The Problem: You have a cool old gun that doesn't have high collector value and is still safe to shoot, but it's chambered for an obsolete cartridge and commercial ammo is no longer made. The solution, according to Brownells Gun Techs Steve and Keith, is to modify brass for a different cartridge. For example, it's impossible to find 7.63mm Mannlicher ammo for Keith's M1905 Mannlicher-Steyr pistol, so he took .32-20 Winchester rifle brass, cut the rim off, cut in an extractor groove, and then cut it to length. Dies for 7.63mm Mannlicher are scarce as hen's teeth; he finally got them from Huntington's Die Specialties. Steve has an easier time making brass for his lever action rifles chambered in .32 Winchester Special. He just runs .30-30 brass through .32 Special resizing dies. More work was involved in cutting down .223 Remington rifle brass to make 7.63mm Mauser ammo for his Broomhandle Mauser pistol. And a LOT more work went into making .38-45 Clark and .17 Remington Fireball brass.
Some tips from the guys: Starline is an excellent source of brass for obsolete cartridges; always check with them before embarking on "heroic measures" to make your own. It's important to have good-quality sizing die lubricant. And check out these two books: "The Handloader's Manual of Cartridge Conversions" by John Donnelly, and "Cartridge Conversions" by George Nonte. Have you done a cartridge conversion project? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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