Hornady 45-70 Brass

T

TheLastGoodFight

New member
I was experimenting with cast bullet loads for my Marlin CB 45-70 when I ran out of brass. In desperation I turned to some once fired Hornady brass to temporarily fill the void until I could resupply. Alas, my RCBS dies will not accommodate these casings, leaving no flare and no crimp. It appears this particular casing is a tad shorter than Winchester and Remington brass, and no amount of die adjustment seems to offer a solution.
The casings originally held a 325gr Jacketed "Red Tip" as they call it, which I assume are .458, there being no indication on the box. I am using cast 300gr RNFP .459 from Missouri Bullet company and am experiencing a slight stretch in the neck, I assume due to the larger bullet.
I'd like to know if any of you handloaders have attempted to reload Hornady's casings, and if so, what trouble/solutions have you experienced? Given my limited experience level, the solution could be completely simple and obvious. Unfortunately, for guys like me, a good slap in the face is periodically necessary before I get the point. Thanks it advance.
 
There are dies available to load these shorter cases. However, it's simply not worth it to buy a set of dies to use these odd ball cases unless they are all you intend on using in the future.
 
When it became time to acquire .45-70 dies, the only ones I could find were Redding. Lucky I guess since they are perfect with the Hornady brass and used on a Dillon 550. What RCBS die or dies cannot adjust to the shorter case? RCBS would have been my first choice if it had been available.
 
I am just getting into 45-70 guns. Have a H&R Handi and a brand new 1895 GBL.

I specifically bought Federal Ammo to plink around and familiarize myself with the gun because I didn't want to screw around with non-standard brass when I reload it. And I use RCBS dies and intend to use Speer or cast bullets so standard brass is the ticket
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top