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45-70 case life (Read 5680 times)

nsb Participating Member Offline Posts: 28 Joined: Feb 21^st, 2011	45-70 case life Apr 13^th, 2014 at 8:28am	Print Post
	I've been shooting the same cases for about three years and haven't tossed any out yet. I've got about four loads on each one. I'm shooting light-moderate loads of smokeless powder. How many reloads can you typically get out of a case? Sounds like a dumb question but most of my reloading experience has been with pistol cartridges and bottle neck rifle cartridges. I'm just wondering if I should be looking at getting some more new empties.


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MikeT Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 295 Location: St. Cloud, MN Joined: Sep 7^th, 2005	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #1 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 8:44am	Print Post
	If your loads are duplicating BP loads, then my experience tells me that the rifle will wear out first. You may need to anneal if you are working the brass very much. I have brass that has been loaded 50+ times, with BP, and the brass is fine. I have annealed them a couple of times. Keep on hav'n fun! MikeT


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nsb Participating Member Offline Posts: 28 Joined: Feb 21^st, 2011	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #2 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 9:14am	Print Post
	MikeT, thanks for the reply. I have 380 cases (120 never used yet) so I guess I don't need to order any more just yet. Thanks for the response. I'll put the money towards more bullets and powder instead.


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nuclearcricket Oldtimer Offline Posts: 823 Joined: Oct 15^th, 2008	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #3 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 11:36am	Print Post
	I have about 200 cases I have used exclusively with BP and so far I have run somewhere in the neighborhood of 30+ pounds of powder through those cases and the ones I have lost have been due to mistakes on my part either with the press or playing around trying to do other things. I have yet to loose one due to failure when firing them. Good cleaning practices and an occasional annealing and they should last a good long time. Sam


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Ray_Newman Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 274 Location: Washington State Joined: Jul 13^th, 2004	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #4 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 2:01pm	Print Post
	One time I decided to see how many firings/reloads I could get from 1 case. So for numerous range trips, I took the .45-90 Sharps, a 2.4" case, loose bullets, tubes hold pre-measured Black Powder, Smokeless, and Duplex powder charges, de- and re-capper, etc., to the range. After about every 25 firings or so I annealed the case. The case was a Huntington/Bell .45-2.4” basic Brass trimmed down to 2.4" inches. On the 438 firing, the neck started to split.

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frnkeore Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 7619 Location: Central Point, OR 97502 Joined: Jun 16^th, 2010	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #5 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 4:04pm	Print Post
	I shot my 45/70 W-W cases for ten years, using only about 25 out of a hundred, with BP & smokeless (mostly BSed) w/o loosing one. I never even collapsed a neck, I wish other cases were as relieable. Frank

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shovel80 Oldtimer Offline Posts: 896 Location: Sonora,CA Joined: Jun 6^th, 2011	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #6 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 4:11pm	Print Post
	Since I started wiping between shots, I've had two WW .45-70 Cases Separate at almost the middle point in the last two months. Both times shooting Chickens in a BPCR Silhouette Match. Maybe I'd forgot to Wipe the chamber with my Mop? Not sure....But , did it two months in a row.....Those cases were part of a 100 case set that had probably 20 or more reloads with black powder...Never resized. Didn't have any trouble when I blow tubed, but, I'm still wiping...but trying to dry the chamber better between shots after wiping the barrel. P.S. Seems like I need to trim the length more when wiping... Terry

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frnkeore Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 7619 Location: Central Point, OR 97502 Joined: Jun 16^th, 2010	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #7 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 4:15pm	Print Post
	Was it in a RB? Frank

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shovel80 Oldtimer Offline Posts: 896 Location: Sonora,CA Joined: Jun 6^th, 2011	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #8 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 4:26pm	Print Post
	No, It's a #7 Cody Ballard.. I just checked some cases I fired today on the bench. Making sure I wiped the chamber after each barrel wipe, and whiped the mop drier after each 10 shot group with a towel. and they All stretched around .010..... Terry

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frnkeore Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 7619 Location: Central Point, OR 97502 Joined: Jun 16^th, 2010	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #9 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 4:33pm	Print Post
	Hmmm, strange. RB's can spring and stretch cases but, not a Ballard if the head space is good. In 32/40, I've had the neck pulled off with BP, shooting BSed but, never in my 45/70's. Frank

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Deadeye Bly Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1140 Location: Stephens City Joined: Feb 25^th, 2011	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #10 - Apr 13^th, 2014 at 8:11pm	Print Post
	I've got one batch of 45/70 cases I've been shooting since 1992 and they are still good. I used them hard for about 10 years but they only get used ocassionally now as I shoot some other calibers now.


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MartiniBelgian Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1733 Location: Aarschot Joined: Jun 7^th, 2004	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #11 - Apr 14^th, 2014 at 2:40am	Print Post
	If shooting with BP, check how clean the inside of the heck is - if it is a bit rough, wadding can pull the neck through friction, which when bad ca cause a case separation. Make sure the inside case neck is scrupulously clean for BP.


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40_Rod Frequent Elocutionist Offline Extremism in the persuit of accuracy is not a vice Posts: 4285 Location: Knoxville, TN Joined: Apr 20^th, 2004	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #12 - Apr 14^th, 2014 at 8:15am	Print Post
	One day while shooting at Etna Green a fellow came over to me with a sad face. He told me he was going to have to start a new 32-40 case. He said it was the only case he had ever shot in that rifle and it had come with the gun. He tipped it over and the primer just fell out of the pocket! I don’t know how long you have to shoot a Peters cartridge to wear out the primer pocket but it’s more than 10 years or so. 40 Rod


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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 17967 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #13 - Apr 14^th, 2014 at 5:40pm	Print Post
	I don't shoot BP in my .45-70's and I've never lost a case yet. My loads are pretty mild, and I quickly realized I had way more brass than I'd ever use with the case life of the .45-70

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ireload2 Full Member Offline Posts: 169 Joined: Jul 9^th, 2009	Re: 45-70 case life Reply #14 - Apr 14^th, 2014 at 8:18pm	Print Post
	I have a box of WW brass that I bought in 1972. I have used these mostly for smokeless loads in 6 or 7 different 45-70s. They have been fired at least 30 times and I have had 4 split the body about half way up from the rim. I think this was mostly caused by my sizer. The primer pockets are all getting loose but the 16 survivors have been annealed and are still working.


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