Reforming 45-70

[lifeon2]

OK I have some 45-70 that the previous owner necked down to .401 I was thinking about 10 grains of blue dot with heavy cotton 12 gauge patch on top to reform them. Any thoughts?

[Bent Ramrod]

You may need something more substantial than a cloth patch over the powder. I've blown out .30-30 and .32 Spl. cases to cylindrical for a .38-55 and I used 9 grains of Bullseye with the rest of the case filled with Cream of Wheat and a disc of paraffin wax in the mouth of the case.

George Nonte's book on Cartridge Conversions gives some general guidelines for case forming with filler loads. Generally, each case and reformation is unique unto itself, so start low and work up until the case is cylindrical.

Nonte said he used to fire these things in his basement without disturbing his wife's sheets a few feet away. I was able to blow holes in a roofing-tar bucket at a range of a yard or so with these filler loads, so I would maintain that they are not as innocuous as he said they were.

[lifeon2]

cool thanks for the advice looks like I may need to get a look at that book

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi, Its probably best to anneal cases prior to fireforming them to cut down the incidence of cases splitting, but you don't have to do it. I've always used 9-10 grains of Red Dot and packed the casing with toilet tissue or Kleenex. It works ok, but makes a mess wherever you fire them. Look down your barrel after each shot. Often the wadding comes out smoldering so you might want the garden hose nearby. Its not a fast process overall, but is a necessity. Having to clean up afterward is also a pain so pointing the muzzle at anything but the ground makes it worse. LLS

[Jim]

..... I used 9 grains of Bullseye with the rest of the case filled with Cream of Wheat and a disc of paraffin wax in the mouth of the case...... I was able to blow holes in a roofing-tar bucket at a range of a yard or so with these filler loads, so I would maintain that they are not as innocuous as he said they were.Yeah, I'm gonna hafta go with BR on this. 9 grs. of Bullseye behind ANYTHING with mass and density ain't nothin' to be taken lightly.:shock:

[StrawHat]

Working from memeory, so it might be a bit iffy, but I reacall doing soemthing similar but instead of TP or ? I used a lead round ball of proper size for the cartridge. In your case 401 or a bit larger. It supplied the needed pressure to blow the case to a larger size. I was doing 30-40 up to 40 caliber. Don't recall any split necks but it was at least 30 years ago.

The round ball is wasteful of lead and accuracy is lousy.

Good luck.

[Rockydog]

Have you thought about annealing and just expanding them in your sizing die? You might not be able to get them all in one step but a .44 expander ball installed in your 45-70 die will certainly get them halfway. Then you should be able to go out to 45-70 in the next pass. Saves powder, primers and all of that grit in your gun. I routinely take .223 to .243 in one pass. Imperial Die Sizing Wax is a big help. RD

[longbow]

I'm with Rockydog here. .401" to .458" shouldn't be too much for a two step expansion.

Using your press and dies will save on powder and primers (and breakfast grits).

If you have access to a lathe you could also make a tapered or stepped "punch" to expand the neck so it will then fit your dies. I did that to expand some .243 to .308 and it worked fine with a plastic mallet and punch. Just tapped the punch in then ran 'em through the full length sizing die after.

Cheap and easy.

Longbow

[lifeon2]

This is what I love about this board one question and now I have a dozen options that I never even thought of

Thanks guys :drinks: