1895 Nagant revolver and Starline brass

[fatelk]

I just bought an 1895 Nagant revolver and have been searching for info on reloading for them.

It seems most people use 32-20 brass but modify the gun to make it fit. It also seems that people have varying luck with the LEE dies in this caliber. I also have read about some using 30 carbine sizers.

I see Starline makes 32-20 brass as well as 7.62 Nagant brass so it seems like a no-brainer to buy the Nagant brass even if it costs a little more. Anyone have experience with the two types?
I don't care to modify the gun. Is this a must to use 32-20 brass?
I already have 30 carbine dies. Can I make these work, to put together some cheap ammo for plinking? If not, are the Lee dies worth while?
Also; I plan on possibly buying some bullet molds. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks for any info.

 

[Cosmoline]

There are several threads on this here and over on the Nagant forum. The .32-20 brass can be run through the modified lee dies or the .30 carbine dies and loaded as a 7.62 Nagant. There is no need to modify the revolver to do this. But you can't shoot unmodified .32-20 cartridges out of it obviously. The difference between using .32-20 brass and 7.62 Nagant brass is you don't get full coverage with the .32-20. It won't crimp over the top of the bullet or give you the gas seal. So it's not going to be as accurate in general.

Ironically the Lee dies are probably better if you're using .32-20 brass, because that's what they were designed to be used with. They didn't foresee that anyone would be coming out with nagant brass. Try your .30 carbine first. For more pointers, I'd suggest checking out the 1895 Nagant forum on gunboards.

http://www.gunboards.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=21

 

[fatelk]

Thanks, Cosmoline. That's an awesome link, I'm going to have to sign up over there. THR has been the only forum I go to because it's the only firearm related forum that isn't blocked at work for some reason. Looks like a ton of great info at gunboards. I'll be going there a lot from home, or in this case from the in-laws place this week. My wife's mother passed away Saturday night very unexpectedly. It's a very difficult time for my wife and we're dealing with funeral arrangements, lots of family and all.

My father-in-law is going to have a tough time; they celebrated their 51st anniversary last week. She collapsed in his arms from a massive stroke, in church. He's an old retired logger and puts on a strong front, but every once in a while you can see it in his face, hear it in his voice. My wife and her five sisters are helping him a lot with everything, but this place can be a madhouse.

I did bring my new Nagant with me, had time to completely dissamble it, look all over the net for history and info. I'm just here for a little support and will have plenty of spare time this week. Kind of wish I had brought another gun or two along and finally found a place to shoot near Port Angeles, but that was the last thing on my mind as I sped home from work seven hours early, threw the family in the car, and drove another six hours to the hospital in Seattle. Didn't seem appropriate at the time, but now I realize that we need to get out a little this week for mental health purposes. I think we'll go out for a drive tomorrow.