12.7x44 or 50-70 brass... who has it?

Smokepole

Smokepole

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
86   0   0
Location
B.C.- Central Interior
I'm looking for brass for a Swedish rolling block.
I've been told it can't be shipped out of the US by a major dealer.
Any thoughts?
Has there been changes to the export rules?
Who carries this in Canada or will ship it?
 
I have had a 12.7x44 for 20 yrs or so and have only ever seen one cartridge, that was in a large cartridge collection at the Cal easter gun show...they are scarce in this country.

I have tried fire-forming .348 factory brass (some authors that I cant remember their names encouraged this at one time) but my success was dismal to say the least. some cases would split down the side and others, because the base is a bit smaller on a .348, would bulge on one side & not the other so the primer pocket was off-centered enough that the fp wouldn't hit enough of it to fire.

Now for the trials & tribulations of using 50-70 in a 12.7. If you don't already know the rim on the 12.7 is somewhat smaller than the rims on factory 50-70. You have two options remove the barrel from the action, chuck it up in a lathe and open up the rim inlet to suit. This might sound simple but two slab sides & steep taper of the original barrels requires a jig to be made that will hold the barrel straight and true in the chuck when the cut is made ( it took me 3 times a s long to make the jig than it did to make the cut). The other , more simple "fix" is to have the rims cut down on the brass you intend to use.

Another factor to take into consideration is that all 50-70 brass is not created equal, some is "drawn", some is "machined" ( the least desirable in my opinion) and all 50 Govt brass isn not the same length although I think all the new-drawn stuff is the 50-70 length. The US govt made 2 different lengths of brass for the .50'sm, a shorter one for the original gatling guns & the trap door carbines ( I have one I my collection) that hold a reported 55 gr of BP. These short cases are scarce as well, Numerich & Dixie Gun works sold them a long time ago but I have seen them at gunshows in used brass grab-bags.

Any of the drawn brass, even the short ones should work for you but every machined brass I have tried to use was either too big or too thick to seat a bullet in and chamber.

Good luck...a little adversity is what makes some of this hobby so rewarding when things finally work for you
 
I have a mix of BELL, Dixie and Star-Line 50-70 brass. They differ in OAL so I want to trim them. Looks like I'm going to have to buy a file-to-trim die as nobody seems to offer a hand crank trimmer to do the job.

I frequently anneal so it is lasting very well.
 
Forester makes a trimmer that does the bigger cowboy cartridges. Forgot what it's called.

Found it:https://www.forsterproducts.com/product-category/reloading-case-prep/forster-products-case-conditioning-system/classic-case-trimmer-kit/
 
Thank you, everyone.
I've owned two of the Swiss rolling blocks. I've handload both black powder and smokeless in slightly modified Starline brass. The chambers are slightly different between the two rifles. I had the first one I owned shooting excellently. Unfortunately for me, I sold the rifle.
My loads for that rifle proved too long, overall, for the chamber of my second Swiss rolling block. The bullet needed to be set deeper into the case.
The next issue I had and haven't worked out yet was case separation. After 4 or five loads the case would separate about two thirds of the way up the length.
I hope to get this rifle shooting well without destroying cases.
 
.
"QUOTE" The next issue I had and haven't worked out yet was case separation. After 4 or five loads the case would separate about two thirds of the way up the length.

Case separation is fairly common after a few reloading in the .303 British cartridge. This is caused by FULL LENGTH RESIZING each time the case is loaded, and the use of neck sizing each time greatly extends case life. This could be your problem also.

If you take a piece of wire about 5 inches long, grind a point on it at one end, then bend that end up about 3/8 inch to form an " L ", then drill a hole in a piece of wood or dowel, epoxy the long end into the hole, you now have a tool to detect inside case cracks. Insert the bent end into the case, and feel around by moving the " tool " back and forth. The point will hang up in any crack.
.
 
I to have a 12.7 Rolling Block that has been sitting in the corner for many years, I bought a 38-55 liner from Track of the Wolf before the cross border nonsense and it has been sitting beside the rifle for about the same length of time. I wonder when I will get around to starting this project, let alone finishing it. D.H.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom