thicker, so reduce the start load by 10% and work up.
However, as mentioned, it might be Berdan primed and more trouble than it's worth to reload. If you can find new primers(that have to be the right diameter number. There's no Large Rifle, etc. with Berdan's), you'll need an RCBS Berdan decapping tool. That's a hand operation, but some guys will use water and a rod to push 'em out. Not worth the bother.
"...pre-war primers..." Pre what war? If the primers haven't been fired, they'll just wait.

[Gary L. Griffiths]

Pre what war? If the primers haven't been fired, they'll just wait.

What 10-96 is referring to is that if the cases come from military stock from the WWII/Korean War era, they'll likely have been primed with corrosive primers. If fired and left indefinitely, the corrosive salts might have an adverse affect on the strength of the case. That would depend on the compound used in the primer, but the main issue with corrosive primers is that the salts in them draw moisture which will cause your barrel to rust. Brass isn't subject to rusting, although it's possible that some of the priming chemicals might harm it if there is a long-term exposure.