The Double D
09-20-2007, 01:31 PM
I load for the 577/450 Martini. Some of the things you learn early on about the 577/450 Martini is that brass ain't cheap and the bore isn't .458 and nodbody make dies with the right diameter neck. Now nobody like neck splits and especialy when your cases goes for $2.50 to $5 each. You must resize 577/450 neck after every firing or they won't hold a bullet. The amount of resizing is extreme and case necks won't last but a reload or two without splitting. Annealing after almost each use is mandatory.
Since I first saw the idea in his book Designing and Forming Custom Cartridges for Rifles and Handguns I have subscribed to Ken Howells method of case annealling. Here is an article describing it. Technique: Annealing Custom Cartridge Cases (http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/jun96cases.html)
To make a holder to anneal my Martini cases I soldered a piece of hex stock into the hole on a shell holder. The technique; Tempilac , electric screw driver and shellholder works fairly well. You must be careful to hold the case upright or the case will wobble out of the shell holder before you are ready.
I though about making a different holder but my move to South Africa came before I could put the idea to work. I was limited in what I could bring down to South Africa and loading gear didn't make the trip.
Didn't take me long to find Martini shooters down here. I quickly decided to deal with annealing issue.
Here's the setup I put together.
http://www.fototime.com/BE74D13524C18C7/standard.jpg
I took a piece of aluminum about an inch in diameter and 2 inches long and drilled a 7/8 in diameter hole in one end about 3/4 inch deep. (It's gotta be that large for the big rim on the Martini case.)
http://www.fototime.com/9F4EF53EBAAF0FD/standard.jpg
In the other end I drilled a pilot hole for my driver. My driver is one of those torex bits for use in the cordless screw driver.
http://www.fototime.com/D6D80023E3D0E20/standard.jpg
The hole was drilled to the minor diameter of the torex bit. I drilled a slight chamfer the major diameter of the bit to get things started and then pressed the bit in with a bench vise.
http://www.fototime.com/68388C8ADBE392B/standard.jpg
To use, just paint your case with tempilac. Put the case in the holder and turn on the drill and hold the neck in a flame. As soon as the tempilac melts or turns black dump in a bucket of water to quench.
http://www.fototime.com/350CD830FBAA3E8/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/DFA24A804000193/standard.jpg
By the way if you are doing a bunch of cases, watch your water temperature, it can heat up and get hot quick!!!
This little tool is such a neat idea that Hornady is now selling a similar set up. This is one of those thing that falls into the "why didn't I patent this?" catagory.
Since I first saw the idea in his book Designing and Forming Custom Cartridges for Rifles and Handguns I have subscribed to Ken Howells method of case annealling. Here is an article describing it. Technique: Annealing Custom Cartridge Cases (http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/jun96cases.html)
To make a holder to anneal my Martini cases I soldered a piece of hex stock into the hole on a shell holder. The technique; Tempilac , electric screw driver and shellholder works fairly well. You must be careful to hold the case upright or the case will wobble out of the shell holder before you are ready.
I though about making a different holder but my move to South Africa came before I could put the idea to work. I was limited in what I could bring down to South Africa and loading gear didn't make the trip.
Didn't take me long to find Martini shooters down here. I quickly decided to deal with annealing issue.
Here's the setup I put together.
http://www.fototime.com/BE74D13524C18C7/standard.jpg
I took a piece of aluminum about an inch in diameter and 2 inches long and drilled a 7/8 in diameter hole in one end about 3/4 inch deep. (It's gotta be that large for the big rim on the Martini case.)
http://www.fototime.com/9F4EF53EBAAF0FD/standard.jpg
In the other end I drilled a pilot hole for my driver. My driver is one of those torex bits for use in the cordless screw driver.
http://www.fototime.com/D6D80023E3D0E20/standard.jpg
The hole was drilled to the minor diameter of the torex bit. I drilled a slight chamfer the major diameter of the bit to get things started and then pressed the bit in with a bench vise.
http://www.fototime.com/68388C8ADBE392B/standard.jpg
To use, just paint your case with tempilac. Put the case in the holder and turn on the drill and hold the neck in a flame. As soon as the tempilac melts or turns black dump in a bucket of water to quench.
http://www.fototime.com/350CD830FBAA3E8/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/DFA24A804000193/standard.jpg
By the way if you are doing a bunch of cases, watch your water temperature, it can heat up and get hot quick!!!
This little tool is such a neat idea that Hornady is now selling a similar set up. This is one of those thing that falls into the "why didn't I patent this?" catagory.