Hello all,
     I could use some expertise from the wise ones here.  I'm thinking of building a highwall in 40-50 SS for shooting and hunting in Iowa, but it's a bit complicated.
     Here in Iowa, the DNR is a bit odd in how they view and allow deer hunting cartridges.  Up until now, they allow straight wall catridges up to 1.800" case length, plus a few "Grandfathered" ones like .45-70 and .444 Marlin.  2019 I harvested a deer with my .444.  2020 i used my .45-70.
     On the docket for 2021, they are proposing the same 1.800" length restriction, banning .444 and .45-70, and allowing .38-55 and .35 Rem.  So, my .444 and .45-70 are now potentially banned for hunting in Iowa.  I have a .38-40, .44/40, .38-55, and a .35 Rem.  It's hard to say how long these will be included, but the 1.800" length appears to be here for good.
     So, my plan right now is to build a .40-50 SS.  This is where i need the help.  Case length is 1.875", so I would need to trim to 1.800".  So my question is, could i use a standard length chamber, trim .075" off case length, seat bullets longer and still expect reasonably good accuracy and performance?  I've talked to a couple shops about reaming the chamber .075" shorter, but no one seems to want to do it.  I really want to continue shooting a Single Shot in a BPCR chambering, but my long term options appear bleak, unless i go with .38-40 or .44-40.  I prefer a rifle catridge to be honest.

Thanks in advance,
                                   Mike

My suggestion is to wait and see what the regulations for allowable cartridges are in Iowa for next season. I think the dnr is going to hear an uproar on this, especially for not allowing the .45-70 and the .444 marlin, after many deer hunters ran out and bought new rifles after they first became legal. I don’t believe anything is set in stone on the regs yet.

The bill that the Governor signed was supposed to expand the allowable cartridges... not restrict the existing ones, why the dnr is wanting to ban the 45-70 especially is beyond me.

The standard chambering would make the rifle more liquid if you ever need to sell it.  Few people like to mess with oddball cartridges and wildcats.

If you shoot black or smokeless and grease groove bullets, seating them long to touch the rifling should give you all the accuracy needed for deer hunting.  Unless the game warden is running around the woods with a set of calipers, I would think the standard length shells would be close enough to the spirit of the law.  They have to be considering what a judge would think about a sixteenth of an inch difference.  Sort of like that 5mph over the speed limit the cops allow.

I have to say, this is one of the cleverest reasons to get a new gun I’ve heard in a while.  Te salud! 

Three decades ago (before Starline began making .45-90 brass) many owners of .45-90 rifles used .45-70 brass with the bullet set out. These worked well for plinking and fed through an 1895 Marlin with no trouble.

Sorry, but the .50-70 uses a bullet around .515 in diameter, Iowa limits the diameter to .500, so the .50-70 isn’t legal.

You could play it safe and build a .44 magnum. You could possibly build a .45-1.8”, and lengthen the chamber later to .45-70 if still legal, or just shoot shortened 45-70 to 1.8” cases in the .45-70 you have now.

why not short chamber the40?50 you could always chase it out to full length or even 40/60 maynard   ask john bly