Making steelhead cases

Cheechako........Thanks for sharing those pictures......Very interesting.
Charles........Maybe you can get Dave Tooley to whip up a few on his new CNC lathe:D
Rich De
 
Dave Tooley?
Dave are you going to make a pass through die for tightening up primer pockets on the magnum cases? And are you willing/wanting to make 50 of those steelheaded cases?
Lynn aka Waterboy
 
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Cheechako said:
Jay

I have made a few steelheads for my own experiments and the biggest problem with a female thread in the brass case is expansion. The brass will tend to expand more than the steel resulting in a loose joint.

I never found the idea to be practical. Modern brass can easily handle 60,000 psi or more and while the idea of going even higher with a steehead or all steel case may sound good, there are a lot of reasons why it's not too practical.

here are the two O'Conner cases plus a couple that I made from a US military steel case.

Ray
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Interesting. What can you tell us about the experiment using military steel cases as a starting point?
Were these .30/06 or 7.62X51 ?
Only military steel cases I've run across in strictly US military calibers were .30 Carbine and .45 ACP, I think the ACP cases were FN manufacture but its been a long time so I'm not sure.
I may still have a couple of those cases, I'd saved one of the .30 carbine cases to try an experiment of making a chamber insert for firing .32 ACP in a 7.65 French pistol chamber. Never got around to it since .32 ACP fired okay in that pistol without an insert.

I would guess that the Steelheads would be very useful for belted cases since factory belted cases have a rep (or at least they once did) for inconsistency of the belt and that can effect headspace when full length resized.
I don't have a belted mag rifle, but it looks like the belts might be subject to wear or deformation after many firings.

I like rimmed cases, if the action is suited to them theres great consistency in firing pin strike (no inconsistency in the give of the case shoulder due to differences in brass or annealing) and other headspace issues. I expect that a belted case could produce easily reproduced consistency in headspace if sorted and if neccessary trimmed in some manner.


PS
I once found some odd looking .357 bullets which I was told came from a brand of target ammo intended for easy reloading without a press or dies.
IIRC the cases were of nylon or a similar material with a metal head. The bullets had a ribbed rebated base that plugged into the thick walled plastic case by hand pressure.

I think theres a similar NATO practice ammo that uses an injection molded one piece bullet and case that screws into a metal base. The bullets of these break loose from the case when fired.
The practice ammo is said to have .357 Magnum energy levels at short range but due to the light bullet energy drops off very quickly making it safe for use at ranges near populated areas.
 
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Gunner

There were millions of steel 30-06 cases made during WWII but most of them have rusted over the past 65+ years. What I used were dummy or drill rounds that can still be found in like new condition. They are the ones with the corrugated or ribbed body. There is about .550" of solid head which is more than enough to make a steelhead. Additionally, many of them have not had the flash hole punched so you can even customize that.

There are steel 7.62MM (308) cases also, and they would work too although you can't find them too often. I recently picked up about 20 of them, dated 1956, for pennies. They are usually found as loaded ammo and so you have to consider the UPS to ship them, and guys like to shoot them for some reason so they may cost more.

O'Connor made his from stainless and if that's what you want you'll have to make them from scratch. The same for belted magnums. I don't know of any steel belted cases.

Steelheads are fun to play with but in the end you learn that there is not much they can do that a brass case cannot do. Sure, you can load them hotter but exactly how much chamber pressure are you willing to put your pretty face up against?:rolleyes: You can't do much about the primer and if it leaks or fails at lower pressure, what have you gained?

And then there is the work involved in making them. Cutting the threads is delicate work and everything has to line up perfectly. After you go through the labor of making one you almost don't want to shoot it.;)

The two piece cases made from different materials are fairly common. They are used for dummies, practice, short-range, mob control, and stuff like that. There are also the two piece brass/polymer cases loaded to full power. Someday we may see all small arms cases made from plastic. They make automobiles, boats, and even jets out of plastic - why not cases?

Ray
 
Cheechako said:
Gunner

There were millions of steel 30-06 cases made during WWII but most of them have rusted over the past 65+ years. What I used were dummy or drill rounds that can still be found in like new condition. They are the ones with the corrugated or ribbed body. There is about .550" of solid head which is more than enough to make a steelhead. Additionally, many of them have not had the flash hole punched so you can even customize that.
I have some of those steel cased dummy rounds in .30/06, as you point out the flash holes aren't drilled, I'd have never thought of those.

There are steel 7.62MM (308) cases also, and they would work too although you can't find them too often. I recently picked up about 20 of them, dated 1956, for pennies. They are usually found as loaded ammo and so you have to consider the UPS to ship them, and guys like to shoot them for some reason so they may cost more.
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They may offer some advantages in slam loaders, can't see much use for them with Bolt actions and from what I've heard the laquer coating can soften when fired and if not extracted immediately the cases can get stuck.

O'Connor made his from stainless and if that's what you want you'll have to make them from scratch. The same for belted magnums. I don't know of any steel belted cases.

Steelheads are fun to play with but in the end you learn that there is not much they can do that a brass case cannot do. Sure, you can load them hotter but exactly how much chamber pressure are you willing to put your pretty face up against?:rolleyes: You can't do much about the primer and if it leaks or fails at lower pressure, what have you gained?

And then there is the work involved in making them. Cutting the threads is delicate work and everything has to line up perfectly. After you go through the labor of making one you almost don't want to shoot it.;)
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My interest is mostly academic, but I'm always looking out for ideas on making ammunition components that don't involve the complex machinery used in drawing cases on a production line basis.

The two piece cases made from different materials are fairly common. They are used for dummies, practice, short-range, mob control, and stuff like that. There are also the two piece brass/polymer cases loaded to full power. Someday we may see all small arms cases made from plastic. They make automobiles, boats, and even jets out of plastic - why not cases?

Ray
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Shotshells made from plastic with a brass base and rim have been around for decades, even all plastic hulls have been tried at one time or another.
Not sure how the trianglar cross section tround was made, the plastic case in that cartridge performing most of the functions of a chamber as well, it being carried in a V shaped cut in the cylinder and enclosed at the top by the top strap when in firing position.
At least one Civil War era carbine used a hardened rubber (gutta percha) cartridge case , with flash hole for external primer.

Composite cases using a metal base with coiled brass, copper foil, or paper case bodies were around from the Civil War era on to the late 19th century.
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Lynn

I don't have the time or desire to make any of them. If I did I would make the heads with a female tapered thread on them to facilitate an easy transition from steel to brass.

Dave
 
I htink Ive still got some"steelheads" around. I think there mostly belted mag form. They are cylindrical and you form them to what ever case yourheart desires. They work well but dont offer too many advantages other than reduced case capacity and a very strong case head. Brass will lock to the head after afew firings. Not hard to form, but take patience like anything else.
 
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