new 45/70 brass what to do

[4719dave]

Okay new brass on the way. starline .heard different things need to be done can you guys steer me in the right direction . ps i got the barn before i got the horse !!
looking for a marlin 45/70 sbl marlin made , also what mold to buy range plinking and possible a fat little piggy .

[btroj]

I just full length size em and go.
As for a plinking bullet- many fit that bill. There is a group buy going on now for a great looking 45 bullet. I use a similar 420 gr bullet over 24 gr of 2400 ALOT. Shoots great, not too much recoil.

Brad

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Plinking... I have alot of fun with a lowly round ball. Cheap to shoot and a 459 -460 Round ball will harvest most any vege eater out there. You can power it with 5 grains Unique for a real quiet bunny basher or up that to 18 grains and go wack large corn crunchers.
The Ranch Dog molds are designed for Marlins... Saves alot of unhappy boolit tries.
Mike in Peru

[Duckiller]

Starting loads of Trail Boss with 335 and 405 gr boolits give real gentle recoil and the 405 gr is definitely subsonic. Plus they are fun to shoot.

[NickSS]

Starline brass is excellent stuff but they make it a bit on the hard side for guys who like to make them behave like 458 Win mags. As a result you get powder blowback with mild pressure loads. I always anneal starline 45-70 brass for this reason before I start loading it with either light plinking loads of black powder.

[thx997303]

I just full length size and load the new brass. After the first loading, I neck size.

After about 5 firings they seem to spring back more than I like, so I anneal them every 5 loads.

After annealing, I full length size them as if they're new, and load some more.

Fired my one lot about 20 times now, with mostly low pressure unique loads, and the occasional barn burner. No brass loss.

This is in my Marlin 1895 Guide gun.

[mattbowen]

I shoot starline brass and they are good brass, I shoot both 2400 and Trailboss in them and am getting about 1.25" to 1.5" groups with both as lone as I do my part.

[Baja_Traveler]

I also was warned on the silhouette range that the brass was hard, and I should anneal. Several guys there don't bother however and seem to be shooting them just fine (all of us are shooting full loads of Black). I erred on the conservative side and annealed all 250 of mine right off, then I'll also fall into the "anneal every 5 firings" routine for brass longevity.

[4719dave]

thanks for all the suggestions ,new to this load way better to ask

[doubs43]

Starline brass is excellent stuff but they make it a bit on the hard side.....

I agree on both points; it's excellent but a bit hard. I tried to reform a Starline 45-70 case using a Redding 40-65 sizing die and it proved to be too hard. I then turned to 100 new Remington cases and it worked fine. I didn't lose a single case.

[btroj]

Well, I don't shoot silhouette and don't shoot black. I therefore don't try to correlate their reloading techniques to what I do.
I just size em and lad em. I might aneal after 5 to 7 firings. This is not for a better seal or anything but because it will keep me from getting neck splits.
Don't over think this stuff. Some of the target shooters do things that a guy shooting at 100 yards need not worry about. They are interested in the smallest possible groups at 300 plus yards. Things that make a difference that far out may not mean a darn thing at 50 to 100 yards.

[Baja_Traveler]

Well said.

[Tom-ADC]

Dave, try here for that Marlin great place like this one.
http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/

[cajun shooter]

Regardless of your uses for the Starline brass you need to use common sense. In the box and on the Starline site is a notice that the 45-70 brass should be annealed. Now if the people who make the brass feel that it should be annealed, why question or fight it. I use nothing but Starline brass and I anneal my 45-70 as soon as I receive it. I don't care what anyone else feels is wrong or correct. It's my brass purchased with my money and if I do nothing but shoot 100 yard plinking loads then I feel I will receive better service by following directions. Some people buy new cars and do not change the oil at the recommended times but use it till the lights come on. Would you want to buy such a car.

[Snapping Twig]

Important...

45-70 brass is not all the same. Remington has the smallest internal volume, WW has the largest, around 4g more volume than Rem.

