Case Forming vs Purchasing?

P

PCB

Regular
Rating - 100%
5   0   0
Location
Amherstburg, On
At the suggestion of a forum member I have copied this thread from the reloading forum, I tried to leave the spelling errors behind.

I am a sucker for what I find to be unique or fascinating rifles. I recently purchased a Siamese Mauser in 8x52R, and a Portuguese Kropatschek in 8x60R, not to mention a sweet looking Snider-Enfield. The brass for these rifles is obviously tough to come by and when you do find it, it's either in the States and or its a crazy price.
Is it worth it to pay the price and be done with it or do I look into case forming which in itself looks pretty intriguing? I have been reading "The Handloaders Manual of Case Conversions" and they are talking about needing a lathe for many of the steps needed to create these cases. I really can't see myself spending that kind of money to save a few bucks. Can hand trimmers be used to thin and ream these cases instead of a lathe? Do you folks recommend any books or sites on forming? I will be retiring in a couple of years so another twist to this hobby would not be a bad thing.
Thanks
p.s. sources for obsolete brass would also be appreciated
 
x2 on Rusty Wood. Shooters Choice also carries Snider brass

You can order SHOTGUN brass from the States so 24 gauge brass is obtainable and by all accounts works great for making Snider brass.

Other sources to watch in general for obscure/obsolete brass are: Budget Shooter Supply (a sponsor); Tradex (a sponsor); Prophet River (a sponsor; look at their import service also); and the Bullet Barn
 
I shoot a number of obsolete calibers and modifying commercial cases probably saves me a lot of money. I can buy fired 45-70 cases for around $.50 each and make a number of different calibers (eg 38-56) from them. I suspect that buying preformed cases with the proper headstamp would probably run me around $2.00 each if not more. Black powder cartridges seem to work acceptably with home made shells. Some of the smokeless cartridges have not been quite as accurate when using home made shells although I am not sure why. The one that comes to mind is making 6 mm Lee Navy from .303 British and that change does need a metal lathe to remove and reform the rims.
One thing that makes home forming shells economical for me is that many calibers require several forming dies so that you can come down in steps to the final shape. 8 mm Siamese comes to mind and takes around 4 or 5 intermediate steps (starting with 45-70) and I am able to make the appropriate forming dies on my metal lathe. In other words one part of the equation is that you have to factor in whether or not you need intermediate forming dies and how much those dies will cost you. Going up in caliber is usually not a problem because you can fireform the cases to their intended cartridge

cheers mooncoon
 
I have made Kropatchek brass both from 8mm Lebel and 348 Winchester.

Some days though, 348 Winchester and Lebel brass is almost as hard to find as Kropatchek. (okay, almost is a bit of a stretch)
 
577 SNIDER and 577/450 Martini Henry

We carry in stock BERTRAM 577 SNIDER and 577/450 Martini Henry brass. ( both have correct caliber head stamps ) LINK HERE

We stock the LEE PRECISION dies for both of those calibers and can supply cast bullets also. LINK HERE

We stock all your black powder needs including powder, primers/percussion caps and lubricants LINK HERE

We have some 24GA MAGTECH brass hulls coming in from USA shortly if that is what you prefer

If you do not see what you need on our web site email us and if we do not have it, we will do our very best to get it for you.

COME SEE US at the H.A.C.S. 43rd ANNUAL 2 DAY SHOW - - - Guns, Knives, Militaria,& Antiques Show & Sale

Email us your orders now for pick up at show

Saturday, March 7 ,2015, 9am - 5pm
Sunday, March 8, 2015, 9am - 3pm
Heritage Park, 4414A Luckakuck Way Chilliwack, BC (Exit 116 off Highway 1 - "Red Barns")

 
Thank you all, I appreciate the advice and help. To Rusty Wood, I was on your site and found some of what I will need. Nice to find a site like yours that carries so much. I must admit, the minimum order for brass not in stock is a bit of a deterrent.
 
PCB
Thanks, we try our best to carry much of the products many we can. as a small two person operation it is hard to keep up sometimes.

The minimum 100 piece order per caliber is the manufacturer Bertram policy, not ours rankly. They can make the rules as they see fit since often they are the only source for some rare or obsolete calibers, and to be honest I rather not to sit on 80 pieces of some obscure brass I may never have another sale for. I suggest making a post to ask other CGN members who might wish to go in with you on an order to break up the minimum 100 pcs.
 
Hi Rusty, I just started my search in this forum, where can I
get a bullet mold for my mark 3 and mark 4.
My mk3 took a regular 45long Colt lead, but my MK4 had to be
squashed a bit in the vise to fatten it up. I slugged both barrels,
But need a new battery for my gauge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom