Rifle brass too dented to resize

[richiecotite]

A couple of months ago I bought 500 rounds of Norma 7.62x39 to shoot through a new ak I bought. I bought this ammo specifically because Norma is supposed to be pretty good brass, and with the x39 ammo situation being what it is, reloading is my best option for less expensive ammo.

The AK is way overgassed and was slinging fired brass 30+ feet away. It also left a nice big dent in the case body. Got the brass home, wet tumbled it, dried it and resized it in a full length Lee die. Checked in a Lyman ammo checker and none of them came close to fitting.

Any way to save this brass? Would a roll sizer be able to get the brass back within spec?


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[camel]

Do you have pictures of the brass?

[Malamute]

Have you tried them in the chamber of the rifle?

Depending on what make gun, the chamber may be a bit on the generous side of the spectrum.

A second pass through the sizer may help if they wont go in the chamber, you could try a few.

[richiecotite]

Just tried it, The brass will not chamber in the gun.

Added a couple of pics. I read online of someone else having the same issue, and they fixed it by filing down the back corner edge of the dust cover that’s causing the gouges.





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[SecondsCount]

Is the problem because of the dents or is it headspace?

In 5.56, I load and shoot dented brass all the time and it doesn't cause any problems.

[Trigger]

Add some loop side Velcro to the brass deflector. Acts as a cushion.

[Malamute]

Is the problem because of the dents or is it headspace?

In 5.56, I load and shoot dented brass all the time and it doesn't cause any problems.

Good question. if you have a sharpie, try blacking the neck, shoulder and around the dent area, let it dry, then try chambering it several times, or in and out of the chamber with the bolt, it will show rub marks in the black where its tight.

Ive heard of people reloading brass shot in H-K 91s in 308, they said they loaded and shot OK.

If it shows the brass is rubbing around the dent, double check you have the die set far enough down to cam over against the shell holder and truly full length size, if that checks out, Id suggest trying an RCBS full length size die. Lee dies are ok for general use, though a gunsmith that did long range precision rifles mentioned in checking the Lee dies, they werent as concentric as RCBS, and may not be as tight. It used to be a thing to use "Small Base" dies for loading brass shot in some semi autos, I dont know if it still is.