changing bullets with steel cases? - The Firearms Forum

pighunter1 · 06-13-2009, 12:51 AM

Hey all! I'm new to the board and relatively new to firearms.

I have just bought an inexpensive Mosin-Nagant for pig hunting. I found some really cheap surplus ammo online for plinking and target shooting.

I live in California and many of the areas I will be hunting in will require lead-free ammo.

The cases are steel on this ammo (Bulgarian stuff). Can I just pull the bullets from my surplus ammo and replace them with lead free (Barnes TSX)?

I am pretty new to this so cut me a little slack if I'm missing a few steps here.

I appreciate the feedback.

glocknut · 06-13-2009, 01:12 AM

Don't do it...

mike
gn

Suwannee Tim · 06-13-2009, 05:41 AM

There are a couple of things that could go wrong:
The pressure in the new load could be too high.
The bullet could be loose.
You need reloadable brass such as Winchester and reload the ammunition properly with the correct bullet. This defeats the purpose of buying the Mosin Nagant to get a cheap set-up. If it was me, I might just use lead type bullets and take my chances. I don't know how risky that is or what it costs if you get caught.

312shooter · 06-14-2009, 12:32 AM

what about steel core ammo, there is some of that in 7.62x54 here and there

johnlives4christ · 06-14-2009, 01:41 AM

well... i dont much if any about reloading and ammunition. so can someone explain why this idea wouldnt work for me? just out of curiousity, because , not knowing, i cannot see why this wouldnt work okay as long as the bullet was inserted to the proper dept, and as long as it was the proper diameter.

i know you cant reload steel casings.... although i dont know why,....so why cant you?

312shooter · 06-14-2009, 11:24 AM

Here's what would happen, first you pull the bullet out of the neck - the neck expands slightly to allow this release. Next you push your new bullet into a neck that has has been forced out of correct tolerance. Now with little or no bullet tension on the new round you feed it into the chamber, as the bullet contacts the chamber (closing the bolt) the lack of tension causes the bullet to seat deeper than designed. A bullet seated deeper is going to spike pressure, maybe enough to blow up the chamber and you end up with a face full of metal. Maybe the lack of tension on the bullet offsets the high pressure and you live to shoot another round, to make the matter even more interesting you are shooting a gun that was manufactured how long ago, in what country and with what kind of quality assurance? These are the unknowns you dabble with when doing such things with ammo.

BobMcG · 06-14-2009, 12:13 PM

First off, welcome to the forums and the world of firearms.

Just say you could pull a bullet and replace it with another without having a crimping problem (you can't), you can bet that a copper bullet of equal weight and diameter would be longer than the original JSP. This would have to be seated deeper into the case to achieve the same C.O.A.L. resulting in increased pressure. Quite possibly to unsafe levels. Anyone thinking that they could just dump a little powder out to make up the difference would be kidding themselves to think they now have a proper load.

Handloading is serious business (and the territory you're crossing into) and a ways down the road of gun ownership evolution from being relatively new to them. Yes, in this instance you might be missing a few steps.

And it's not a matter of not being able to reload steel cases but they do have their drawbacks. Steel is tougher on dies and stell doesn't possess the flow characteristics of brass for longevity.

pighunter1 · 06-15-2009, 04:04 PM

Thank you for the feedback 312shooter and BobMcG.

312Shooter, the ammo I have is steel core but as it is FMJ and contains over 1% lead it isn't approved in many areas I plan to hunt in. I hoped I might be able to pull the steel bullet from a $.22 round and replace it with a $.75 Barnes bullet instead of buying some from customcartridge.com for about $3.00 a round. Oh well...

Lotsdragon · 06-15-2009, 07:54 PM

Welcome to the forum, as you can tell there are somepretty nice folks hanging about!

312shooter · 06-16-2009, 12:06 AM

pighunter,

its too bad you're not into reloading, I could send you some reloadable brass for that nagant, check into it you might have some fun building some good accurate (and legal) rounds for that piece of "artillery" you have there. Have fun!

06-13-2009, 12:51 AM	#1
pighunter1 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2	changing bullets with steel cases? Hey all! I'm new to the board and relatively new to firearms. I have just bought an inexpensive Mosin-Nagant for pig hunting. I found some really cheap surplus ammo online for plinking and target shooting. I live in California and many of the areas I will be hunting in will require lead-free ammo. The cases are steel on this ammo (Bulgarian stuff). Can I just pull the bullets from my surplus ammo and replace them with lead free (Barnes TSX)? I am pretty new to this so cut me a little slack if I'm missing a few steps here. I appreciate the feedback. -->

06-13-2009, 01:12 AM	#2
glocknut Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: THE FORUM MASCOTT... Posts: 12,482	Re: changing bullets with steel cases? Don't do it... mike gn __________________ Where O where are you tonight? Why have you gone and left me alone? I searched to world over and a thought i found true love... You met another and PTThhh you were gone....

06-13-2009, 05:41 AM	#3
Suwannee Tim Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,227	Re: changing bullets with steel cases? There are a couple of things that could go wrong: The pressure in the new load could be too high. The bullet could be loose. You need reloadable brass such as Winchester and reload the ammunition properly with the correct bullet. This defeats the purpose of buying the Mosin Nagant to get a cheap set-up. If it was me, I might just use lead type bullets and take my chances. I don't know how risky that is or what it costs if you get caught.

06-14-2009, 12:32 AM	#4
312shooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Las Vegas NV Posts: 1,148	Re: changing bullets with steel cases? what about steel core ammo, there is some of that in 7.62x54 here and there Last edited by 312shooter; 06-14-2009 at 12:33 AM..

06-14-2009, 01:41 AM	#5
johnlives4christ Former Guest Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,828	Re: changing bullets with steel cases? well... i dont much if any about reloading and ammunition. so can someone explain why this idea wouldnt work for me? just out of curiousity, because , not knowing, i cannot see why this wouldnt work okay as long as the bullet was inserted to the proper dept, and as long as it was the proper diameter. i know you cant reload steel casings.... although i dont know why,....so why cant you?

06-14-2009, 11:24 AM	#6
312shooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Las Vegas NV Posts: 1,148	Re: changing bullets with steel cases? Here's what would happen, first you pull the bullet out of the neck - the neck expands slightly to allow this release. Next you push your new bullet into a neck that has has been forced out of correct tolerance. Now with little or no bullet tension on the new round you feed it into the chamber, as the bullet contacts the chamber (closing the bolt) the lack of tension causes the bullet to seat deeper than designed. A bullet seated deeper is going to spike pressure, maybe enough to blow up the chamber and you end up with a face full of metal. Maybe the lack of tension on the bullet offsets the high pressure and you live to shoot another round, to make the matter even more interesting you are shooting a gun that was manufactured how long ago, in what country and with what kind of quality assurance? These are the unknowns you dabble with when doing such things with ammo.

06-14-2009, 12:13 PM	#7
BobMcG Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Somewhere in the Twilight Zone. Contributor Posts: 1,119	Re: changing bullets with steel cases? First off, welcome to the forums and the world of firearms. Just say you could pull a bullet and replace it with another without having a crimping problem (you can't), you can bet that a copper bullet of equal weight and diameter would be longer than the original JSP. This would have to be seated deeper into the case to achieve the same C.O.A.L. resulting in increased pressure. Quite possibly to unsafe levels. Anyone thinking that they could just dump a little powder out to make up the difference would be kidding themselves to think they now have a proper load. Handloading is serious business (and the territory you're crossing into) and a ways down the road of gun ownership evolution from being relatively new to them. Yes, in this instance you might be missing a few steps. And it's not a matter of not being able to reload steel cases but they do have their drawbacks. Steel is tougher on dies and stell doesn't possess the flow characteristics of brass for longevity. Last edited by BobMcG; 06-14-2009 at 12:16 PM..

06-15-2009, 04:04 PM	#8
pighunter1 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2	Re: changing bullets with steel cases? Thank you for the feedback 312shooter and BobMcG. 312Shooter, the ammo I have is steel core but as it is FMJ and contains over 1% lead it isn't approved in many areas I plan to hunt in. I hoped I might be able to pull the steel bullet from a $.22 round and replace it with a $.75 Barnes bullet instead of buying some from customcartridge.com for about $3.00 a round. Oh well...

06-15-2009, 07:54 PM	#9
Lotsdragon Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Potosi, Mo Posts: 813	Re: changing bullets with steel cases? Welcome to the forum, as you can tell there are somepretty nice folks hanging about!

06-16-2009, 12:06 AM	#10
312shooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Las Vegas NV Posts: 1,148	Re: changing bullets with steel cases? pighunter, its too bad you're not into reloading, I could send you some reloadable brass for that nagant, check into it you might have some fun building some good accurate (and legal) rounds for that piece of "artillery" you have there. Have fun!