With the unfortunate news about the import situation with regards to former combloc calibers such as 7.62x39, 5.45x39, 7.62x54R, and 9x18, I felt like it might be time to kick open a thread on reloading in these calibers.
I'll start with some general thoughts.
7.62x39: Brass ammo is broadly available, which means reloadable brass casings are not super rare (albeit somewhat expensive). What I've discovered is that the projectile situation isn't great. The cheapest FMJ bullet I've found is about 30 cents per bullet. Plus side, you can do some pretty amazing reloads using CFE BLK.
5.45x39: Dire situation. The only known manufacturer stateside is Hornady, and there's basically one combination of ammo. I've seen some interesting tales of making brass from 222 Remington, but you're firmly in semi-wildcast territory at that point.
7.62x54R: Not as many sources of reloadable brass as 7.62x39, but still available. Projectile situation isn't great, but is manageable.
9x18: Brass isn't hard to find. Bullet selection isn't as great as 9mm, but acceptable - worst case, you can always cast your own.
7.62x25: Honestly don't know much about reloading this caliber.
I'll start with some general thoughts.
7.62x39: Brass ammo is broadly available, which means reloadable brass casings are not super rare (albeit somewhat expensive). What I've discovered is that the projectile situation isn't great. The cheapest FMJ bullet I've found is about 30 cents per bullet. Plus side, you can do some pretty amazing reloads using CFE BLK.
5.45x39: Dire situation. The only known manufacturer stateside is Hornady, and there's basically one combination of ammo. I've seen some interesting tales of making brass from 222 Remington, but you're firmly in semi-wildcast territory at that point.
7.62x54R: Not as many sources of reloadable brass as 7.62x39, but still available. Projectile situation isn't great, but is manageable.
9x18: Brass isn't hard to find. Bullet selection isn't as great as 9mm, but acceptable - worst case, you can always cast your own.
7.62x25: Honestly don't know much about reloading this caliber.