Reloading Steel case .45ACP cases

[Kingpin]

Has anyone on here reloaded .45 steel cases ? would there be any problems or saftey issues that one might find? I know they are cheap to buy new, I have seen a bunch on the ground today and picked up 6 just to try.

 

[edsinger]

er why? For trial, then let us now.......

 

[gunman41mag]

I don't think steel will resize too good

 

[geronimojoe85]

You can reload them but it doesn't mean you SHOULD reload them.
People that have tried usually end up with split cases and head separation.
Not really worth the it to me.

 

[Kingpin]

I agree on no real reason to do it.Its one of those things you see them lying there and wonder. I reloaded the ones I picked up no problem to resize I would think it might wear the sizing down down faster than normal thats enough reason not to do very many. Will try them thursday afternoon and report what happens.

 

[lon]

I've read about guys reloading steel .223 cases with no problems, but never tried it...like you said, seems like it would be a lot harder on your dies.

 

[JetGirl]

Every .45 reloader I've encountered in a discussion about this says that they will indeed split.
Good luck to you, but I wouldn't do it.

 

[Kingpin]

Range report on reloading steel .45 acp cases. I had no split cases no head separation everything went fine. Accuracy was not as good as the brass cases I used for comparison but could have been me, the difference was minimal. I see no out of spec dimensions on the steel cases. The load I used had a pressure of 15,100 cup according to the manual which is on the milder side .Just for the experimental purposes I will reload these cases again, same setup and see how they hold up.

 

[Titanium_Frost]

Just for morbid curiosity what are the specs on the gun you are using?

 

[Kingpin]

For these test i only use a out of the box Hi-Point figure if it goes bad I have the no matter what warranty to fix it

 

[sloughfoot]

You are not the first person that has done this. Everybody sees the word "steel" and freaks out. In reality, the steel used in cartridge cases is just as malleable as brass. It has to expand and seal the chamber just like brass does. It sizes down in carbide dies with no damage to the die.

I have heard that only one reload is possible for rifle brass. That is anecdotal though.

I sometimes wonder if more of us will be forced to try to reload steel cases in the future.

 

[Kingpin]

Updated info I have reloaded 5 more times with no problems all steel cases remain in good shape.I will continue to reload these and see what happens. I will also start collecting these at the range just to keep as backups one thing I like I can use my big magnet to pick them up saves my back a bit.

 

[rugertoter]

You are not the first person that has done this. Everybody sees the word "steel" and freaks out. In reality, the steel used in cartridge cases is just as malleable as brass. It has to expand and seal the chamber just like brass does. It sizes down in carbide dies with no damage to the die.

I have heard that only one reload is possible for rifle brass. That is anecdotal though.

I sometimes wonder if more of us will be forced to try to reload steel cases in the future.

I've read where handloaders have been getting good results reloading the steel cased. The only problem I see is the Berdan Priming. Tougher to work with than the Boxer.

 

[XtremeVel]

I've read where handloaders have been getting good results reloading the steel cased. The only problem I see is the Berdan Priming. Tougher to work with than the Boxer.

The Wolf .45 ACP are boxer primed... I started out with that caliber initially since it is a low pressure. I haven't went any further in one of the higher pressure calibers yet such as .40 or 9mm so I wouldn't know exactly which are boxer or berdan primed...

I pick up and save any I find in .45 ACP... I don't collect in other pistol calibers though... I simply have plenty of brass in the other calibers at this time. Like someone else already said above though... In the future, we might be left with only these cases to load... It's good to know it can be done !

 

[Aszerigan]

I've had a few steel cases make it through my sifter, and loaded them anyway (just for personal use, never for sale.) They reload and shoot just fine, and since the carbide pistol dies are coated, they size just fine.

Not recommended though since the steel cases can rust internally causing the case to become weak.

 

[booey50]

I have loaded steel cases in 9mm with no ill effect so far...knock on wood, I have also loaded aluminum cases too.

 

[Kingpin]

Aluminum cases that I have seen have a center post in the primer pocket how do you get around that? or is there some with regular pockets?

 

[booey50]

the aluminum cases, i think they are from CCI, in 9mm had nothing like that, I just loaded them up like normal...keep in mind I never max out my loads. Usually for training and stuff I like to load low pressure...

 

[Kingpin]

Very good on CCI I will start looking for them like you I load on the lighter side when I was younger I liked to load max now that Im an old man I like less Bang.

 

[booey50]

Very good on CCI I will start looking for them like you I load on the lighter side when I was younger I liked to load max now that Im an old man I like less Bang.

Don't bother with the aluminum stuff, they are actually more than brass especially the federal boxes from walmart...plus you only get a few loads from them, not nearly as much as brass, or nickel...

I would stay with the stuff from walmart.
For only a dollar more than the russian stuff it is a steal...and i have been loading the same brass probably on my 11 or 12 time(for the same case). Best bang for your buck...