RD has load data for 350 and 420g Marlin loads using Remington brass. Check it out.

Here's a site with plinking loads: http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm

Remember, size .459 ~ .460

[paborn]

Starline is good, very strong brass. However, I've three very good reasons to anneal the forward third of the case.
1. Not annealed, it work hardens quicker giving shorter case life, particularly with heavy crimjps.
2. With lighter loads, it does not completely seal, resulting in dirty cases and action.
3. With softer alloys it will actually resize your carefully sized projectiles smaller (Pull em and see).

YMMV

[Irascible]

Snapping Twig, Have you checked the capacity of the Starline? I thought it was less than either R-P or W-W? Anyway, I would go with whatever had the smallest capacity unless you are shooting black powder. OR 500+ grain bullets where it's mostly inside the case. I use Starline for smokless loads since I read here years ago that it had the smallest capacity. Also, lately W-W and R-P cases have come up with a lot of burrs around the inside flash holes. Something you'll never find on a Starline case.

[Rick459]

using the hold in your fingers and twist while heating method and then quench them in a bucket of water when they feel hot in your hand...i just did 50 starline case and they came out ok and pretty even on the aneal.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o301/rick4570/Picture277.jpg

[4719dave]

Did you use a torch or the lead pot ? im takin notes

[Rick459]

Did you use a torch or the lead pot ? im takin notes

i used a propane torch..
Rick

[cajun shooter]

When you are annealing your brass you should do it in a dark room. This allows you to see the slightest change in color. If you heat it till it's cherry red then you have ruined your brass. They have a tool which is a socket wrench type top with a 3/8 stem on the bottom so that it may be chucked into a drill. Using a hand drill you rotate the case in front of the flame of a propane torch. When you see color at the mouth you tilt the tool so that the brass drops into a box with old towels or rags to air cool. The other way is to stand up the cases in an a pan with water that comes at least up 1/3 of the case. When you see the color you tilt the case into the water. There are people who favor one style over the other. I prefer the air cool as it does the process in a slow even way. It has been shown many times that annealed brass will give better and much more consistent groups. If you are shooting for any reason, the main goal is to hit what the sights are pointing at. That applies to beer cans,paper,two and four legged animals. You would not load and shoot a round that had a deformed bullet,so why not anneal your brass?

[Clinebo]

Dave, try here for that Marlin great place like this one.
http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/

What Tom said....
I'm on MO also and its got a ton of info for your Marlin. Both sites have been a godsend for me. I spend hours on here reading up and taking notes. When I do hit the reloading room I'm confident I'm going to be doing the right things. Some of the guys here have decades of reloading/casting experience. Thank god Al Gore created the internet so we can enjoy these forums.....LOL. :kidding:

[4719dave]

ive got a question do you fully prosses the brass first that give it the heat or ??

[thx997303]

I think it's mostly a matter of personal preference.

For some reason, it seems that my brass likes to be sized after annealing, so that's what I do.

[GH1]

I wasn't aware of having to anneal new brass. I just full length sized the new and loaded it. Some I've even loaded a second time. I think this next batch I'll anneal. how hot does it need to get? Can it be done in an oven? What about air vs water cooled?
GH1

[WyrTwister]

Okay new brass on the way. starline .heard different things need to be done can you guys steer me in the right direction . ps i got the barn before i got the horse !!
looking for a marlin 45/70 sbl marlin made , also what mold to buy range plinking and possible a fat little piggy .


FL size all new brass . After that , probably neck size only . I emailed Lee & they looked up the parts & pieces to put together a neck size die for .45-70 .

Marlins like big bullets . Buy the Lee 405 grain HB mold , it throws larger bullets than the other Lee molds .

My cousin and I lapped the .457" Lee bullet sizing die to .460" and that is what I size them to . Tumble lube with Lee Liquid Alox . Thin with paint thinner and add a little Johnson Paste Wax to the mix . The JPW helps the alox dry instead of remaining sticky / gummy .

God bless
Wyr