forming 450 Marlin cases

[15meter]

This is just can it be done question.

I came up with 18 450 Marlin cases yesterday, have no use for them, was looking them over, never having had any in hand before.

First thing was it looked like a straight-walled standard belted magnum, on second look, the belt looked "different".

Did a little digging the belt is indeed wider than the traditional belted magnums.

The question is, can you use "standard" belted magnum cases, the H&H's ect. to make 450 Marlins?

Apparently the 450 Marlin cases are rarer that pink elephant tusks.

Just curious, have no real desire to have one, it sounds like a sort of good idea, a hot rod 45-70 that can be used in a lever gun.

[cwtebay]

I understand your question - but selling those by the piece would end up with a heck of a lot more 45-70 cases if bought with those dollars.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[15meter]

I understand your question - but selling those by the piece would end up with a heck of a lot more 45-70 cases if bought with those dollars.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

I was just curious if it could be done. A "what if" kind of question.

I don't own a 450 Marlin nor plan on getting one anytime soon.

[turtlezx]

what the history of the round ??

[rockrat]

Belt is .015" wider on the 450 cases. Maybe if you had someone machine a brass washer of the correct dimensions and loctite it on the case, it should work, at least for one shot.
They are hard to find. Like 350 rem mag cases, but at least you can make those from other mag cases.

[SquibCity]

per the Handbook of cartridge conversions, it states do not make from standard belted magnum cases, no reasoning though.
the belt is bigger than others, so any other cases would not space properly.

[RustyReel]

No, I don't thing it can be formed from any other existing case. Several years ago ER Shaw had Mauser threaded barrels in 450 Marlin and I put one together using a commercial 98 magnum action. My thinking at the time was something along the lines that if I ever ran out of brass I could have the barrel set back a thread and rechambered to 458 Win Mag or Lott. Never really used it so we parted ways.

The cartridge is, IMHO, simply a commercial version of the old wildcat .458 American (.458x2) with a modification to make sure guys couldn't use the simple to make .458 American in their rifles. Just an opinion, not based on any facts.

[TurnipEaterDown]

The 450 Marlin was a "solution" to the desire for "hot load 45-70" that could NEVER be put in the weaker 45-70 chambered rifles, and be sold as commercial ammo.
Marlin - yes, it was lever gun cartridge at least at first.

So, yeah, it gets the "modern gun" level of 45-70 performance for a store bought user, w/ a better throat than 458 Win downloaded for those who do handload.

Since shorter case than the shoulder of some/many "regular" belted magnums, some feature had to be made to keep the cartridge from chambering in something like, say, 300 Win or 300 Weatherby -- so, lengthen the belt & then the bolt won't close.

I always thought it wasn't a bad idea, and have had a few range pick ups as well in my collection, but never found many. So, most probably thought of it like an El Camino - nice idea maybe, but slow seller...

[Texas by God]

Well, my .450 was an Eddystone P14 rebarreled by ER Shaw.
I liked the cartridge a lot, but thought that it would have been better in a short bolt action.
If it had been chambered in bolt actions from the start- it might have taken off- who knows?
I did trim some 7mm Remington Mag brass to just a bit longer than the Hornady .450 Marlin brass; but I only used them for mild cast loads with Unique. Apparently the case mouth and extractor held them tight enough to work safely.
Would I recommend it? Naw.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cwtebay]

I was just curious if it could be done. A "what if" kind of question.

I don't own a 450 Marlin nor plan on getting one anytime soon.

My assumption is that yes! It could be done. But if I recall correctly, the belt is larger than other standard magnum cases (presumably to keep one from chambering it in those?). I'm quite certain an ambitious reloader could enlarge that belt and form serviceable cases though!

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[15meter]

As I said this is just an old guy wondering if it is possible.

Perhaps a long seated cast boolit that would engage the rifling? Not unlike the idea of the old single shots where the bullet was breech seated to engage the rifling then the loaded cases was inserted in the chamber.

A long seated boolit would ensure that the case was all the way back against the breech face.

Just wondering on a day where I'm too lazy to go out to the shed and do something constructive

[rockrat]

I think a regular mag case belt is .065" wide and the 450 Marlin's belt is .080"

[Sgt H]

As I recall the wider belt on the 450 Marlin was to prevent it being chambered and fired in another belted mag chamber such as a 300 Winchester which would obviously have very bad results. The 450 Marlin is basically a duplication of the .458X2 American developed by Frank Barnes in the 60's. The 458X2 is just a shortened .458 Winchester mag and was never chambered/offered commercially. Probably for the same reasons Marlin widened the belt. Barnes also came up with the .458X1.5 and the .308X1.5. Oddly enough the 308X1.5 (also from the 1960's) is very close to the current 30 Bench Rest cartridge. Again seems that there really is nothing new.