Can you Reload Steel Casings‌ ‌-‌ ‌Know‌ ‌Possibilities‌ ‌To‌ ‌Reloading‌ ‌Casings‌ ‌

If you own a gun that has steel ammo, then it is totally a great deal. Noting is bad or wrong in having steel cartridges. In fact, having steel ammo is good, but here we have every good thing that has disadvantages coming with it. So here it is, Can you reload steel casing? If yes, then what is the disadvantage? And if no, then why not? Let’s find out the answer to this tricky question in the article below. 

Can you Reload Steel Casings

Well, the answer to this question comes really straight. Yes, you can reload steel casings but in theory. 

You can only reload steel casing in practical life if you have the exact equipment to de-cap the primers. Berdan primers are cased in almost every steel ammunition. The Berdan primers are really expensive. It would also help if you had tools for resizing dies, and these tools must be steady. 

Why can you not reload steel casings?

1. Having steel tools is not a benefit as they do not flex well like aluminium. Using brass tools will help you flex. While firing a gun, the cartridge case seals the chamber of the gun by expanding themselves. And whenever the chamber faces pressure, it abates the casings. So it is not needed to resize the case as per the manufacture/industry specifications. The steel casings do not contract enough while compared with aluminium and brass; it does not contract at all. So if you have noted many of the steel case ammos are coated with lacquer. This reduces friction while firing and expands the cases. 

2. Another reason here is that steel cases will never split the sizing/ carbide dies. While a carbide rifle’s sizing die is very expensive and rare too. Majorly the full-length sizing dies have carbide inserted to the base to form a bottleneck. Now you can estimate the cost of manufacturing your own sizing die from the toolset you have. Thus, it is stated above that yes it is theoretically possible to reload steel casings but in real life, you cannot until you are the richest person in this world.

3. We all are aware that steel is prone to rust and brass can corrode. If the cases are taken proper care of and regularly cleaned, then you can stay away from rust, but practically you can’t maintain this habit for long. Also, there are high humidity areas that even after cleaning the casings, trouble still lingers. So again you cannot reload the steel casings due to constant rust. You can coat your casings with lacquer to avoid rust for some time tho. 

4. The brass casings can easily be annealed, whereas steel casings cannot. You need to maintain the exact temperature for annealing steel which makes it really difficult. On the other hand, brass can be heated easily, and you can heat them till they turn red in colour. Rest you need to cool brass at normal room temperature. The temperature for brass and steel differs because steel needs a high temperature of heat even to start warming up. Steel is not ductile and even hardens quickly. 

Bottom Line: 

Yes, steel casings can be reloaded, but you need a whole large unit manufacturing help to perform this action. This is not possible for everybody and thus performing it on a regular basis is not possible. You cannot reload steel casings as you can do with aluminium and brass. If you want me to drop an article on reloading casings of brass and aluminium, then do comment below. Also, remember the factors that are given above; all of these are major drawbacks. That’s all for this one; I will post another very informative article soon.