410 brass conversions

I got some .303 that I thinned the rim of for my .410 bolt action just haven't got around to fire forming them I used brass I got in a trade that was fired in a Lee Enfield and has the typical case stretch issue.
 
Just a note, not all .303 brass needs the rim filed down. Some brass is thin enough to start and some guns seem to work fine with no filing. I have some .444 ammo that I have no use for. I'm thinking of pulling them and using the brass for .410. Aside from being a bit short I'm hoping it will work as good or better than .303.
 
You guys running nitro or black? I am currently toying with the idea of running black powder but using smokeless powder in a nicer 410.
Ill be using plastic hulls majority of the time but would like to play with brass hulls for fun
 
Just a note, not all .303 brass needs the rim filed down. Some brass is thin enough to start and some guns seem to work fine with no filing. I have some .444 ammo that I have no use for. I'm thinking of pulling them and using the brass for .410. Aside from being a bit short I'm hoping it will work as good or better than .303.

most single shots don't need it but in my case I had to file to just below the head stamp large pistol primers still fit flush
 
You guys running nitro or black? I am currently toying with the idea of running black powder but using smokeless powder in a nicer 410.
Ill be using plastic hulls majority of the time but would like to play with brass hulls for fun

there's info out there but using smokeless you kind of have to break the shotgunners rules a bit normally you don substitute any components from a given shot shell recipe as it can lead to dangerous pressures. that said my bolt action has an adjustable choke so I may want to load smokeless.

and a side note if I was going to use a smokeless load id make sure it was for a straight walled hull and low pressure
 
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Are plastic wads used in brass cases?

you can but you may still need a gas seal card under it and you will need a over shot card glued in place. use the wad the load data calls for or a replacement made by someone like claybuster for that wad. btw cheddite is a straight walled hull I don't know about any other brands in .410
 
You guys running nitro or black? I am currently toying with the idea of running black powder but using smokeless powder in a nicer 410.
Ill be using plastic hulls majority of the time but would like to play with brass hulls for fun

Alliant 2400 for me.

I cut cardboard wads with a 11mm punch which works perfect with the 444 Marlin casings. Large pistol primers, overpowder card, trimmed plastic wad, desired load (I've cooked one up for 1oz shot and 4 00 buck so far), over shot card, a bit of elmers white glue which dries nice and clear so I can see the symbol in marker on top of the overshot card in case I mix up the loads (I haven't).

It took a lot of research with some really old data and 'survival' type reloading information before I learned enough to feel comfortable experimenting and it definitely breaks every rule of modern shotshell reloading. It is more like cooking up mousefart rounds or similar for centerfire reloading in rifles then actual shotshell reloading. Definitely one of the most fun and adventurous reloading rabbit holes I've climbed down yet and there are still some things I want to tweak and work on over time. Oh and I can't get them to function as anything but single shot despite a lot of different crimping and tapering experiments, that may or may not be a consideration.
 
I use 9.3x74R with 1/2oz loads
works really well except it takes significantly more powder than plastic hulls.
I have no pressure data but I increased the charge until the SD shrunk around 1200fps average velocity

edit: I experimented with H110, 2400 and Lil'Gun
best load: Lil'Gun
worst: H110 (16 squibs out of 20 once the temp dropped)
 
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For those of you who use rifle brass for 410 loads what case do you prefer? 303brit 444 marlin or 9.3x74r or magtech 410brass?
This is an old thread but, it may still be relevant to the OP but if so, I load BP for my .410 these days as well as for 12ga years ago. My observations thus far are these. For 12ga, plastic hulls work great. I get them for free from trap shooters which is necessary if you want to shoot black out of plastic as the hull will have holes melted in them after one shot with black. I would cut the crimp off, load powder, over powder wad, lubed fibre wad, over shot card, shot, over shot card then roll crimped. The reason for cutting off the crimp is twofold. First, I get a better roll crimp with the star crimp gone and, more importantly, I was loading them for vintage shotguns with laminated barrels which most were 2 1/2” chambers. For my .410, I use brass made from .303 Brit but I also have a box of mag techs. Fire forming takes two pows to get a complete form. First is 20gr WW231, filled with cereal (cream of wheat or sunny boy) then plugged with a wad of Kleenex. This will blow out the end 2/3 of the case. second forming load is 25gr Was231 with 30 or 40 grains of shot, then filled with cereal. This will blow out the bottom 2/3 of the case. Any time I increased the charge to do the form in a single go, it would blow the end of the case off. Loading them for use, I load 35gr fff, card wad (cut from milk carton), then 1/8” felt wad, then 1/8” felt wad soaked in bear grease, then card, then 1/2oz shot, topped with another card, then sealed with bees wax dripped into the mouth of the case. I sometimes then press a number stamp into the wax denoting the shot size. Mag tech brass is MUCH better IMO and after buying the .303, then expending 2 primers and 40-45 grins of powder just to fireform and then have an inferior product, mag techs look pretty good. While I have never done it, I feel that should you want to fire form, the 9.3x74R is a better choice than the .303.
 
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I use 303 brass to make them.

I took an old scrap lee enfield barrel and drilled it out to .410 then chambered it for 410. So I use a lee enfield to fire form the cases. That way I can run good pressure without worry.

But i have found it just as easy to neck them up using an expander in .020" steps annealing ever couple steps

I use large rifle primers in the cases.

Although I like the idea of using 9.3x74 since they make a 3" case. But the cost is there
 
I use 303 brass to make them.

I took an old scrap lee enfield barrel and drilled it out to .410 then chambered it for 410. So I use a lee enfield to fire form the cases. That way I can run good pressure without worry
I used my cooey 840 to fireform for the same reason. Could not use the gun intended because it is BP proofed and MAY be laminated. The 840 uses the same action for all gauges so the breech of a .410 is quite thick having the same outer profile as the 12ga.
 
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