Shooting non-corrosive ammo at a lesser cost

[Radek 73]

I hate corrosive milsurp ammo only because I hate cleaning a rifle right after a range shoot ... but it's cheap, so I am thinking the following reloading scheme for 7.62x54R for a Mosin (or substitute some other caliber Milsurp ammo you use).

 

To me, shooting a pistol like a Makarov or Tokarev with milsurp ammo doesn't seem so onerous because cleaning is relatively quick. With a rifle, one has to avoid damaging the wood stock during the unconventional cleaning regimen.

 

Proposed steps:

 

1. Buy milsurp ammo in bulk (about 10-12 cents per round; you are buying this for the bullets and powder, not to shoot it)

2. Buy reloadable boxer primed brass cased ammo (e.g., PRVI Partizan), maybe 100 rounds; shoot it and save brass

3. Pull bullets from the milsurp ammo, save bullets and powder (throw away the case, since berdan primers are difficult to remove and replace with a boxer primer ... so I have heard)

4. Remove spent primers (from step 2) and put in new boxer primers in the cases

5. Use powder and bullets (from step 3) and assemble

 

Tell me what you think. I am not looking to just save bucks per se, but the possibility of shooting non-corrosive ammo at a lesser cost than brand new.

 

Key assumption is that powder from milsurp ammo can be re-used and will work well w/ a new boxer primed case with decent results. The other issue is not knowing what we should compare the milsurp power to? So, some experimentation will be required with different loadings. Of course, powder charts will need to be referenced and the "start low and work up" principle will apply for safe results.

 

Assuming you can reload good brass safely up to 4 times, that yields a total of 500 rounds of non-corrosive ammo (having bought 100 rounds of fresh ammo to start). I haven't done the calculation of net cost savings, but it's clear it will be less expensive than buying non-corrosive alone.

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Damaging the wood stock? With Windex? Really?

[sirsloop 1]

The bore on my Mosin is nice and shiney... I've put over 1,000 corrosive rounds through it. A little windex down the barrel followed by a few dry patches, some hoppes #9, brass brush, and patches until its clean. Works like a charm. Consider the time you will spend pulling bullets, saving powder, getting supplies, testing different loads, reloading, saving brass. I guess its a hobby? I understand reloading to save money, but reloading to avoid having to clean a gun seems ridiculous. Instead of spending 15 minutes cleaning the gun, you will be spending HOURS reloading ammo so you can neglect the gun after using it. As far as the windex is concerned... remove the bolt, put the business end of the gun in a trash can, put the nozzle in the chamber and squirt. Its not like you are hosing the entire weapon down.

[Redfish62 1]

The bore on my Mosin is nice and shiney... I've put over 1,000 corrosive rounds through it. A little windex down the barrel followed by a few dry patches, some hoppes #9, copper brush, and patches until its clean. Works like a charm.

Why do you use Windex and Hoppes #9 when all you really need is the Hoppes. Hoppes #9 came out after corrosive ammo and removes the salt. Is this just your personal choice or have you tried just using the Hoppes without the success you have using both Windex and Hoppes #9? I'm wondering if I am making a mistake just using the Hoppes even thought the bore looks good.

[sirsloop 1]

lol.... to be honest IDK!! Its cheap and has worked so far. It literally takes two seconds to do... and you just push a patch through and its ready for the next step. I have some other stuff that's apparently designed for corrosive ammo, but it costs like 5 times what a dollar store bottle of window cleaner costs.

[Regulator72 80]

I use a bottle of water, squirt it down the barrel, bore snake it, then hoppes, and a patch with breakfree on it.. done, takes minutes...

[Radek 73]

Yeah, reloading because it's fun.

[sirsloop 1]

I guess you can justify reloading any way you want. If you wanna reload cause you enjoy it, and one perk is not shooting corrosive primers... then so be it!

[matt6669 71]

Why wouldn't you just reload with new bullets and new powder instead of pulling bullets. Because until you pulled a bullet you have no idea how much of a pain in the ass it really is.

 

Buy a 4lb jug of 4895 and a box of bullets and go to town.

 

M

[Radek 73]

I have seen a friend in MN pull bullets from milsurp ammo using a reloading rig mounted bullet puller. Something like this. I haven't done it myself, but it looked easy and quick.

 

Also, trying to save few bucks in the process by not having to buy powder and bullets.

 

I will post results after I have done the whole process.

[Maksim 1,504]

Pulling 100 bullets is a pain in the ass, especially if you do not want to make a shitload of noise, or have your hand start shaking.

 

Buy Prvi Ammo at first, $13 a box of $20, about the same price as just buying the brass, and then reload.

 

Depending on your bore, if shot out or not, or if it is a Finn, you can use .308 or .311 bullets.

 

Powder is fairly cheap, and bullets can be found cheap.

 

Go to grafs.com?

[Radek 73]

I don't think you read my post carefully.

 

Pulling 100 bullets is a pain in the a**, especially if you do not want to make a shitload of noise, or have your hand start shaking.

I don't plan to use a impact bullet puller.

 

Buy Prvi Ammo at first, $13 a box of $20, about the same price as just buying the brass, and then reload. That's exactly what I said I plan to do.

 

Depending on your bore, if shot out or not, or if it is a Finn, you can use .308 or .311 bullets.

 

Powder is fairly cheap, and bullets can be found cheap.

 

Go to grafs.com? I have; powder and bullets aren't cheap. For 12c per round of surplus ammo, I can recover 1 bullet and 1 powder charge. Do the math and compare.

 

As I said, I will post the calculations and reloading results when I am done.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

I dont clean after corrosive with anything crazy. I just clean as normal after. Hell, my friend fired corrosive in a PSL (lots more corrosive crap EVERYWHERE) and didnt clean it for 2 months. Rifle stored in his humid deleware basement. Didnt rust. Remember, you dont need to kill the salts, just move them elsewhere.

 

BTW If you do do it, the best thing to do would be to get a scale, do a bath of say 100 rounds, put ALL the powder together, weight it, divide by 100 and then measure your charges to that weight. Will make it more consistant/accurate.

[Krdshrk 3,878]

I just spray a bunch of windex through so it breaks up the salts and let it pour out the end.... I have no problems.

[coldsolderjoint 84]

Why do you use Windex and Hoppes #9 when all you really need is the Hoppes. Hoppes #9 came out after corrosive ammo and removes the salt. Is this just your personal choice or have you tried just using the Hoppes without the success you have using both Windex and Hoppes #9? I'm wondering if I am making a mistake just using the Hoppes even thought the bore looks good.

 

+1 I just use hoppes for corrosive.. no problems yet.

[coldsolderjoint 84]

I thought some of the older powers are long strands like uncooked spaghetti noodles? How the hell do you weigh that?

[Radek 73]

The powders look like this, not very long. It shouldn't be a problem to weigh, but might not flow properly through a powder dispenser...?

 

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

The powders look like this, not very long. It shouldn't be a problem to weigh, but might not flow properly through a powder dispenser...?

 

 

 

They wont measure too bad. you will want to set your dispenser a teeny bit on the low side, dispense onto a scale, then use a trickler to precisly get it to where you want. A little time consuming but it will result in very consistant ammunition.

 

Ed, the spaghetti your refering to is cordite. Only stuff I've ever ran into with that is POF .303 which sucked. Thats a very old, outdated propellent. The strands go from the base of case to base of bullet, and theres a couple dozen or so standing up in the case. Kinda funky.