Can Steel Cased 7.62x54R Ammo Be Reloaded?

[Capybara]

Hi all:

I know that conventional wisdom is that it cannot be reloaded but I have been doing some reading up on people who successfully reload GP11 which is the Brass Berdan Primed ammo for the Swiss K31. So if I had the proper equipment and Berdan primers (I am told a few U.S. suppliers sell them), could I reload my Bulgarian Silver Tip 7.62x54R? I live in California and we have a possible ammo bill coming up that will outlaw Internet ammo sales. If this law passes, ammo here will become more like Gold than it already is so I just wanted to know if anyone out there successfully reloads our cheap Russian or Bulgarian milsurp ammo? Can copper washed steel cases be reloaded/trimmed/etc.?

I know very little about reloading but I am definitely getting setup and am trying to educate myself on what can and cannot be done.

Thanks.

[Ironnewt]

In a nutshell, the berdan primers are a problem but steel cases a serious problem. Look at a reloading manual and you will see what each die does. By reforming the soft and ductile brass case to it's original size and shape, the hardened steel die 'works' the brass. A steel case does not reform as easily and will tear up the die. There are ways of removing the anvil of brass Berdan cases and basically making them into "Boxer" cases but it's a lot of work. Some guys on one of the Swiss forums talks about it but he has a lot of time to 'tinker'. Personally, get a decent set of dies and buy some commercial ammunition, (PPU aka privi is reasonable) and work up a collection of brass. Look on some of the forums concerning reloading for milsurps and you can make some ammunition that will group well in your rifle.

[Capybara]

That makes sense to me. I am frugal though and it kills me to shoot 100 rounds of Bulgarian Silver Tip and just throw those cases in the trash. As far as the primers, one of the Swiss guys uses a dowel, rubber mallet and water to unseat the Berdan primers in GP11. Sounded interesting, I am definitely keeping my empty GP11 cases as they are brass.

So I will order a couple of hundred rounds of brass boxer Prvi or something once I get into reloading.

[mosinjunkie]

If you could get decent steel cases, yes, you could reload them, technically. Steel can be annealed soft enough to be resized, but even then it will be very hard on your press and dies. And... this current crop of surplus steel stuff from behind the iron curtain is not decent steel. It's cheap commie junk that was extruded too far without adequate annealing. It is almost all cracked some, even when new. Many rounds completely fail when fired the first time. Once it's cracked, annealing won't fix it. And that's before you even think about dealing with those @#%@ Berdan primers.

Those empty steel cases are worth their scrap value and that's about it.

Bite the bullet (pun intended) and buy you some decent real brass ammo with boxer primers, and save your empties. They are easily reloadable. Or rat hole away a few dozen crates of the surplus stuff while you can.

[TopperT]

Great thought, I have two 'Homer Buckets' full of steel cases (I take all my shells from the range regardless) that I plan on dropping off at the scrap yard one day. It would be the cats ass if they could be reloaded but .......well you've heard the bad news.

I plan to begin next week when the temps here get into single digits to reload and along with .308 and .223 I plan on loading up some 7.62x 54R. It looks like brass for us will run "about" $ 1.00 per case. If we don't re-work it too hard we should get decent life from the brass.

Heads are another issue. Cast is beginning to look like a possibility .

[bunkysdad]

It just isn't worth it. I got lucky last year when I made friends with a few young guys shooting a couple of Mosins. I chatted with them while shooting, and when they were done they gave me about 4 boxes of brass. Then at the same range a bit later I was able to buy another 100 rounds from the used cases bins and they only ran about 20 bucks. For the past year however those bins have been empty. I have not checked on primers lately, but I imagine they will be sold out. The primers are the most important thing to stock up on, next powder, then cases. The cases are the only item that is reused more than once. The good thing about powder is that even though it gets hard to find during a panic, with so many types and brands available, at some point you should find something, even if it isn't your first choice. Large rifle primers are a little less so.

[mosinjunkie]

I haven't reloaded any 7.62x54r, but I suspect that it would not be any more of a challenge than 308 or 30-06. What might be a problem is that in most instances, the chambers in these Mosins are crudely cut, and tolerances are probably loose. Fired brass will be badly expanded and distorted. You have to work the metal harder to resize it. That leads to more chances for cracks and failures. I would bet that 7.62x54r brass would not last beyond four or five reloadings when fired in these old guns.

[Capybara]

Good input everyone, appreciate it.

[walnut red]

Back when I was young and more patient than I am today a friend and I used to reload steel case 8x56R. He had come up with the correct sized Berdan primers somewhere and we used the water method of the moving the fired primers. The water not only removed the primer but we felt it helped remove any salt residue from inside the case left by the primer. We used a generic seating die and I made a neck size die by boring a 7/8th bolt to the proper size and case hardening it. If I was reloading steel cased 7.62x54 I would only use the copper washed cases but the process that worked for8x56R should work for 7.62x54R IF you are only shooting in one rifle.

[Dragunov sniper 777]

yeah steel cases are reloadable , but you better have a extra set of lee dies , plenty of lube and a cast iron press that can reload 50 BMG , i find getting the right size berdan primers the most difficult part , if i can get a steady supply of primers thats all i am going to reload .......