Steel cases vs brass case strength

lhofeld · December 20, 2006, 13:46

Ok I have about 100 or so rounds of hungarian 7.62X54R that I pulled down for the powder and bullets. The bullets all seem to be with in a grain or so of each other and so I do not have any worries. The average powder charge was 47ish with a 3-4 grain variation. So here is my question. can I safely use the same average powder weight in a brass case as the steel case? My line of thinking is it should be fine but I wanted others input.

ftierson · December 20, 2006, 14:59

Whether the case is brass or steel should be irrelevant in terms of the pressure that the ammunition was originally loaded to...

However, the internal capacity of the brass versus steel cases could be different. If the steel cases in the ammo that you are pulling down have less capacity, the powder charge should produce less pressure in brass cases...

Conversely, if the steel cases have a greater internal volume than the brass cases that you're thinking of using, the pressure in the brass cases will be higher...

Forrest

lhofeld · December 20, 2006, 15:50

ftierson
that was my line of thinking. I just wanted to hear it from some one else. the case capacity of the steel cases is lass than that of the brass.

DJ · December 21, 2006, 07:44

I found myself with a big bunch of Bulgarian 7.62x51. It's steel cased, corrosive primed. I hate to fire this stuff thru my gas guns, so I broke some of it down and reloaded the powder charge and bullets into brass cases. After I had 30 or 40 done, I got the idea to call the guys at Sierra Bullets tech line. They said I shouldn't have a problem, maybe reduce the powder charge on a few just to be sure. I reduced 10 rounds by 2.5 grains and fired them.....no problems. I worked up to using the full charge without any pressure signs. So now I only have about 800 more rounds to break down and reload.

I don't think you'll have any problems.

December 20, 2006, 13:46	#1
lhofeld Registered FALaholic #: 12305 Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The Great State of Oklahoma Posts: 771	Steel cases vs brass case strength Ok I have about 100 or so rounds of hungarian 7.62X54R that I pulled down for the powder and bullets. The bullets all seem to be with in a grain or so of each other and so I do not have any worries. The average powder charge was 47ish with a 3-4 grain variation. So here is my question. can I safely use the same average powder weight in a brass case as the steel case? My line of thinking is it should be fine but I wanted others input. __________________ "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." --Cesare Beccaria

December 20, 2006, 15:50	#3
lhofeld Registered FALaholic #: 12305 Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The Great State of Oklahoma Posts: 771	ftierson that was my line of thinking. I just wanted to hear it from some one else. the case capacity of the steel cases is lass than that of the brass. __________________ "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." --Cesare Beccaria

December 21, 2006, 07:44	#4
DJ Registered FALaholic #: 126 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Brookville Pa Posts: 2,130	I found myself with a big bunch of Bulgarian 7.62x51. It's steel cased, corrosive primed. I hate to fire this stuff thru my gas guns, so I broke some of it down and reloaded the powder charge and bullets into brass cases. After I had 30 or 40 done, I got the idea to call the guys at Sierra Bullets tech line. They said I shouldn't have a problem, maybe reduce the powder charge on a few just to be sure. I reduced 10 rounds by 2.5 grains and fired them.....no problems. I worked up to using the full charge without any pressure signs. So now I only have about 800 more rounds to break down and reload. I don't think you'll have any problems. __________________ *Proud Air Force dad* I'm a "barbarian" and I VOTE! "He might have gone on livin' but he made one fatal slip, he tried to match the Ranger with the Big Iron on his hip." Marty Robbins, "Big Iron"

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December 20, 2006, 14:59	#2
ftierson Registered FALaholic #: 13827 Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 11,040	Whether the case is brass or steel should be irrelevant in terms of the pressure that the ammunition was originally loaded to... However, the internal capacity of the brass versus steel cases could be different. If the steel cases in the ammo that you are pulling down have less capacity, the powder charge should produce less pressure in brass cases... Conversely, if the steel cases have a greater internal volume than the brass cases that you're thinking of using, the pressure in the brass cases will be higher... Forrest