.45-70 Brass 2.4" Long? How is that?

[Agarbers]

I recently stopped into a small mom&pop shop looking for .40-82 brass. Since they didn't have any I asked if they had .45-90 brass. They had a pile of boxes of BP loaded Remington brass that was head stamped .45-70 yet was 2.4" long. I asked the young man how they made .45-70 brass longer and he said the company making the loads had a brass stretcher. That didn't sound right so I dug through the boxes and found some cases head stamped .45-90. Anyone got insight into this?

[beshears]

The cases can be stretched. 30-40 to 40-70 SS, 45-70 to 45-90 ect.

[toot]

now we know the rest of the story! was the stretching done by the factory? if so why not just mfg., it in the right legenth? just courious?

[elk hunter]

When many of the older calibers had been discontinued and the old guns in obsolete calibers became popular again stretching was about the only way to get the correct length brass for them. I believe it's Nonte's book on cartridge conversions that shows how to stretch brass. It's not rocket science but not something the average shooter would try to do. In the past there were at least a few enterprising people that made a business of it.

[15meter]

I saw several references over the years to case stretching tools that were available to the retail market.

I don't know if they are still available or how or how well they work. Up to this point I have not had to stretch any brass so I have not pursued it. The couple of times it would have come in handy --30-30 to 38-55 and 7.62x56r to 8x56r and one or two others -- the short brass has worked with no problems.

[15meter]

Ain't the innerweb wonderful?

http://texas-mac.com/Stretching_Short_Brass_To_Fit_Your_BPCR_Chamber.ht ml

Simple search for: rifle case stretcher

got the above plus several other valid hits.

Have to wonder how many bar fights have been avoided with advent of smart phones and "The Google". Instant answers at you finger tips.

But apparently it's for straight walled cartridges. Guess we need a Rocket Surgeon to design one for bottleneck cases.

[Nueces]

Some years ago, there was a group buy on this board for a hydraulic case stretcher, for making 45-90 from 45-70. I think it was by Montana Charlie and Red River Rick. I have one of those, but never got a rifle chambered in 45-90.

Another good use is to fit a case to a generously chambered 45-70. My Pedersoli Sharps is one such.

[sharps4590]

As beshears mentioned, my 40-70SS is headstamped 30-40. I got it from BACO 25 or so years ago.

[hpbear101]

BACO used to sell them before Starline started producing 45-90. I have 45-70 stretched to 90 and .348 stretched to 50-110 it is all good brass and never had a problem with it.

[Michael J. Spangler]

http://kal.castpics.net/CaseStretcher.html