Can you reload steel cases?

[JoeG]

Hard to argue with that and who would want to!

[Grizzle_Bear]

I once acquired a small number of WWII steel .30 Carbine cases.  They were Boxer primed.

Carbide dies worked just fine with them.  They all made several trips through the gun, ended up
losing them long before they wore out.

But then, I'm crazy.  Just for fun I used to reload the aluminum Blazer cases.  The .45ACP and .38Spec would be good
for half a dozen or so reloads.  The .357Mag and 9mm cases would split after the first reload.

I also reload my own grenade launching blanks for my M1 Garand.  Heap o'fun!

And then there's the all-brass 12ga shells that use a Berdan primer.  Easy to reload, but I can't find any
more of the primers since Old Western Scrounger went out of business.

Ain't reloadin' fun?!


Grizzle Bear

[Solus]

I once acquired a small number of WWII steel .30 Carbine cases.  They were Boxer primed.

Carbide dies worked just fine with them.  They all made several trips through the gun, ended up
losing them long before they wore out.

But then, I'm crazy.  Just for fun I used to reload the aluminum Blazer cases.  The .45ACP and .38Spec would be good
for half a dozen or so reloads.  The .357Mag and 9mm cases would split after the first reload.

I also reload my own grenade launching blanks for my M1 Garand.  Heap o'fun!

And then there's the all-brass 12ga shells that use a Berdan primer.  Easy to reload, but I can't find any
more of the primers since Old Western Scrounger went out of business.

Ain't reloadin' fun?!


Grizzle Bear

I see you are a "Total Reloader", GB.

I've always striven to avoid the masochistic aspects of the endeavor.    

[PegLeg45]

I once acquired a small number of WWII steel .30 Carbine cases.  They were Boxer primed.

Carbide dies worked just fine with them.  They all made several trips through the gun, ended up
losing them long before they wore out.

But then, I'm crazy.  Just for fun I used to reload the aluminum Blazer cases.  The .45ACP and .38Spec would be good
for half a dozen or so reloads.  The .357Mag and 9mm cases would split after the first reload.

I also reload my own grenade launching blanks for my M1 Garand.  Heap o'fun!

And then there's the all-brass 12ga shells that use a Berdan primer.  Easy to reload, but I can't find any
more of the primers since Old Western Scrounger went out of business.

Ain't reloadin' fun?!


Grizzle Bear

I could see reloading the steel cases if they are boxer-primed....probably less overall distortion than a brass case.

[perdurabo]

I've reloaded thousands of rounds of polymer coated steel cased Wolf 45acp.  These are boxer primed.  The few lacquer coated steel cases in 45acp I've found were berdan primed.  The Wolf polymer coated 9mm is berdan as well.  The steel in Russian steel cases is quite mild that they resize nicely in standard Lee carbide pistol dies.  The nice thing about steel cases is that they don't deform as much as brass and never need trimming (though to be honest I never trim my brass pistol cases either).  You also get a much longer case life out of them than brass.  Some of mine have 15-20 loadings already.  About the only thing that limits the life of a steel case is that eventually the polymer coating will eventually rub off in the tumbler and the case will start to rust.

I wouldn't reload tapered neck steel rifle ammo like .223 even though its boxer primed due to the likelihood you'll have to work the mouths and necks a lot which will rub off the polymer coating pretty quickly inside the die increasing the chance for a stuck case, but it is theoretically possible if you are in a really bad spot and have no brass cases available.  Not particularly likely though.

People seem to be brainwashed by this notion that "you get what you pay for" that they immediately distrust anything as "too good to be true" before they even try it.  Well, you might get what you pay for, but you should never pay more than you have to.  Chances are the people making ignorant kneejerk criticisms about steel cased ammo tend to be people who are trying to sell you more expensive ammo or those who have fallen for it and are trying to justify their choice.

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[TAB]

i'd still rather reload brass 45 acp.  They are cheap, and easy to get.    lets not forget that they are actually worth something when they are not reloadable.  Where steal is basicly worthless.( $50/ ton)

[JoeG]

Interesting. You are the first one I have heard with experience reloading steel. i am surprised to hear that it is so simple. My No! comment was based on a fair amount of reading on the metallurgy related to what make brass such a great choice. It needs to be ductile enough to deform under firing pressure with rebound enough to extract and soft enough not to work harden too much when you  resize it. My impression of steel cases is that they were a cheaper solution to replicate the same properties to give a cartridge that functioned in guns designed around the properties of brass cases.

You would think that steel's extra strength would make this simple, but I don't think it is that easy. Making the cases thinner gives you the flexibility on firing, but my understanding is that it comes with a trade off of much faster work hardening of the thin case mouth when opened and then crimped to hold the bullet. Add to this that the dies were designed around brass properties for rebound etc. I would think you would get head separation as the case stretches repeatedly to reach the breach face. Probably less of an issue with straight walled cases.

Given the level of subtly in case properties, I will stick with brass as long as it is plentiful at my local range. I am impressed about how deep into all this the benchrest shooters get trying to get the last little bit out of a load. Me, I just like to shoot stuff!