??? on sizing 45-70 brass

[Jeffery8mm]

How do you size your 45-70 brass?
Full length everytime, neck only?? I have seen some posters say that they dont size at all. How does this work??
Thanks for all answers.
Jeff

[Doc Highwall]

It all depends on what kind of gun, what you are going to use it for, and if you are going to use them in more then one gun.

[Down South]

I full length resize my 45-70 brass. I guess a feller could just neck size if he wanted to if he was shooting out of the same gun. I don't understand anyone not resizing at all. I looks like the boolit would slip through the case all the way down to the powder. Part of reloading is good neck tension. You won't have neck tension without at least resizing the neck.

[Doc Highwall]

Some of the people that shoot 1000yds with black powder have gun's with tight chambers. They want to get as much black powder into the case, and by not sizing it they can get more powder into the case. They compress the powder some times as much as .300-.400" depending on the case length, with a wad on top and the boolit just slides in on top of the wad leaving NO AIR SPACE. This reloading technique is for the range only. Some people only neck size the case only as far down the neck as the boolit is seated plus maybe .050" with a light crimp. If the cartridge's are to be used for hunting in a tube magazine like a Marlin 1895 with heavy hunting loads, full length sizing is recomended with a heavy crimp ( not enough to resize the boolit in the case ) to prevent the boolits moving in the case during recoil. If you want the cartridge's to fit in more then one gun full length size and watch the overall length.

[Buckshot]

..................I have batches of brass dedicated to each rifle of the same caliber, so it doesn't get interchanged. I only neck size, or in the case of straight wall cases, the FL sizer is backed well off. In fact, some dies will not decap the case as the de-capping spindle won't reach.

Smokless powder needs pressure to burn and even when only neck sizing, you need to maintain a good grip on the slug. It is important however that you aren't re-sizing your cast lead slugs smaller as you seat them with TOO MUCH neck pressure, and a crimp by itself isn't going to do ya any good.

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

[John Boy]

... resize the neck to seated bullet depth - slight bell - seat bullet and leave bell. No crimping
I shoot BP only

[Morgan Astorbilt]

I neck size for long range Buffalo Shoots, using pre-loaded cartridges, but don't size at all for 200 yd. schuetzen, loading at the bench and breech seating, using the same case over and over.
This is all with the same gun, a half octagon Rem RB with lightened hammer and set triggers.
Morgan

[44man]

I have to full length for my revolver for good neck tension but I don't size for my BPCR. Just depends on the gun.

[jonk]

I generally don't size for my trapdoor 1873. My sizing die sizes for a nominal .457 bullet as does my lyman sizer. However I get much better accuracy with .461 bullets, which is what my mold drops at- so I pan lube and size in a .461 push through die.

Using blackpowder or sometimes duplex loads I simply seat to the powder using the oversized bullet with a light roll crimp into the top groove. No problems. I get about 8" at 300 yards this way, about as well as I can shoot ANY gun at that range. So it must work fine.

[Jeffery8mm]

i was just curious. I only have one 45-70 but will continue to FL size all my brass. Just seems like the thing to do.
Jeff

[missionary5155]

With my single shot 45´s I have brass deligated to that weapon.... the Black powder brass never get resized and the smokeless brass get necksized. My lever actions the smokeless brass gets sized according to that rifle and the load. The new Winchester repro gets full lengthed sized for smokeless and neck sized for black. The Marlin 1881 only gets fired with black so neck sized only .
Each weapon is an entity to itself and the load it gets fed. It first must chamber... everything after that is just fun experimentation and you END UP WITH THAT NEAR PERFECT LOAD !!

[Frank46]

Jeff, Like Buckshot says back out the F/L die. I use about 3/8" above the shell holder and it works fine in my ruger #1 47/70. Brass lasts longer this way and you don't end up with the bulge when you full length size your cases and seat a bullet. Frank

[Doc Highwall]

You did not say what 45-70 you have. If it is a single shot and you are using smokeless powder you can get away with just neck sizing, no crimp and increase the start pressure by having the boolit contact the rifling. In the end just take what all of us have said as a guideline to your mythology and document what you did and the gun will tell you what " IT " likes. Hopefully with all of the iron's I have in the fire I can do the same for all of mine, just working on one at a time. Right know I am working with my 1885 in 30-30.

[Boerrancher]

For my Sharps 45-70 I use a lyman 310 tong tool and dies to load with. I don't resize my boolits, as they drop at 460 and my rifle seems to like them there. I back my sizing die out to size just the length of the case that will hold the boolit. By not FL sizing I don't have to worry about the entire case work hardening, and I can anneal the top half of the case after every couple of shots, so my brass lasts forever. I am still shooting on Brass that my father used back in the 60's and 70's. By giving it a little TLC now and then, just like he did, I expect there to be some of it left for my son's to shot in 30 years. BTW Dad started with 50 pcs of brass. I still have 43 of them. Dad also use to buy or build a rifle and buy 40 pcs of brass for it and wear the gun completely out and never have to buy any more brass, because he took care of it. I guess some of his habbits in caring for brass has rubbed off on me.

Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe