[lklawson]

I haven't done this yet but here is some info I've found elsewhere:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?181218-How-I-convert-223-brass-to-7-62X25-brass

When I got my tokarev pistol about 20 years ago the only ammo readily available was Chinese steel case FMJ loads, which worked alright but I wanted to be able to shoot it even if the powers that be (The Clintons) cut off the ammo supply. Which they pretty much did do. Here is step by step instructions that will work. It makes what was the cheapest brass at the time into some of the most precious brass that you will ever see, if you count your time as being worth anything.

1. Take a 223 case and mark it at about 1 1/16" roughly from the base. I used a sliding bevel carpenters square for this. It does not have to be too accurate at this point, you will trim to length later, just don't make it too short. With a small tubing cutter cut the brass at the mark. Discard the funnel shaped piece. You can use any bad brass as long as the primer pocket is good and the head of the case is intact.

2. Lube the case and run it into your 7.62X25 sizing die to full length size and decap the case. It will look just like a 7.62X25 case but the brass will be really thick at the neck.

3. Ream the neck with a .311 reamer. This assumes that your expander expanded the neck to .308 inside. If you decap in a separate operation without an expander then you will need a .308 reamer. This may work the brass less. either way you want to end up with a reasonably thick neck that you can seat a .308 bullet into.

4. Trim to length. 25mm .

5. Full length size the case again and prime.

6. load and shoot. I found I could use 70 gr bullets that were for the 32 ACP.

7. Note on powder charges. You will want to start out really slow and light with charges that will probably not make the gun eject and load . The case you have made is very much thicker than the factory case and therefore has less volume inside the case, and therefore it will be easy to get into trouble with too much pressure. I used red dot and will only say go substantially below the minimum charge listed in the good old Lyman book. Load a few and try them for functioning before you load a bunch that you have to pull apart again.

Right after I made up a bunch of these things starline began making them for sale, but if they are behind on production here is a workable plan B.
​

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

​

 

[lklawson]

https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?378989-5-56-223-to-7-62x25-Brass-Conversion-Process
Part I:

*********************************
Converting 5.56/.223 Brass Cartridges for use as 7.62x25mm Tokarev/.30 Mauser Cartidges.
*********************************

(BEWARE! THE DIE SETUP ADJUSTMENTS ARE SLIGHLY DIFFERENT FOR .30 CALIBER MAUSER BRASS CARTRIDGES. THE DIES USED ARE THE SAME). Read and CAREFULLY follow the instructions for the type of gun you wish to reload ammunition for. These differing procedures should be clearly stated in the die set instructions.

The brass to be converted should first be inspected for bulges, cracks and any other non-correctable abnormalities. Discard brass found to be defective. Tumble the brass before starting and clean the primer pockets of foreign objects as is normal procedure.

1. Cut .223 brass cartridges to slightly over 1 inch in length.

2. De-prime the Brass. Check to see if the brass you are using has a crimped primer . If the brass used has a crimped primer remove the dimples left in the primer pocket using a Lee Chamfering tool.

3. Lube the brass with a good case lube. The Lee die is a steel die and
DOES need lubrication.

4. Using a Lee sizing die, resize the brass just as you normally would for
any other caliber. This will re-form the brass to a necked down
configuration.

5. Using a .302 (N) gauge or 19/64 drill bit and a drill ream out only the tapered end of the brass. .223/5.56 brass is thicker in wall dimension than 7.62x25 Tokarev or .30 caliber Mauser brass. Reaming the taper will allow the Expander die and case trimmer to fit through the taper and prepare the brass so the bullet can properly fit and be seated into place into the necked down end the brass.

6. Using a lock stud, Tokarev 7.62x25 Lee Length gauge and Lee case
trimmer trim the brass to the appropriate length as indicated by the
7.62x25mm length gauge. Usually the overall length of the cases can
range between a minimum of .940 and a maximum of .998 without
problems. I often use an electric drill, The Lee Ball Trimmer with a
Lee 7.62x25mm length gauge threaded into place.

7. Change to the POWDER THROUGH EXPANDER DIE. Prepare the brass by expanding the inside of the cartridges in preparation of placing the powder charge and seating the bullet.

The 7.62x25 Tokarev/.30caliber Mauser brass is now ready to be loaded with an appropriate bullet, primer and powder load for your application.

PERSONAL NOTES:

This is specifically written from my experience loading 7.62x25mm ammo for a Tokarev TTC.

7.62x25mm Tokarev Military Surplus Ammo is typically made up of a .308 diameter 85grain Copper Jacketed Lead Round Nose Full Metal Jacket bullet. These cartridges are usually Berdan primed brass cartridges.

