Re-use of Some Funky Brass

[TedKennedy]

Here's the deal:
I have a bunch of 8x57 surplus ammo. The bullets are OK, the rounds go off, albiet slow sometimes. (think flintlock)
I'm thinking of pulling the bullets, dumping the powder and replacing powder with appropriate charge of 4895 or something similar, then replacing pulled bullet. Obviously the old stuff is Berdan-primed, so I can't re-prime, or re-use cases. (not that I'd want to)
Anyone done this? Will case neck still have plenty of bullet retention?

 

[Calamity Jake]

Chances are that 8MM ammo is corrosive primed, I'ed pull the bullets, dump the powder in a bottle to store for fertilizer next spring
and dispose of the brass.

But if you just have to resuse the brass then pull, dump, then neck size the brass and with a good load manual pick an
8MM load using pulled bullet weight data and go have fun then clean the barrel good when your finished.

 

[mr ed]

Powder is not usually corrosive. Its the mercuric salts in the primers that eats up the gun

 

[TedKennedy]

I'm not worried about the corrosive aspect. Just like to use the brass and let it lay. I may do the run n gun with the Mauser, and don't want to be collecting brass at each station. ('cause I sure ain't letting my Winchester brass lay)
I may have to pick up a neck sizer?

 

[swampratt]

The cases may have .0005" of neck tension when you remove the bullets.
This could be enough to make for a very accurate load.
Only way to tell is pull one and measure it. then reinsert bullet.

My .308 and .243 shoot best with .001" of neck tension.
Never dialed it down to .0005" though ....pull measure and tell us what you end up with.

 

[TedKennedy]

OK - you're over my head now. How do I measure neck tension?

 

[swampratt]

It is actually interference fit deal i call it neck tension measured in thousandths.

The 8x57 i think has a .323" bullet diameter.
When you measure the bearing surface of a bullet after pulling one you will know what it is exactly.

The neck ID on the brass needs to be a smaller diameter to create a seal and hold bullet secure.(as we know)
.0005" i feel is about the minimum for the neck ID being smaller than bullet OD.
Sorry for any confusion..in my terminology.

I measure with dial calipers

I have measured interference fit and PSI to seat and pull bullets also.
With annealed and non annealed multiple fired brass.

Annealed brass takes more pressure to seat and pull the bullet at the same interference fit.
When you get up to .0025" and more interference fit it takes more pressure to seat ,
The 30-06 i tested took as much as 150psi to seat but only 80-100 to pull it.

Now at .002" or under the seating pressure and pulling pressure were the same.
.001" to .0015" were around 45-65psi to seat and i did not test below that..
That was with multiple fired brass...Once i annealed that brass that same .0015" took 80 psi to seat it....
Acts like a tighter spring when annealed really resisting the forces that want to open it to bullet diameter.
I bet your cases are annealed never fired..and with that in mind i would think there would be some interference fit left after bullet removal...check and see..
Have fun.

 

[TedKennedy]

OK - got it. Thanks for the info!

 

[Calamity Jake]

It is actually interference fit deal i call it neck tension measured in thousandths.

The 8x57 i think has a .323" bullet diameter.
When you measure the bearing surface of a bullet after pulling one you will know what it is exactly.

The neck ID on the brass needs to be a smaller diameter to create a seal and hold bullet secure.(as we know)
.0005" i feel is about the minimum for the neck ID being smaller than bullet OD.
Sorry for any confusion..in my terminology.

I measure with dial calipers

I have measured interference fit and PSI to seat and pull bullets also.
With annealed and non annealed multiple fired brass.

Annealed brass takes more pressure to seat and pull the bullet at the same interference fit.
When you get up to .0025" and more interference fit it takes more pressure to seat ,
The 30-06 i tested took as much as 150psi to seat but only 80-100 to pull it.

Now at .002" or under the seating pressure and pulling pressure were the same.
.001" to .0015" were around 45-65psi to seat and i did not test below that..
That was with multiple fired brass...Once i annealed that brass that same .0015" took 80 psi to seat it....
Acts like a tighter spring when annealed really resisting the forces that want to open it to bullet diameter.
I bet your cases are annealed never fired..and with that in mind i would think there would be some interference fit left after bullet removal...check and see..
Have fun.

And your measuring this neck tension/bullet pull how?

I never trust calipers for accuracy better than .001 for OD measurments and .002 for ID and only then if there are top of the line calipers.

 

[swampratt]

I got these calipers from grainger as a present from my now dead father over 20 years ago and they were 75 bucks then
and are dead nuts on.
They need to be accurate as i need to rely on them ..They are not digital.

I have a pressure gauge i set it up to be at the base of the bullet when seating.
I drilled a hole through the bullet to secure some wire to a pressure gauge to check bullet pull force.
Pretty simple actually.
This is what got me interested in seating forces a few years ago
http://www.kmshooting.com/catalog/a...ith_force-measurement_and_dial-indicator.html

Look at this. pretty cool other presses out there like it that i have seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rMBP7I6F30