Why aren't steel casings reloadable?

M

MosinNOUGAT

New member
Just wondering, because it really doesn't make sense. I don't hand load my casings, but it was just on my mind (I just bought 500 rounds of silver bear steel cased shells for my 91/30).

Thanks
 
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Ypu can reload em, they are just alot of work, namely in depriming them, they are boxer (I think??:confused:) whuch means a decapping pin cant push the old primer out, plenty of folks have found it plenty easy to use water to deprime but it is certainly more labor intensive. After that reload as usual.
 
First of all, steel is much harder than brass making it more difficult to work with. It will make resizing a challenge, let alone getting a nice consistent shoulder setback, neck diameter etc. Also, because steel is harder than brass, and your dies are probably steel (maybe carbide), steel cases could cause your dies to wear, where brass will not.

Then there is the fact that because steel is harder, it will become brittle much quicker and therefore the cases won't last as long, so your load you developed will have to be reworked often.

Seating bullets will be difficult and probably require a special neck sizing die, otherwise you will probably deform the bullet a bit when seating it.

Those are the relatively easy issues to overcome...The primer issue is probably the biggest issue. Berdan primers are a pain to remove, and they are hard to find to reload. So if you do get it removed, you will have to drill out the anvil and form a new flash hole, then find a boxer primer that will work in the berdan sized pocket.

AND, since steel cases won't last long, you will have to go through this process often....



There are probably many other issues but that is a lot of work just to get it to work. Also most of us don't hand load just for economic reasons, we do it because we can make much better ammo for our guns than you can buy.

So with all that said, if you are looking to cut costs, just stop buying steel cased ammo and buy brass cased to reload, or buy once fired mixed headstamp brass. It's kind of like reloading rimfire ammo, if it was worth it, we would all do it.

FIFW, I think there is some boxer primed steel cased pistol that might not be too difficult to reload, but I get pistol brass by the garbage bag full of like $50...So why bother?
 
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At one point years back, I had a nearly endless supply of steel cases, so I went full on trying to recondition them...

Steel cases often WILL crack/break carbide ring dies.
Carbide insert dies will *Sometimes* live, but in my experience rings never survive.

Steel cases are incredibly abrasive, they wear dies like crazy!

Steel is a BUNCH harder to form/reform.
You will need a STOUT press with a ram that doesn't deflect, and enough leverage to beat the steel back into shape.
Normal hand presses usually won't do the job effectively.
Not even the old iron frame 'Rock Chuckers' are ridgid enough, they will flex trying to bang out steel cases.

Normal 'Cheap' dies ARE designed to beat back most common case materials, they just don't live long. Don't expect good results, but you CAN often get a case that will chamber.
'Cheap' dies (one size fits nothing) are fairly sloppy so they don't beat the brass back into shape particularly well, no matter what the case material...

The reason some of us buy 'Match' grade dies that are intended for 'Cartridge Brass' and not much else.

I find steel cases more trouble than they are worth...
Your normal case lube probably won't work well, and a stuck steel case is a serious pain in the butt!

Carbide trimmers are a must. You will kill tool steel trimmers in just a few hundred rounds.

I find steel cases virtually impossible to make consistant, and therefore they aren't 'Accuracy' cases.
There is MUCH easier ways to get 'Range' grade ammo...

Then there is the killer...
A BUNCH of steel cases are BERDAN primed, two little flash holes off center the case center line...
That makes them VERY hard to deprime!
I built a hydraulic deprime unit to get the spent primers out, which is now rusting quietly in the outdoor shed dying of disuse.
There is several hundred dollars I won't be getting back...

The ONE guy I know that attempts to reload steel, and gets a reasonablely consistant product out of the process,
Removes primers with used motor oil and a wooden dowel rod/hammer...
He rolls cases between mounted roller bearings, which requires clamping each case in a fixture to turn the case between rollers.
It must take him 20 minutes for each case, but he does get a reasonable product out of the process.
I don't have the time for that...

And there is no way I'm going to spray used motor oil all over everything to get primers out!

It's up to you, your time to use as you see fit...
Just be aware of what you are up against.
 
They are reloadable, same as aluminum but there is a difference between being able to do something and it being advisable to do so.
 
Bunch of differing "reasons". Steel can be made as soft as brass so it can be easily formed. The steel used in cases today isn't harder than die steel so it won't wear out dies appreciably faster than brass and I've read reports of "wearing chambers" proved untrue. Berdan priming isn't just used on steel cases, just more popular in Europe where most of the steel cased ammo is manufactured. The big deal about steel cases is the characteristics of steel vs. brass. Steel will work harden faster than brass. Steel is not a malleable as brass and doesn't have the "spring back" of brass. Besides most steel cases are coated with lacquer or other coatings that last only a very few firings and can leave residue in the guns.Steel is therefore good for one firing, generally, but I read a report of a respected member of another forum that reloaded some .223 steel cases 8 or 10 times (even though some died before reaching eight).

