Audie
Well Larry you certainly have come thru for us. And many thanks for permission to print this up and tuck it into my 45/70 data. I'm sorry it's taking me so long to get back...work schedule and doing a lot of casting right now. Sunday morning is about the only time I have and I'm on the range at 9 am. Anyways, I'm spending some time outlining questions so I can ask them in a linear fashion and not go twaddeling about willie nilly. I guess I'll start with cases. I've seen no mention or support in the post concerning annealing. I haven't done it...seems a bit too haphazard to me and I'd probably gammohooch it up. I have considered the "dip it in melted lead" idea. Figgered if I held the cases I'd soon find out when it's hot enough, but figgered I'd ask first. Now, mind ye, I've been loading and reloading these same 50 cases since...1980 something. I've never had one split. I've boogered up 3. (hit the durn die when I ran the ram up) And lately....I been loading them cases a lot!
While I do anneal some cases they are all bottle necked cases, never had a need to anneal any 45-70 cases. I also have some R-P cases that I’ve been using since the mid ‘70s which have been loaded and shot I don’t know how many times with some very heavy loads and hard crimps out of my Siamese Mauser 45-70. I’ve lost a few of them and some nickeled R-P cases from slightly split case mouths fired in the TDs from using a heavy roll crimp. Since going to the taper crimp die and just straightening the case mouth out I can’t remember when the last case mouth split. So, I’ve not even thought about annealing.
BTW; when I do anneal I use a Lee case trimmer holder in an electric screw driver to hold the case and spin it while I heat the neck/shoulder area with a propane torch to proper color and then quench in cold water to cool the case so it can be changed right away. That method is fast and easy and I’ve annealed a lot of bottle necked cartridges very successfully that way.
Not heavy loads...usually under 1100f.p.s. with an occassional...bit more. As you know I've stopped using black powder. Did it for 20 years...ain't doin' it no more. Every coupl'a loadings I run them thru the Lee case trimmer just to make sure they're all the same. Then a quick touch with the champhering tool inside and out. Just a touch. And I always clean the lube out'a the mouths before reloading. I have noticed more case neck tension on the Winc. cases vs the R.P cases...go figger? All test loads are with one maker of case as well. (either all R.P.'s or all Winc.) I gather you are reccomending enlarging the primer flash hole for light loads and fast (Bullseye...who'd a thunk it??) powders. I may do that for the Winc. cases and keep them seperate for such.
I do recommend uniforming the flash holes as per Spence Wolf’s method. The slightly larger flash hole lets the flame get into the case much quicker with a larger flash area to ignite the smaller amounts of fast burning powder lessening the effect of “powder positioning”. It has absolutely no detrimental effect of raising the psi with full powered medium burning powders, especially those psi’s at TD levels. If all I was going to use was my light Bullseye loads I would drill the flash hole out with a #28 drill to get the flash to the powder as quick as possible with the largest flash signature as possible. I do that with other cartridges with cases that are “dedicated” to such light loads. But alas, I have not yet “dedicated” any 45-70 cases to only those light loads. Actually it may or may not be any real measureable benefit with the drilled flash holes ala Wolf with smokeless powders but “think” they shoot better so it makes me more confident..........
How come you never mentioned Lymans Neck Size Only dies for the 45/70?
Mentioned the Lyman Short NS die in Part II. It’s the die used whenever I mention NSing cases which is what I most often do.
Track of The Wolf has em' and it'd have saved me spending 3 days honing out an RCBS F.L. die...dadgummit!
Ooooops!
I tried backing out the RCBS and kept snapping off the de-prime pins cause it flops around when ya do that. Oh...and found out gunk builds up under the rim of the ca'tridge and affects o.a.l. when you chamber it.
I had the same problem with the RCBS die when I tried to just partial size. With the solid pin in the Lee FL die I didn’t have the problem. However, the Lyman short NS die is the way to go. I deprime and clean the cases and inspect them for debris inside after cleaning.....amazing what can get into those cases and stay there even after cleaning!!!!
Larry Gibson