I just wanted to share my steel case cast boolit project. There is so much misinformation out there I feel like I need to counter it.
My rounds are Berdan primer Tulammo steel cases in 7.62X39. I use a hydraulic method of easily removing the old primer. They pop right out under water pressure. Then I lube and size in Lee dies just like any other brass. I see no evidence that this is hard on the dies and the steel forms just as easily as brass. Replacing the primers are no different than installing boxer primers in brass cases though they might be a little more finicky to get them to seat. I am using correct 7.62 primers so I'm not having to get into converting cases to boxer or gluing in an alternative modified primer. The boolits are powder coated NOE 155gr and Lee 160gr cast from approximated Lyman #2 alloy and water dropped. In my case they are sized to .311. They are copper gas checked. Currently my production load is 19.5gr Accurate 1680. For my 200yd plinking it is as far as I have had to develop the load. I can sit at a bench and drill an 8" diameter steel plate at 200yds, shot after shot. That's plenty of fun for me.
I want to dispel three things I keep reading from people who obviously do not load these steel cases...
1) Removing Berdan primers is silly easy though it is a separate step. It doesn't have to be complicated, slow or messy.
2) Sizing mild steel cases in hardened steel dies does not cause excessive wear. Even if it did, it would take a long time to cause wear and dies are cheap.
3) Steel cases do not instantly work harden. I have some cases I have reloaded 10 times and are still going. Some split when fired as a factory load. I suspect this is a quality control issue with the original Russian manufacturing. I have found that if they don't split in the first two uses, they're going to be good for many reloads. The failure mode for me is always that the case mouth harmlessly splits.
* I'm sharing this information just for fun and to counter some bad information out there. This post is not meant to be instructional on how to load steel cases and In no way am I suggesting you do so.
Be aware that I am shooting these rounds exclusively in a couple of bolt guns. I am not sure I would do this in a semi auto. Hopefully others who load this round and maybe use it in a semi auto can add their experience to the thread.