Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 45-70 brass question

I get occasional misfires using Hornady factory ammuniton. Knight KP1 using 325 grain FTX bullet with their brass which is .060 shorter than standard to function through lever guns. Knight warranty replaced the trigger assembly last week, two stage with a crisp 2.5 lb pull, but told me I'm likely to still have problems with the Hornady brass because of variations in rim thickness. Question: Who makes the best brass with the thickest rims?

You might want to check out Starline brass... Very good 45-70 brass.. Not sure what the rim thickness is though.

Barnes, Rio7

Starline shouldn't give you any problems.

I would have the rifle checked. It could be a firing pin protrusion problem or something like that.

FWIW, I've had and shot 45-70s for the past 30 years and neither of the Marlins nor the Ruger #1 has had the least bit of trouble igniting primers in Winchester, Remington, Federal, Hornady, or Starline brass I've used. But I suppose a fellow might see a bad lot of brass also.

I've had no such issues with either Winchester or Remington in either my Marlin 1895 or my H&R Buffalo Classic. I read good things about starline, though.

Starline is the best 45-70 brass available

I like Starline, started with it and haven't used any other.

I too would suggest Starline. No knowledge specific to your situation, but years ago I picked up a couple bags of Winchester unprimed 45-70 brass. Each bag also contained 2 or 3 primed Hornady cartridges, and they were about an eighth of an inch shorter than other brands. I did no comparison though of the stove pipe and rim dimensions. A stove pipe disparity would not affect firing, however, since that cartridge seats on the rim.

Any chance one is inadvertently using pistol primers? They seat a little deeper than standard rifle primers. Some BPCR folks do that intentionally, but they place a paper wad beneath the primer to compensate for its reduced thickness.

I have had very good results with Winchester brass in my 45-70 Shiloh, it's a bit larger in case capacity and holds a few more grains of holy black.

If you decide on Starline, which is very good brass, be advised that annealing will help the case seal to the chamber much better with low-pressure loads.

I used to get very sooty cases until I did so. Here is a picture of some cases that are "starting" Trapdoor loads with a 300 grain bullet. They appear to be sealing, before annealing they would be covered in soot.



I've never had the sealing issue with RP or WW brass, which is noticeably softer than Starline.

As Gunner500 states, the capacity will help with black powder, but I use them also to help reduce pressure with heavy (500+ grain) bullets. I was trying for 1550 fps out of my guide gun with a Beartooth piledriver, but I think you can get 2 feet of penetration with that bullet hand-thrown.....

I know that what I said is totally unrelated to your question, just a comment on *if* you decide on Starline brass.


By the way, Gunner uses a .45-70 as a primer for his big rifle.....

I've loaded up my Guide Gun with 405's hopped up to about 1,750 fps. I sure wish I could find someone to shoot up the last 85 rds. Absolutely no need to hotrod a 45-70.

Yep.

A good hardcast LBT will go through a lot of animal. And, it only has to be moderate velocity, really no more than mid 1200s is sufficient. I like a little more 'cause that hits the sweet spot and accuracy is much better.

I prefer Winchester brass myself with Starline as a second choice for most loads.

Here is a comparison in capacity:

As measured by Brian Pierce!!!

1-.450 Marlin Brass/73.5 grains of water (2.7 grains less than Remington 45-70 Brass!!!)

2-.45-70 Remington Brass/76.2 grains of water (1.3 grains less than Starline Brass)

3-.45-70 Starline Brass/77.5 grains of water (2.8 grains less than Winchester Brass)

4-.45-70 Winchester Brass/80.3 grains of water (4.1 grains "More" than Remington Brass)

Good advice from Vic, and lol on the Forty Five Seventy primer.

Ordered the Starline. I still have about 70 rounds of th FTX Hornady in the safe. I suspect the misfire problem is related to the original trigger design, rather than any variation in neck thickness.