35-90

[andym79]

Hi guys I am wanting to do a 35-90.

The idea going through my head at the moment is to use 45-90 brass and a 350 rem mag reamer run in .375" short. Using dies cut short too.

My only concern is case head diameter, being .513 for a 350 and .506 for a 45-90!

Is a .007" difference too much or okay?

I am hoping to end up with a rimmed 35-90 using cast bullets and either bp or trailboss so pressure will be low, but will I likely get a bulge at the head or worse a split?

[dubber123]

I don't think you will get splits, but I do think a bulge is likely. Modifying the reamer is a thought, but makes it a one off reamer at that point.

[bikerbeans]

Stop reaming when you achieve 0.506" at the base of the chamber. You will lose some brass length but eliminate the bulge.

FWIW, a friend of mine does this in reverse. Buys a standard belted mag takeoff barrel and trims the chamber so a reformed 46-70 brass will fit. Cut off the dies to correct length and use the barrel in a stub or liner single shot.

BB

[andym79]

I had considered that but looking at the lack of taper on a 350 rem mag I think it would be a lot of brass removed.

Would work well with more taper.

[JFE]

You can do what you are thinking in a 375 cal. One gunsmith has written it - look up 375 Renner. You could start with an already chambered 375 H&H barrel, as mentioned above. Seems like an inexpensive wildcat if that's what you're after.

[Chill Wills]

Just my opinion ... With BP it will want to foul hard. Wiping will help. Not sure to what end that much BP is going to be good for.
On the other hand, Trail Boss powder will be anything but a low pressure load. Slow maybe, but NOT low pressure.

Have fun and good luck.

[john.k]

Most 45 brass Ive measured is closer to .500 at base ,so IMHO ,you are going to have at least .013 bulge,probably more.Is there any other 35 with more taper?......375 H&H has probably got plenty of taper,but its 38,not 35.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

You could just open up a .348 to 35-348, you'll have your case capacity and a rim, should work in anything that would handle a 45-90. Put a 35 pilot on a 348 piloted reamer, cut the neck and throat with a 35 Whelan reamer. Starline has 348 brass.

[oldred]

Trail Boss powder will be anything but a low pressure load. Slow maybe, but NOT low pressure.

You sure got that right, seems a lot of folks mistakenly assume those very low velocities mean low pressures which simply is NOT true and I have even talked with one guy who insisted TrailBoss could be used like the BP subs! In small cases a person can't get enough of this fluffy powder to fit inside to be a problem but in larger cases pressures can go way beyond what the attained velocity would seem to indicate. A quick look at Hodgdon's data for TB in 45/70, for instance, can be a real eye opener if someone thinks TB is always going to be a safe substitute for a BP pressure load. While those loads are not at all high for a 45/70 (again just an example) they are very high for the velocity and well above what BP or a BP sub would produce, basically TrailBoss produces a high pressure spike and very anemic velocities.

From Hodgdon,

45/70 using Varget and a 400 grain jacketed bullet, 50.0 gr yields 1,655 FPS at 18,600 CUP while a lead 405 gr bullet with 13 grains of Trail Boss produces 25,600 CUP at a measly 1,007 FPS! That's 7000 CUP more pressure for around 600 FPS less velocity!

Now I am aware that the 25,000+ CUP is not all that high and that the low velocity is what some folks are looking for when using TB but the point is that TB pressure is not necessarily always low and it's a mistake to assume that it is. In the 45/70 example TB pressure greatly exceeds that Varget load while producing much less velocity and in fact that Trail Boss load actually exceeds the pressure of the Varget lever gun MAX load (25,000 vs 25,600 for TB) of 55 grs with a 400 grain bullet while just barely cracking 1000 FPS!

The bottom line is that Trail Boss can be a very accurate powder with mild recoil and very low velocities which could be just what some folks are looking for but the point is don't use it for low pressure thinking those pop-gun velocities always mean it's a low pressure load, they don't!

[Jedman]

^^^^^+1 ^^^^^^

[MOA]

Just start with a 9.3 x 74R case, have RCBS make up custom dies to turn it into a 35 x 74R that will be just a tapered case down to 35 cal. Use the completed cartridge as your template on a reamer an ream out a 35 cal barrel, lots of brass available for that.

[EDG]

You might save some hassle by using the modern .356 Win case. Dies and reamers are standard items. You can even use 7.62x51 brass with out a rim in some setups.

If you want a longer neck use .444 brass and extend the chamber neck.
If you want more case capacity just run a .358 Win in deeper.

My .35 cal will be some version of the .35 Win using .405 win brass.
I have the dies a nd brass. I just need a chamber reamer.

[shutinlead]

Just start with a 9.3 x 74R case, have RCBS make up custom dies to turn it into a 35 x 74R that will be just a tapered case down to 35 cal. Use the completed cartridge as your template on a reamer an ream out a 35 cal barrel, lots of brass available for that.

I'm in the process of making another vintage firearm and a vintage cartridge using the 9.3 case, if you're trying for 90 grains of black out of this case I doubt you'll get it going to a 35.
One I did earlier this year - I followed Donnelly's conversions and just finished a 44-85 Wesson - this case has almost no taper .003 from head to mouth and it will hold 85 grains of 1.5 Swiss with a 500 grain PP boolit - allowing about .300 worth of bullet in the case - didn't shoot very well, but it likes 75 grains of Goex Cartridge... It's performing even better with a grease groove 526 gr money boolit and smokeless.
As I mentioned, I'm on the second cartridge - called a 33 Poachers Pet - it's based on the 9.3 case with quite a bit of taper. I chose not to do what I'm guessing Ackley did (I believe this was originally one of Ackley's brainchilds?) - make it a long straighter case with shoulder and a steep taper to the 33 cal. boolit??? as it sits in my press right now I may be able to get 60 grains of black in it, but I haven't got there yet- Donnelly says it will hold 4.6 cc's of water. It's a long skinny cartridge and as Chill Wills says "it will foul hard with Black" I believe it will.
Keep us posted with what you do on the 35. I haven't spent any time with that caliber, I jumped from the 375 (a 38-72 last season) back to the 33 because of the availability of a barrel.
Nosler has been my latest source for the 9.3 brass, of the three brands I've tried I prefer it.
Greg