The surplus ammo I disassembled for reference had an overall CASE length of .978 and the overall CARTRIDGE length was 1.360. The cartridge was loaded with 9.5 grains of an unknown ball type powder.

The Lee reloading manual lists a MAXIMUM case length as .998 and the MINIMUM case length as .930. In my experience the overall case length should be no more than .975. I have found that the maximum overall cartridge length should be 1.377 and minimum overall cartridge length should be at least 1.300 to function properly in most guns.

My 7.62x25 reloads consisted of .223 rifle brass prepared in the manner listed above. Brass was cut to .975. The bullets used were .308 hard cast lead round nose bullets in either 90 grain or 115 grain weights. The cartridges used typical small rifle boxer type primers. The beginning powder charge was 3.5 grains of IMR Trail Boss powder.

This may sound wrong but the IMR Trail Boss powder was all that was readily available at the time It does work fine in the minimum to maximum load range of 3.5 to 5.3grains NEVER EXCEED 5.3GR GRAINS. At 5.3 grains this would be considered a slightly compressed load in a 7.62x25 cartridge.

Compressed loads do increase chamber pressure, sometimes to dangerous levels. CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Other powder charges are more manageable using for instance Hodgdon H-110. Unique, Accurate numbers 2,5,7,9 or Wincher 296 or 231. Always use credible sources fore obtaining load data and follow it exactly.​

 

[lklawson]

Part II from gunboards:
THESE ARE SOME EXTRA STEPS I DO. They may not be necessary in your application

I have found it helpful to lube the bullet slightly with case lube before attempting to seat the bullet into the brass This will reduce the force needed to seat the bullet and lessen the chance of deforming the brass by use of excessive pressure.

After the bullet is properly seated and checked to verify that the overall cartridge length is within specifications.

AGAIN run the completed cartridge through the Full Length Sizing Die once more with the De-capping pin removed. This will help assure a smoother operation in your gun. This is especially useful when reloading any necked down cartridges. Both the necking and firing processes stretch the brass and can cause bulging in the brass near the case head or creasing anywhere in the case during the next reload. Also case length is extremely important in these cartridges. At LEAST check to make sure case length is well between the recommended minimum and maximum case dimensions. This too can result in bulging, creasing or cartridge deformation. Trim the cases to the proper length if necessary.

Tumbling the completed brass (although not normally suggested) will remove any sharp edges of lead or brass flakes and will make the ammunition operate smoother in the gun.

09/28/2014 NOTE: OPEN THE CASE MOUTH.

RELOADING 7.62x25 TOKAREV BRASS WITH .309 BULLETS.

IF NECESSARY. After the brass has been formed using the method above. Use a 38/357 forming die with the Primer Pin (REMOVED). Run the brass through the die to open the mouth of the brass enough to easily seat the .308 bullets to the proper Overall Cartridge Length. Then insert the 7.62x25 forming die (WITHOUT) the primer pin installed and run the loaded cartridge through the die to finish forming the cartridge.

HORNADY XTP BULLET RELOADING INFO.

(This information is specific to the Hornady XTP bullets.)

This is intended to be a self defense round using 90 grain Hornady XTP Jacketed Hollow Point bullets. The bullet used at first loading was; .309 trimmed to a diameter of .308 due to the bullets being too tight in the chamber. The powder charge used was 9.0 Grains of Hogdon Longshot powder which is similar to Accurate #7 powder in burn rate, The Tricky part about loading the Hornady XTP is the required Maximum C.O.L (Overall Cartridge Length) of 1.280" or less. Any more length will cause the Tokarev to jam or Failure to Feed. (Note this is minimum C.O.L. for a 90 grain bullet by Lee.) It is recommended but not absolutely necessary to slightly crimp the loaded cartridge with the Lee 7.62x25 Tokarev Factory Crimp Die. Keep in mind the Hornady XTP is a non-crimp groove bullet.

Here us a youtube video I initially used for the basis of this process. This gentleman did a great job on the video.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

I hope this helps.

Cosmolinetim

 

[lklawson]

https://czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=5144.0

7.62x25 Brass from .223

« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2006, 08:18:25 AM »

I simply cut the .223 brass down to 1+ inch using a $7 copper tubing cutter, then run them through my $20 Lee 7.62 Tok dies. Trim to .998 case length. Lee will make a custom case length gauge for $19, this would be the easiest/cheapest way to go for case trimming. I already have a Forster trimmer, so I use that.

Some fireforming is done on first firing, so keep the first loads light.

No need to buy expensive kit from anywhere.​

 

[lklawson]

And I like this howto video on it. Notice he uses two different bits for reaming.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[Dane]

Here is an informative thread on the subject from Maryland Shooters

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=136724

 

[lklawson]

Here is an informative thread on the subject from Maryland Shooters

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=136724

Yup.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk