Any use in keeping spent 7.62X54R?

[Relwarc]

So I shot my Mosin for the first time last weekend

And now I have a bunch of spent brass. I got one of those sardine cans of 440 rounds. Is it re-loadable? Should I keep it?

Thanks!

 

[SCARCQB]

I use it as mulch.

 

[Half-cocked]

If it's steel, scrap it.

If it's brass milsurp, it's still berdan-primed - a bitch to reload (very few reloaders bother with berdan-primed brass), but the metal value will be substantially more than steel. So you may eventually have enough to merit selling to a recycler, or the rare reloader who bothers with berdan primed ammo.

 

[Relwarc]

so what you're saying is that I should toss it all into a box in my closet until I've shot all 440 rounds, then see about offloading it for $15?

 

[Machodoc]

so what you're saying is that I should toss it all into a box in my closet until I've shot all 440 rounds, then see about offloading it for $15?

If it's brass, that's pretty much it ... yeah. You never know what folks may want to do in the future. As noted, reloading Berdan-primed rounds is a bitch, and not worth it to very many people, but it can be done with the right tools and primers.

If it's steel, or copper-washed steel, you might be able to use it to make some interesting sculpture.

 

[Melnic]

The sardine cans (Tins) will have surplus copper washed steel. I toss mine.
If you ever shoot PPU or other re-loadable brass, keep it and trade it. I will trade 22LR for re-loadable brass with boxer primers for my milsurps.

 

[Relwarc]

The sardine cans (Tins) will have surplus copper washed steel. I toss mine.
If you ever shoot PPU or other re-loadable brass, keep it and trade it. I will trade 22LR for re-loadable brass with boxer primers for my milsurps.

I was going to say something dumb, along the lines of... "Well, my spent shells are gold, so they are copper, right? "

so the ones I have are pretty much useless, eh? Maybe I'll use them to make something cool.

Thanks guys!

 

[SKIP]

If a magnet sticks to it then trash it.

 

[Sirex]

Post a pic. Most likely it's steel case, and not widely reloaded. There is a thread, I think on the Vepr boards, about someone reloading steel case ammo. When I get home I will look for it, but I cannot recommend it.

 

[rdc]

Steel cases make good hole punches. I keep several in the garage for making gaskets etc. Other than that they're just scrap.

 

[toolness1]

I've seen berdan primers for sale.... I forget where. Maybe Powder Valley

Sizing the steel cases doesn't look easy, but can be done.

It's depriming them that looks like a pain, unless you have special equipment I've seen people filling the case with water and punching them out.

I've also seen people (no joke) using super glue to glue in boxer primers into steel berdan primed cases.

Maybe someday if we can't find ANY brass or new ammo, or if prices are so insane we can't afford to shoot, we may wish we had saved all our steel cases.

If you have the room and the time, it definitely can't hurt to pick them up and save them IMO.