[grog18b]

TR, the M-118 and M-169 casings do use the high-low pressure system, and the casings are a bugger to try to reload, but possible with modification. If you cover the ventholes with tape, wrapping it around the side of the high pressure chamber, then pour resin plastic into the casing until it just covers the level of those holes (no higher) it will hold the pressure in there until the pressure builds enough to push the plastic from around the holes, launching your projectiles. The primers can be drilled out carefully, 2-3 grains of bullseye pistol powder added through the primer hole, and a new primer pressed into place. I use Remington 1 1/2 small pistol as the 203 firing pins are weaker than the 79s. I don't like to use those M-118 casings, as I build replica rounds also, and have a limited supply of them. I use the M-212 nylon casings to reload the 781 practice rounds, which use a simple 38BLP blank. The blue plastic nosecones you can buy by the 600 count from a guy in Ohio. (I still have not worked my way through the first batch of 600 I bought 4 years ago.) Big Sky surplus sells the zinc pusher plugs for them, as well as the casings and nosecones, but I have a few suppliers here and there I can get them cheaper.

I mainly reload the aluminum Def Tec casings, which use a 38 short colt casing, which is easy to reload. The MK Ballistic systems casings use a steel plug that holds a small pistol primer, press fit into the rear of the casing. 4 grains of Bullseye pistol powder can launch a .5lb projo 300-400 meters. Those are the easiest to reload. They don't build up the 25,000 psi the military casings do in their high pressure chamber, but they still throw those projectiles out there.

I prefer the smokeless casings for reloading, but there are also guys that use the Mk-19 casings, with black powder, and lathed down to fit the 203. As long as you don't use smokeless in them, they are safe to reload that way. All you do is lathe the side of the casing down to fit, open the primer hole to use a 209 shotshell primer, fill with 1tsp of fffg black powder, cover the interior ventholes with tape, and they work like a charm. Make a hell of a bang, but like I said I stick with the smokeless casings. I don't like cleaning black powder gunk out of my barrels. Here is a photo of the 576 rounds I reloaded. I made the caps in orange, so I can find them in the grass of my range. They work very well in the Def Tec casings.: The larger orange caps on the right in the photo are for a different type of buckshot round. The pink silicone mold in the photo is a two piece mold for the small cap that holds the buckshot inside the carriers. Some here might recognize the 576 carriers...