Reloading unfired steel cartridges with new bullets?

[1KPerDay]

well, I tried it... pulled a Herter's/Tula 7.62x51. Bullet was a bimetal (magnetic) jacketed FMJBT, weighed 148.7 grains, powder charge was 38.7 grains of some very small grained shiny black ball powder. Dumped it back, seated a Berry's FMJ to the same OAL and checked for setback after pushing the tip hard against a board. No setback... but the neck shaved the jacket.

I don't want to ruin my chamfer tool on steel necks... so I guess I'll shoot my GGG and PPU tomorrow, and cringe at the dollar signs flying everywhere whenever I pull the trigger.

 

[ncmitch]

Ive pulled several hundred steel case 7.62x39. First sorted bullets by weight and then charged them with the same powder they came with.... I took 10 loads and weighed the powder, found the average charge and used that as my load... the powder charge can vary quite a bit in the russian stuff..

The trick I found to ensure i had good neck tension was using a LEE factory crimp die, I knew i had consistent neck tension then.

 

[Centurian22]

Couldn't you use a standard 3/8" (0.375) drill bit to at least knock the edge off the inside of the case mouth? Most drill bits can handle mild steel and there is a slight taper to the tip (generally for starting the hole), granted a much steeper angle than a usual chamfer would give. I would first try twisting by hand, probably holding the bit with a leather glove to be safe. Just an idea to try and prevent the bullet shaving.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

A 1/2" countersink would work better than a drill. 4 flutes vs. 2 lets you align it easier. No need for a glove, but it helps to have a mandrel to hold the bit. Or the chuck of a slow-turning drill motor.

 

[FROGO207]

A 1/2 inch contersink was what I started with when reaming necks and primer pockets. You can just mount it in the drill for stability and twist the casing by hand. Always worked for my use.The steel casings are much softer than the tool steel used to make reamers, countersinks and other such tools.