boxer primers

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Good question and one that I don't have an answer to. I found a case that I *think* is steel with a black chrome finish. It was Boxer primed with a Hornady headstamp, but I've never been able to find the ammo that it came from. That case sits on a shelf in my loading area because it's pretty.
 
Well I have reloaded steel cases for several pistol/revolver calibers with no problems after several thousand reloads. Some as many as 25 times so far. The coating will wear off and the outside will rust but it is still able to be cleaned and reloaded after that. Whats the big problem with doing this?? It has not hurt my dies either. So I feel the "problem" is interweb misinformation.:scrutiny: That said the berdan primed cases are not worth it unless a steady reliable source of primers is available.

After thinking about it some, if you are trying to get cheaper reloading casings they will be more labor intensive to deal with after a half dozen reloads as the rust factor will become a problem. Some of the surplus that is boxer primed is cheaper than the steel when on sale. I just use once fired surplus and remove the primer crimps and find they are cheap enough. I use a couple olive drab sheets, one beside/behind me on a frame and another on the ground. fire the rifle and the brass hit the sheet and fall to the lower one. Pick up the sheet and dump the pile of clean brass into a 5 gal bucket.:D
 
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Well I have reloaded steel cases for several pistol/revolver calibers with no problems after several thousand reloads. Some as many as 25 times so far. The coating will wear off and the outside will rust but it is still able to be cleaned and reloaded after that. Whats the big problem with doing this?? It has not hurt my dies either. So I feel the "problem" is interweb misinformation.
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Well then its obvious the ammo manufacturer has no idea what they talking about do they?

I can drive my car way past 100 mph, does that mean its the thing to do?

I tried reloading steel cased ammo a few years ago, and decided, Yes it possible to do it, but then the question is WHY? Brass is so easily available in the calibers that steel cased ammo is available in that its a no brainer to me.
 
I don't intend to reload steel cases,looking for cheap 223 ammo to use in a mini 14 and was concerned about breaking the fireing pin.
 
That Hornady case is brass with a black nickle finish. My favorite brass.

I have loaded so much steel cased ammo I have lost count. The only problem I've seen is I FL sized a bunch without the mandreal then used the neck die which wore a .001" after several thousand. I told Lee I need to buy a new one & they wouldn't let me. They said it was covered under warranty & sent a new one. One of these days I should change it but it is still making good ammo.

I tumble mine with Turtle polish & have no problem with rust even after fireing.

Most Tula is boxer & some Wolf.
 
I stand corrected. I had 'heard' cases split, wrong flash hole, can't resize and dies wear.

However, steel cases are not in my near future.
 
The advantage is price, the disadvantage is steel does not have the properties needed for multiple firings. Brass is safer IMHO. The case is all that stands between you and hot, high pressure, high velocity gases.

I pick up enough free .223 brass that I never even considered trying steel, nor will I unless things get really, really different.

Of course many people use much more .223 brass than I do.
 
It was free for picking up. It loads as easy as brass & for me if I loose one I could care less because there is another 500 laying on the ground at the range. It will handle higher pressure then brass. I had a problem with pressure spikes useing H335 & 62gr tracers that poped the primers without stressing the case. The steel is really soft & I have cases that have to have over 20 loads if not coming up on 50. I shoot them in a bolt rifle & NS only. I did have to swage all of the primer pockets tho.
 
How would steel cases be easier on the firing pin of your mini 14? Just asking as I have to assume the primers used will be the same as brass cases might use.
 
I think that he wants steel cased ammo because it's cheap and the Boxer primer because the center of the primer pocket in a Berdan primed case is the anvil. Since the anvil is made of steel, I guess it highlights a weakness of the Mini-14 firing pin, while the brass anvil that is part of the Boxer primer provides a "cushion" and isn't a rough on the equipment.
 
Am enough of a scrounger that I still pick up steel casings if they are not rusty. Have a couple buckets of the stuff--just in case. Have started trying to ween myself of the habit--lol.
 
I think that he wants steel cased ammo because it's cheap and the Boxer primer because the center of the primer pocket in a Berdan primed case is the anvil. Since the anvil is made of steel, I guess it highlights a weakness of the Mini-14 firing pin, while the brass anvil that is part of the Boxer primer provides a "cushion" and isn't a rough on the equipment.
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Ok. I guess I didn't know a Mini-14 firing pin was a fragile. Thanks for the insight.
 
Brass cases are so readily available and easy to get, I wouldn't mess with steel cases. Throw them in the trash. You're going to have to sift through them to find the ones with boxer primers.
 
Brass cases are so readily available and easy to get, I wouldn't mess with steel cases. Throw them in the trash. You're going to have to sift through them to find the ones with boxer primers.
Click to expand...

Correct, my .223 cases came in full 5 gal. pails.
 
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