There are new Fiocchi cartridges for Russian Nagant 7.62x38R on the market. They are quite expensive. I am wondering if anybody knows whether those cartridges can be reloaded. (Yes, I know, it may not be any less expensive...)

Thank you.

Victor

vbazarov:
Do reload for the Nagant, but you'll have to figure out the volume of the "real" cases as I've been using cases I've made from other brass so out powder weights won't match.

Can be reloaded..they are boxer primed. Can get Nagant dies (may cost a bit) or can make-do with 32-20 dies or even 30carbine dies. Have heard that Lee has a Nagant set that isn't as expensive as the "special" sets by other makers.


HAve also heard rumors of up-coming brass availibility.

Have used 100gr. .308" bullets as well as 85 and 90gr. .311" bullets. The bore on my example runs a close to .310" but that will vary from gun to gun.

Basically, it's sized like any other case (if you have Nagant dies)...the 30carbine/32-20 substitutes aren't carbide, so you will have to lube them. Expands like any other.

Seating, as you know, is deep enough so that the bullet is well below the case mouth. Don't know how Nagant dies handle this, but in make-do use or 32-20 dies, have to polish the seating stem to pass into the case mouth. Crimping is kind of drastic, and shortens case life...but you can't not crimp it, and if the crimp is a big one, may have a little trouble with the gas-seal system. Basically, crimp enough to avoid the gas seal problem, there isn't enough recoil to cause a bullet/crimp problem.

Actaully, except for how deep the bullet is seated and how the case is crimped, there isn't anything different in loading.

Is worth between 10 and 15% in velocity to actually use the right length cases. Pretty accurate too for such an old clunker...bullet fed directly from case into rifling, no real chance for miss-alignment.