Great video, thanks for the info! I've always thought this should be possible as the steel is mild. The only way it should mess up the die is if the die is also mild steel. Incidentally, one could mess up their die with very hard brass (like the kind that could make armor piercing ammo, or is in certain pump impellers etc), but no company is going to be dumb enough to use hard brass to make a case. (not even b/c they care about your rifle, it would cost them big $ to do) Ditto with steel.
I was just looking into trying to get more accuracy from my mini-14 by reloading for it. I have 1k wolf lying around and will try to reload some of those casings after seeing this video. Also have 1kg of N140 and some sierra 69gr HPBT bullets coming in. Will be fun to try this. Those bullets should be nice for my 1:9" twist barrel. Will post video later when I get my ass to the range. :-D
It doesn't matter if you can reload steel cases. Steel cases are still VERY hard on your dies due to it being steel on steel, they can break your dies if you aren't careful, and the steel cases DO NOT last very long anyways.
@Dp908 see I don't know how hard they really are on your dies, and quite possibly the savings brought by being able to reload steel casings over brass may outweigh the cost of new dies. I will make sure to document how many reloadings these cases last. I am being very careful and all of this is most really does matter to normal shooters trying to save and make use of what they have.
@jubbles2343 Hear all that noise you were making just simply neck sizing the cases? That is wear and tear on your dies. In order to successfully size a steel case without getting it stuck or damaging your dies more you need to use a CRAP ton of lube.
@Dp908 actually its the boxes of cases I have on my table rattling like hell each time the table flexes from the press trying to move. I was neck and length sizing the cases.
@Dp908 ive never reloaded steele, but in my experiance steele has always appeared to be a better material to use. my AKs will tear brass apart, not steele, plus steele cartridges dont expand or change shape, theres no wear on it. in my case, i only own military grade firearms, no commerical grade, so steele works better for me. steele casing dont tend to work well out of commercial grade guns.
@jubbles2343 It appears the audio is lagging a bit behind the video, there's some glare from sunlight, and the video doesn't look particularly sharp. Not exactly trying to read any fine print however so it's not really a big deal IMO. Also, for some reason when I came back to this vid to respond, it still shows 0 views, 0 likes, and 0 comments. Quite strange... but I'm sure it'll right itself soon enough.
Good vid! There must be different Wolf companies because Wolf ammo is being sold here in Canada but it's all just commercially reloaded and brass cased. When you get it in, all the brass is usually mismatched. So what is it about this steel cased Wolf ammo that makes it so cheap? I can't imagine steel cased is what does the trick, perhaps the primer or powder type?
I think you need to get a better camera! Otherwise thanks for the Video!! Very Helpful!
derekjonhi 3 weeks ago
Just use .223 American Eagle black box brass. Only $5.97 at wally world
N4UPD 1 month ago
@N4UPD wal mart doesn't exist in the UK...
jubbles2343 1 month ago
Great video, thanks for the info! I've always thought this should be possible as the steel is mild. The only way it should mess up the die is if the die is also mild steel. Incidentally, one could mess up their die with very hard brass (like the kind that could make armor piercing ammo, or is in certain pump impellers etc), but no company is going to be dumb enough to use hard brass to make a case. (not even b/c they care about your rifle, it would cost them big $ to do) Ditto with steel.
Platinum1812 3 months ago
Man, ammo is expensive in the UK!!! I pay about $20 for 100 rounds of Wolf .223 ammo here in the US. $20 is ~12.5 pounds British Sterling.
stchman 8 months ago
I was just looking into trying to get more accuracy from my mini-14 by reloading for it. I have 1k wolf lying around and will try to reload some of those casings after seeing this video. Also have 1kg of N140 and some sierra 69gr HPBT bullets coming in. Will be fun to try this. Those bullets should be nice for my 1:9" twist barrel. Will post video later when I get my ass to the range. :-D
heintron 8 months ago
loading steel case is harder on your dies
canadianglock22 8 months ago
hi, are you still using your lee turret for this? cheers
DeadHandRed 8 months ago
@DeadHandRed Yes I am
jubbles2343 8 months ago
It doesn't matter if you can reload steel cases. Steel cases are still VERY hard on your dies due to it being steel on steel, they can break your dies if you aren't careful, and the steel cases DO NOT last very long anyways.
Dp908 8 months ago
@Dp908 see I don't know how hard they really are on your dies, and quite possibly the savings brought by being able to reload steel casings over brass may outweigh the cost of new dies. I will make sure to document how many reloadings these cases last. I am being very careful and all of this is most really does matter to normal shooters trying to save and make use of what they have.
jubbles2343 8 months ago
@jubbles2343 Hear all that noise you were making just simply neck sizing the cases? That is wear and tear on your dies. In order to successfully size a steel case without getting it stuck or damaging your dies more you need to use a CRAP ton of lube.
Dp908 8 months ago
@Dp908 actually its the boxes of cases I have on my table rattling like hell each time the table flexes from the press trying to move. I was neck and length sizing the cases.
jubbles2343 8 months ago
@Dp908 have reloaded 45 acp steel cases 11 times before they split
skyhighguy1 2 months ago
@Dp908 ive never reloaded steele, but in my experiance steele has always appeared to be a better material to use. my AKs will tear brass apart, not steele, plus steele cartridges dont expand or change shape, theres no wear on it. in my case, i only own military grade firearms, no commerical grade, so steele works better for me. steele casing dont tend to work well out of commercial grade guns.
SNIPERSTEVE420 2 months ago
@jubbles2343 It appears the audio is lagging a bit behind the video, there's some glare from sunlight, and the video doesn't look particularly sharp. Not exactly trying to read any fine print however so it's not really a big deal IMO. Also, for some reason when I came back to this vid to respond, it still shows 0 views, 0 likes, and 0 comments. Quite strange... but I'm sure it'll right itself soon enough.
NormanMatchem 8 months ago
@NormanMatchem I believe that the video is still being prepared by youtube, and the light is from the lightbulbs in my house
jubbles2343 8 months ago
Good vid! There must be different Wolf companies because Wolf ammo is being sold here in Canada but it's all just commercially reloaded and brass cased. When you get it in, all the brass is usually mismatched. So what is it about this steel cased Wolf ammo that makes it so cheap? I can't imagine steel cased is what does the trick, perhaps the primer or powder type?
NormanMatchem 8 months ago
@NormanMatchem Thanks mate, I imagine its the steel case. Is the sound in sync and can everything be seen clearly?
jubbles2343 8 months ago
As long as they are Boxer Primed you can reload anything.
SamLFisher 8 months ago