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In 2002 I bought a lead sealed case of 1,000 romanian 7.62x39, brass. Date stamp was 1976

Fire like a dream, but I paid 80 bucks for them at a gun show. Really wish I had bought more. I have 700 left.

What would reloading equipment costs me average, and what could I reload these little suckers for, cost wise?

Well, to get you started, I would stick with Dillon equipment. It's not the cheapest, but it's the best considering if you have any problems at all you can call them and they will help you through it. They have a no-bull warranty that I have made use of before.

Get on Dillon's website and start with looking at the 550B.

You will also need to decide in what quantity you will be buying Powder/Primers/Bullets. Buying powder in 8 pound kegs, primers by the 5,000 and bullets by the 1,000 will be the only way it pays to reload large quantities of ammo.

Brass will be a problem for 7.62x39. You won't find much of it around the range because most people do what you did. They buy the cheap steel case ammo that is not reloadable. Because of this, you will have to buy your brass. The amount of brass that you have might be enough for you, but you have to make sure that it is Boxer primed. Take a flashlight and shine it in a fired case, if it's boxer you will only see one primer hole in the middle of the casehead. If it's berdan, then you will see two smaller holes and it can't be reloaded.

Just for comparison, I have found so much .223 around the range that I will never have to buy it because it is a popular caliber and cheap military surplus ammo imported from several countries was until recently available.

As far as 7.62x39 goes, I personally wouldn't reload it because of the cost of brass. I would buy as much Wolf brand as I could and stick with that. Now, if you can solve the brass problem, then have at it. Here are the sources you will need to price equipment and components:

dillonprecision.com
midwayusa.com

There are a lot of other places besides Midway that handles components, but I have bought bullets from them when the price is right.
Rifle powder runs about $130 for an 8Lb keg and primers are around $100 for 5,000. Off the top of my head I don't know how much powder you will need for 1,000 rounds as that will depend. Maybe others can provide a cheaper source of components and you might be willing to endure the pain of using a single stage press if you don't shoot that many rounds. However, if you don't shoot that much, then it might be better cost wise to just buy your ammo.

Keep in mind though that the brass that you have if it's Boxer primed would be worth a lot to someone who reloads in case you decide not to reload it.

-ss

RCBS used to make a tool to decap Berdan Primers:
http://www.dave-cushman.net/shot/rcbsbe ... tions.html.

For most of us, though, this is impractical because, once the Berdan primer is decapped, you're still stuck with the two little flash holes and only Boxer primers to seat in the primer pocket.

Your best bet is to start building your own supply of commercial brass which you've purchased - thus, having Boxer primers.

Shootingstar and Nuparadigm,

I really appreciate all the info. Great info. My rounds seem not to be Berdan, but I am kicking myself for not saving the 300 spent shells I've already fired!

I really need to look into a brass catcher of some sort. Anyone have a favorite brand?

Picking it up is good exercise.

lawrnk wrote:I really need to look into a brass catcher of some sort. Anyone have a favorite brand?

I'm looking for a Playskool or Mattel, or similar.

(Butterfly net; add a few pieces of pvc cut to the right heights for prone, sitting and standing, and either a ground stake or some sort of stand, and you've got a brass catcher that doesn't get in the way of other operations)

There is an article in the new Guns & Ammo on reloading 7.62 by 39.

If you only shot 300 rounds in 5 years i would go with a single stage press buy a set of dies and a handprimer,and if i'm right i think they make a lead bullet mold for the .311 diameter bullet used in the 7.62x39 round a cheap lead pot a bullet mold and luber and your in the bullet making business,if you can buy used lead wheelweights cheap enough,i cast bullets for around a 1 1/2 cents a piece depending on bullet weight,and with ammo and cast bullets getting higher than heck they won't get cheaper

dukalmighty is right about cast bullets in 7.62x39 - check out http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php

specifically http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=13453