Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 45-70 brass. Starline?

Does the Starline 45-70 brass seem to be as good as you can get from the currently available 45-70 brass or should I pick up some older Remington or Winchester brass??

While I have not used their 45/70 brass I do prefer their brass to all others in a number of handgun cartridges.

I like it a lot in my 45/70

I just bought some 338 federal brass from Starline. I'm impressed. It looks and shoots every bit as good as the federal brand brass.

That's all I shoot in my 45/70 and I am very pleased with the results.

It's very good brass.

A couple of things, though. It does not have the capacity that WW brass has, so a load developed in WW brass and loaded into Starline will have higher pressure/velocity. I have noticed about a 1 to 1.5 grain difference with the brass I have here, so be careful if the load you want to use was developed in WW brass and is borderline high pressure.

If you are going to use low-pressure loads, you should anneal the Starline brass, or it will fail to completely seal. I noticed it with some light loads where I had smoke coming out of the breech and the whole case was sooted. Annealing cured it. If your pressure is going to be up around 28 Kpsi or more, it's not necessary to anneal.

Starline is my first choice for both 38-55 and 40-65. I wouldn't hesitate for a second.

Guess I may as well order some and get a load ready for deer season.

It is so good i bought 200 pieces for my own use.

It is good stuff.

I received 50 pieces from a trade with HeavyLoad the other day and am impressed so far.

Extremely consistent length and like how the mouths are already belled and chamfered. Will order another batch as soon as my wallet recovers from buying dies, powder, new trays, shellholder, bullets and all of the other goodies that comes with reloading a new cartridge.

Never had problems with any 45/70 or 45 Colt and I have lots of both.

Extremely consistent length and like how the mouths are already belled and chamfered. Will order another batch as soon as my wallet recovers from buying dies, powder, new trays, shellholder, bullets and all of the other goodies that comes with reloading a new cartridge.



Let us know how your loading and shooting goes.

they make lake city brass for the gov. if that does anything for ya.

When I had my 45-70 Starline was pretty much all I used. I had a couple boxes of Remington but 200 of the Starline. It was good brass. I don't even look at other brands anymore for handgun brass. I just go straight to them for brass all my handguns. I just wish they'd turn out some 401 Powermag brass.

Fine heavy brass, but they do suggest annealing if one is going the black powder route.

Starline is very good brass in everything I've used it in including the 45-70 and sloppy-chambered 45 Colts, the latter which split Remington nickeled in a loading or two. But in the 45-70, I like R-P and W-W just as well; they're all good. I wouldn't pay a significant premium for one over another in 45-70, but I wouldn't snub my nose at any of them either.