??'s Forming 43 Spanish Brass

[rikkit]

I have been itching to shoot a Rolling Block in 43 Spanish and had read or heard that the brass can be formed from 348 Win. Well I got some 348 Brass and a set of Lee 43 Span. dies and quickly discovered that this is not a one step process. Does anyone have a procedure that they use to form this brass? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[jhalcott]

Sorry, lazy as I am If it aint as easy as making the 7tc/u or 35 whelen ,I no longer get involved. Maybe a price tag on that gun will help you get some FREE time.

[Bent Ramrod]

Rikkit,

Unless you have an unusually fat chamber, .348 brass is a little too thick at the base. People used to turn a shave off the base just ahead of the rim and then size it and fireform it to a somewhat short .43 Spanish. I use Bertram brass, which doesn't need the extra operation.

[3sixbits]

I just checked page 349 of "CUSTOM CARTRIDGES" by Ken Howell. " Use recently manufactured .43 Spanish brass. Or form from either .43 Mauser or .43 Spanish Basic brass in respective RCBS form-and-trim die". Do a goggle search for Huntington Reloading supplies. They have an on line catalog. Look up to see if they have the brass Ken mentions in his texts. http://www.huntingtons.com/ 2067A is the item number you want for the brass. It is 39.95 for 20 rounds of brass cases.

[Mk42gunner]

Rikkit,
I tried the same thing, how many shellholders did you break? When I bought my Argentine Rolling Block the guy I talked to at Track of the Wolf said the chamber would need reaming to use 348 brass; my rifle was in too nice a shape to alter it. Buffalo Arms has brass that is reformed from 348 Win; I went that route it doesn't appear to be outside turned. The case head itself is also altered to make the rim thicker.

I think you will need some very heavy dies and a hydraulic press to easily convert 348's to 43 Spanish. If you find an easy way be sure to let me know.

Good luck and keep us up to date,

Robert

[Buckshot]

...............Very true, converting 348 Win brass isn't a casual afternoons undertaking. Either buy Bertram brass, or Buffalo Arms' altered 348 Win stuff. It used to be common to merely run a 348 reamer just slightly into the Spanish chamber then fireform. Midway puts Bertram 43 Spanish on sale a couple times a year. On sale it's running $27/20.

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

[rikkit]

Gentlemen, thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge concerning this conversion, I think I will pursue purchasing the correct brass and use my time for casting more bullets.