If steel were better than brass, the major ammo manufacturers would use that, mainly because steel is waaaaay cheaper than brass.;)
 
100% contact

Why aren't steel casings reloadable?
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It could fall into one of those philosophy categories as being noting more than what one thinks. I have steel cases, I do not load them because I want nothing between the case and chamber but air; and then? If I have something between the case and chamber I want a case that is embeddable. I know, everyone lives is a spotless environment except me.

And then there is all that talk about the case moving forward when the firing pin strikes the primer and the case shortening when the shoulder of the case hits the shoulder of the chamber. And now I go back to the part where I do not want anything between the casa and chamber but air, clean air; because if that case does all of that traveling with dirt, dust, grit and grime the chamber will only get larger. When it comes to chambers I want a smooth finish, between the case and chamber I want 100% contact, 100% contact works when talking about disc pads and rotors, shoes and drums.

There is nothing that will cause a driver to suck wind than when he hits the peddle with only 70% contact between the pads and disc or shoes and drums in an emergency.

F. Guffey
 
Steel is not elastic like brass. Doesn't expand then contract a tick. Doesn't easily get resized either. And most steel cased ammo is Berdan primed.
 
For a real challenge, try to use .308 brass to make .45acp rounds.
It's almost doable.
Like using steel cases, if that's all there was then it can be done.
But ya'd have to be desperate.
 
Steel is not elastic like brass.
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So if the case takes off for the front of the chamber and stops when the shoulder of the case stops against the shoulder of the chamber it has to return to the rear of the chamber when fired.

I am the fan of cutting down on all that case travel.

F. Guffey
 
For a real challenge, try to use .308 brass to make .45acp rounds.
It's almost doable.
Like using steel cases, if that's all there was then it can be done.
But ya'd have to be desperate.
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I have a magnaflux machine, I decided I would check 500 rounds of 45 ACP TW by Federal, what a mess, that magnet pulled the rounds out of the boxs. And then it had to be decided if the bullets had a steel core or if the case was steel and plated. The cases are steel and plated.

I tested cupronickel bullets in old 30/06 surplus ammo, the bullets stuck to the magnet.

The one thing a reloaders needs to know about big magnets; keep it away from the TV tube. Placing it in the center of the screen will give you a very small picture, after that it does not get better.

I called the manufacturer and ask them to explain the auto adjust system; they said all that was necessary was: Turn it off and then turn it on, and I asked, "How many times?".
 
MosinNOUGAT said:
Just wondering, because it really doesn't make sense. …
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Only because you haven't tried it and encountered the various problems. In addition to die damage, steel fatigues from work hardening much faster than brass does. We had a fellow reloading steel .45 Auto cases on another board who wondered why the breech end of his chamber had developed a ring of internal pits all around the clock. His steel cases had developed cracks in the area where rifle brass would get an incipient head separation (the pressure ring), but these were essentially invisible to the naked eye. Nonetheless, they had allowed small jets of gas to escape, cutting pits into the chamber. Once he knew what he was looking for, this fellow could see the cracks and jet sites. They had been camouflaged by the color of the case.

That's the result of steel fatigue from resizing and expanding with pressure and resizing again. Even though it is soft as steel goes, cartridge case steel does not have the malleability brass does, so it cracks. How many reloading cycles did that take? I don't think the owner of the pitted chamber knew. Just that it was a lot fewer than brass normally withstands.

Cases not intended to be reloaded should not be reloaded. Unpleasant surprises await those who ignore a manufacturer's statement to that effect.
 
Thanks, guys! Very helpful. Kind of off topic, but is Silver Bear an ok quality ammo? I've never used it before.

Thanks,
MosinNOUGAT
 
Silverbear shoots just fine but it is zinc coayed and doesnt like sitting around in humid conditions. Shoot it all you please but get the poly/laquered stuff if you intend to sit on it. IMHO.
 
I find steel case import ammo doesn't fit in really tight chambers.
Don't really know a bench rifle guy that would shoot steel cases so that's probably moot.

The biggest issue I had was 'Insta-Rust'...
Once fired, the cases rust VERY fast.
About everyone has been to a range where the rusted steel cases cover the ground... (hell on tires when they get into the parking lot)

Because of the different steels/coatings used in the cases, it's difficult to work up a CONSISTANT resize process.

I'm with everyone else, you *CAN* deprime/resize steel, but it would be a absolute last resort for me, just too much time required for the resizing, and way too much work.
 
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