Brass... WCC 67 45 M32 ...

That's the headstamp on the 45-70 brass that I got from a local gentleman in trade for a set of dies. He said he always wanted a 45-70, but never got a round-tuit, so I ended up with the brass.
I did some research on the headstamp and I find that this brass was originally for a "line throwing blank"??
Has anyone here used any of this brass for standard 45-70 loads, black powder or smokeless?
Do you see any problems with loading it for cast boolits? Other than the headstamp, it looks normal and the case measures 2.090".

Thanks in advance for the help!!

P.S. ---- No, I haven't got a 45-70 yet, but a guys got to plan for the future - right??


Don

..................I don't know why they would make special brass for a line throwing gun, or use inferior brass for the case? Check the dimensions (especially the flash hole) and if it checks out, use it.

.................Buckshot

CARTRIDGE, CALIBER .45, LINE THROWING, M32, a heavily loaded Black Powder blank cartridge was used in a number of models of line throwing guns used by the Navy and Coast Guard. Early models of these line throwing guns were made from modified Trapdoor and Sharps rifles, while later models are built on break-open single-shot rifle actions

New line throwers still exist and you might contact them to see if they use anything special in the way of brass.

Bridger™ Shoulder Line Gun Kit


I'd agree with Buckshot that it is unlikely that it is manufactured any different than standard production brass, but the military defies logic on occasion.

If they were fired and not cleaned properly, they may be corroded internally and not advisable to use.

SS

Pretty bad, I have a bunch that I bought to shoot out of my Roller 45-70.

Longitudinal splits in the brass in what I would call significant number (far less than 50%), but then I ans shooting VERY mild loads with 325-378 grain cast boolits.
The splits are normally in the middle of the brass. These are NOT once-fired brass, but had been unloaded and the case was bright and shiny inside. Some split the first firing , others have split on the second firing.

Thanks for the replies guys. I actually got to talk to the guy that traded me the brass today. Ran into him at the local gun show (I was there trying to raise funds for a second Elk tag! :roll: ).
According to him, he was made aware of where the brass came from and has loaded them a couple of times with middle of the road smokeless powder loads using cast boolits. They all still look to be in excellent condition and measure very close to the published specs for the brass.
I guess I'll just have to load them and give 'em a try...

as soon as I get a 45-70!:-D

I did look for one at the gun show, but only found a couple of completely unrelated molds - a Lee SC429-2141R and a 4 cavity Saeco #69 NEW in the box w/Lyman .451 sizer and Saeco top punch........................ $60 for both.:drinks:

Anyway, the search for a 45-70 goes on, and thanks again for the replies.

TC, I will be sure to let you know how these hold up once I get to shoot them.

Don

I managed to "find" a good supply about 35 years ago. Robust stuff, never had a failure.
Trivia: the primers for 3"-50 are also based on a 45-70 case, but were made of turned aluminum. And of course the "primer for the primer" could be initiated electrically (primary method) or by percussion.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

A few weeks ago I received 2 new factory fitted barrels for my Handi-rifle. One in 223, and a 32" buffalo classic barrel in 45-70. I have never had a new barrel, so I wanted to break them in properly and have read about several different methods. I decided to go with one recommended by some of the folks here using jacketed bullets. I loaded up 50 rounds of 45-70 using a 405gr Rem SP over 40gr of 2230 using the brass referred to at the beginning of this thread, and finally made it to the range last weekend (haven't done anything with the .223 yet).
The first 10 rounds were fired 2 at a time, cleaning to a clean patch in between. I was shooting from a bench at 50 yds using a scope that I had bore sighted at home. Very mild recoil and average velocity was @1450fps.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1st10shots.jpg
First 10 rounds...

The rest of the ammo was shot 5 at a time with the same cleaning regimen in between groups. I adjusted the scope a little during this process. The following photo is the best 5 shot group of the bunch.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ting/5shot.jpg

I have another 50 rounds to load and shoot to finish the process of breaking the barrel in, then it's ready for cast and black!!

TC,
I lost one case out of 50. Is this the type of split you were seeing? I wonder what would cause that?

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/100_6380.jpg

Anyway, thank you for your help gentlemen. Seems the brass is going to work out okay, and I think I am pretty happy with my new barrel and the caliber!!:drinks:

Don

I know this in an old thread by I have some of this brass and from my experience, I would not load anything in it that exceeds black powder pressure at all. My failure rate with this brass was over 75% in my Contender using 350 Gr RNFP's and moderate charges of SR-4759 and AA-2015BR. Loading with black powder or Pyrodex and keeping velocities on the low side, they would probably work fine but my experience with smokless was a real turn off. The price was right but I got what I paid for.

Jeff

Sharpe had warnings against using fired blank shells for reloading with bullets in his Complete Guide to Handloading. He said that oftentimes brass which failed inspections for use in ammunition production is used for blank applications instead, so it isn't a total loss to the manufacturer.