Reloading Russian Surplus (ie 7.62x54r)

[Guest]

Hello,

I'm shooting Russian (actually, I think this is Romanian) surplus in my Mosin Nagant. New Wolf Hollow Points or soft-points are a buck or a little more a piece. Is there any reason I couldn't reload the old Romanian cases as hollow or soft points, say in the case of hunting or what not? Once I remove the old 'corrosive' primer, is the brass as good as any other?

I'm not reloading anything now, but someday if I have a heaping pile of spent Romanian cartridges laying around, I may give it a go. And if it's not an option, I know to toss them now.

Thanks!

[Guest 6.8 AR]

If it's not Berdan primed, probably could, but I imagine it's Berdan.

[xd shooter]

Take a flashlight & look inside of a fired case. If you see one big hole in the center then it is boxer primed & can be realoaded, but I bet you will find two small holes that are off center that is berdan primed.

You can buy a tool to remove the primer from a berdan primed case.

[Garufa]

All surplus x54r is berdan primed, corrosive and in steel cases, except Yugoslavian which is brass but is also corrosive berdan. Not worth the trouble or effort to even attempt reloading.

If you really want to reload new boxer primed brass cases are available.

[Caster]

It can, most certainly be done. There are tools for de-priming berdan, there are berdan primers out there too. Another option is to convert the cases to take a boxer primer. Requires a lathe, some skill and a butt load of time. Is any of that worth the time? god no! Go buy some brass from Midway USA and NEVER look back....ever.

[Guest]

Yes, it is Berden primed (the two holes inside the case). Guess I'll pitch it. I am surprised to hear that it is steel though, it's got a dull "brassy" color, kind of like regular brass casings after they get tarnished. I guess its just a different steel alloy?

[Caster]

Yes, it is Berden primed (the two holes inside the case). Guess I'll pitch it. I am surprised to hear that it is steel though, it's got a dull "brassy" color, kind of like regular brass casings after they get tarnished. I guess its just a different steel alloy?

No, no, there's brass cased surplus out there as well. I have some somewhere and I do believe it's Polish.

[Oh Shoot]

Yes, it is Berden primed (the two holes inside the case). Guess I'll pitch it. I am surprised to hear that it is steel though, it's got a dull "brassy" color, kind of like regular brass casings after they get tarnished. I guess its just a different steel alloy?

Most I've seen has a "wash" (coating) on it, copper alloy I think. Put a magnet on it.

- OS

[Garufa]

Well Albanian I believe is also brass but it is all berdan primed. Yes, I guess you can attempt to reload it but why? The cost, time and effort just isn't worth it.

[Guest]

Most I've seen has a "wash" (coating) on it, copper alloy I think. Put a magnet on it.

- OS

Yep, steel cased. Refrigerator magnet sticks to it. To the trash!

[roverboy]

If its berdan primed its gonna be a ----- to reload. Like xd shooter said you can buy a decapper to get the berdan primers out, but I'm pretty sure you have to replace them with berdan primers because I think they are a different diameter.

[Dolomite_supafly]

The berdan primers are larger than our large rifle primers. I did reload some berdan primed stuff using boxer primers. Seating the primers was done without a tool and soem would not stay in place without some sort of adhesive. I think I used nail polish to keep them in place until I fired them. Even doing that on nearly every round the primers fell out after firing. They did seal long enough that no gases escaped but it was a pain picking out the primers from the action.

By the time you go through the hassle of removing the berdan primers, opening up the cases and then finding new berdan primers on our shores you could have just bought American made cases and used standard primers.

Dolomite

[dlm37015]

the biggest problem is the berdan primers they are very hard to find and there are several sizes for large rifle

[Guest darth_jbell]

You could also just buy some Wolf Gold (boxer-primed, non-corrosive). Then you could feed your MN an appetizer and have the cases for later.