I decided that while my Browning 1885 BPCR in 45-70 has a 2.125" chamber I've been using Winchester or Starlinie brass which is way too short for that chamber. Most check out at 2.095-2.098. Not good.

So, I bought some 45-90 brass and am in the process of trimming them back to the proper length. I'll probably wear out my Forster Original case trimmer trying to knock out 40 cases but I'm getting there.

Another thought is I have 100 Starline cases that are new. Not sure what I'm going to do with those yet. With the shorter cases there's a jump at the transition of the chamber that can gather lead and be the devil to get out. That's the reason for choosing longer cases to trim to avoid all that.

Anyone else do this or do you just bang away with shorter cases as I was doing?

The answer is actually pretty simple,....and this DOES work.

Expose a grease groove, this is going to mean more powder, less compression, or thicker wads.

Upon the first initial firing impetus the base of the bullet is "Slugging up", ....another way to put this is that the base has gone into motion, but the nose is still stationary. The annular ring of lube will fill your "Gap" and the bullet once in motion will be sliding over it.
Lead ringing should cease to be a problem.

Don't knock this 'til you've tried it.

Luck

GTC

Sounds reasonable to me and I do have two moulds that allow exposing half or a whole grease groove. The Brook's Postell does not nor does the Saeco 645 so, I have to deal with them differently. I figure by trimming these already too long cases I'll solve all problems, exposed grease groove or not.

If I increase the powder for the Postell I'm screwing up an already great load by adding more powder/different wad. that bullet already gives me 1-1/2" groups and I don't want to alter that.

Kitch,

Crossfireoops' technique does work, but another option is to stretch the .45-70 cases. Buffalo Arms sells a very reasonably priced case stretcher made by Tim Smith-Lyon. The price is $39.95 + shipping. Here's an article that I wrote on the subject that you might find interesting.

http://www.texas-mac.com/Stretching_Short_Brass_To_Fit_Your_BPCR_Chamber.html

Wayne

Wow !

Hadn't seen that Smith-Lyon setup before, mac. That is SLICK ! Really enjoyed reading your article, Se�or.

GTC

Ran into that awhile back with a .40-.38-55 muzzle loading cartridge gun. Standard brass was a fair bit short, but the .38-55 basic brass that I picked up from BACO was near perfect out of the bag.

Anyone need some standard .38-55 brass? Winchester production as I recall.

Barry Darr is a crafty ol' fella....

Wayne-I'm a bit leery of brass stretching. It seems to me you gain length while you loose somewhere else, specifically the head and that's not a good place to loose brass. Moreover, the cost of such equipment is several times more than just trimming the 45-90 brass.

Depends, mostly on how far it has been stretched.

I have some .45-70 Remington stretched to .45-90 that I have been shooting for years. It doesn't weaken the head, just thins part of the body.

The minor stretching referred to by the OP isn't nearly that much.

Paul

Kitch,

If you read the article you'll find that neither of you assumptions are correct. The brass is not stretched in the head area and for around $40 you can pick up a case stretcher.

Wayne

If you add a few more grains of powder to a .45-70 load that's "Working Well", one may see the REAL accuracy potential from a well managed BPCR ,....one QUITE beyond what's been posted, thus far.

We KNOW what a basically "Plain Vanilla" BPCR WILL, and regularly does) do, and it's just flat WEIRD to try and discern what the OP is trying to do, other than wear out a trimmer, and ARGUE.

OK,....I don't have a damned thing further to say on this particular post.

.....jack chit

GTC

�If you add a few more grains of powder to a .45-70 load that's "Working Well", one may see the REAL accuracy potential from a well managed BPCR ,....one QUITE beyond what's been posted, thus far.�
--CrossFireOops

We have a winner here!

From �Modern Observations On Rifle Shooting�, by Edwin A Perry (3rd. edition, 1880), p. 17:

�The capacity for rifles to burn powder is widely different, some rifles reducing elevation until 110 grains have been used, while other do not change elevations for any amount over 95 grains.Find the capacity of the rifle and then use two or three grains more.� (Italics added: rcN)