40-70 SS loads

[Nuclearcricket]

If Captec does make a run of 40-70 brass, and if the rim is thick and the rims are shaped like they are on the 44-77 brass that I got from them, it is a relatively simple process to thin the rims down to a custom thickness. I have set up and done this for 45-70 brass that was converted to 45-60 for some of the early Uberti Win 76's.
I also realize that it will be a bitch to order some of their fine brass and find out that the rim is too thick for your particular chamber but to have it custom fit I would think would be of a benefit in the long run as far as case stretching and life would go.
Sam

[J.B.]

With about 350-400 Baco ..Krag cases all fireformed and performing... I dont think I'll be in a rush to buy any more brass. Even they took a bit of fine tuning. I think that's been the only 'bug bear' for people interested in this cartridge.. the availability... or lack thereof of consistent sized, quality brass. The variations in chamber dimensions... specifically rim cuts hasnt helped either. Been pretty happy with the Baco cases to date but I may weaken if Captech builds up stocks again. Fine round but certainly not without its teething problems. Good ..consistent brass will go a long way to solving this. I just wish they would make their brass a tad 'over length' to allow for fireforming and the like. Still... beggars can't be choosers...and happy to have brass at all.

[Kurt]

I much prefer a rim to thick then to thin. The .44-77 brass I got for my Shiloh ran on the thick side. When that brass came out I got 400 cases and the largest percentage I could not close the breach. This was fine with me because I had no problem thinning them down for a precise fit for my rifle.

For the .40-70 the BA brass worked fine and I still use it and I only lost less then a hand full out of the 400 cases of the 30/40 cases in the 15 years I used those and they have been loaded many-many times.
I also use the Hornady .405 brass for the PP bullets. But I had to make a base swage die so they would chamber in my rifle. And the rims where on the thick side, but that also worked out fine turning the head stamp down using pistol primers in that brass.

We are fortunate now days to have brass available for the several obsolete calibers we use. During the 60's to about the 80's some of these calibers you could not find brass for. Bell really took the bite out of the .44 and .45 basic brass they made.

[J.B.]

We are fortunate now days to have brass available for the several obsolete calibers we use. During the 60's to about the 80's some of these calibers you could not find brass for. Bell really took the bite out of the .44 and .45 basic brass they made.

Very true Kurt. I purchased 100 Hornady 405 W. cases to pursue paper patching in the 40/70 and one lot of 50 were snug and needed a bit of relieving just ahead of the rim, the next box of 50 dropped straight into the chamber after full length sizing. A few needed the rims brought down as they were too thick but most chambered & allowed the breech to close. Minute variations can add up to a lot it seems. With Captech/Jamison, RMC, Baco .. along with Norma & Starline there are a few options as to brass and basic brass now for various calibres and I'm glad for it.

[Mike]

I said I would report about those 3-shot group loads, so I will just to keep my word. In a nutshell, I couldn't have found anything else to do wrong. My scope was not secured tightly in the ring, so it was sliding forward due to recoil with every shot. I didn't notice that until I was finished with my shooting. The 2nd and 3rd groups were the best, those were the ones with 60 grains and 62 grains. Both of those will be tried again.

[Ted Kramer]

Mike,

You'll like the .40-70SS once you find the load your rifle prefers. It took me a couple years to get the bugs worked out. My rifle is a CSA '74 purchased in 1999. I started out with BA stretched .30-40 Krag brass but it varied a lot in neck thickness and a lot of the cases separated at the mid-point. Extracting what looked like a .44-40 case caused just a wee bit of anxiety for me as a new shooter of BPC rifles. To his credit, Dave Gullo replaced each and every failed case.

The stretched Krags would comfortably hold 68 gr. of KIK 2ffg compressed ~.125" under a 390 gr. Brooks bullet. Against the advice of many on several chat rooms, in 2001 I purchased 200 Bertram cases and still have and use each and every one of the original 200. The Bertram cases hold about 5gr less powder, w/same compression and bullet.

I've had the best luck with Winchester LR primers, 62 gr. KIK 2ffg, a .020" wad cut from a cereal box (preferably Wheaties) ~.125" compression and the bullet on top with very little neck tension, no crimp, front driving band just off the rifling. This is a clean burning load. Velocity averages 1330.

Eyes full of floaters make shooting groups at 200 yards pointless for me but the rifle/cartridge/load does well for me shooting our buffalo herd shoots where we shoot 25 rounds in 10 minutes with no chance to use a blow tube.

Hope yours works out for you. Keep us posted.

Ted

[Mike]

Ted, Thanks for the good note. I will certainly keep trying. My rifle is a CSA Highwall with a #1 Heavy 30" barrel. My brass is all Hornady and I don't think we can find any better. Finding the best load for the bullets I'm using is simply the next step. Shoot sharp, Mike

[Mike]

And I've just gotten new bullet molds in three difference calibers. That puts me farther behind in regard to getting back to work with the .40/70. But I'll do it, just a little bit later....