In a Stevens you should be able to breech seat with a plugged case, and not be concerned about neck expansion. If not, expanding a total .003 would not be a major concern, unless the brass is extremely brittle, then annealing might be in order. ,Just a suggestion and dependent on neck thickness and bullet diameter., and brass hardness. Hopefully doable for you both.

Breech seating is a distinct possibility.  I can easily make a dummy on the lathe, so I won't have to sacrifice one of these rare cases.

rkba2nd wrote on May 24^th, 2023 at 1:22pm:


Well, there's only the one piece of UMC brass, and I make tong tool muzzle resizers myself, using 310 decapper bodies.  That is in fact next on the agenda here.  But thanks for the tip - it may help someone else.

Here's some loads I tried:

Bertram cases, Ideal 25720 clone 85 gr.  10 gr XMP-5744, WWSRP 1-1/4", 1482ft/sec; same powder&bullet, CCI Mag SRP 1-3/4", 1470 ft/sec.  50 yds.

100 yd CCI SRP 10.5 gr XMP-5744 3"@100 yds, 1599ft/sec.

12 gr IMR-4198 5-1/4"@100yd, 1648ft/sec.

CCI Mag SRP, Rem 87gr JFP, 12.5gr IMR-4198, 1-1/8"@100 yds.

IMR-4198 12.5 gr with Fed SPP, 257464GC, 2-5/8"@100 yd.

CCI Mag SRP, 11.0 gr VV-N-133, 257464GC Sized 0.258" and weighed, 3-3/8"@100yd.

(That session I got up to 16 gr, giving 2040ft/sec and a flyer through my Chrony.  You can tell when a rifle/caliber really hates you.)

CCI SRMP, 15 gr Reloder 7 Rem 87gr JFP, 1-1/4" vert string @ 100 yd.  Other groups 2-5/8" range with same load.

CCI SRMP, 18 gr VV-N-133, Rem 87gr JFP 1-1/8"@50 yd.  2540ft/sec.

Put a throating reamer into the chamber and turned until the "bumps" stopped being felt.  Bertram and UMC cases, CCI SRMP, 17.0 gr VV-N-133, Rem 87gr JSP seated way out.  1-1/4", 3-1/4"(4 in 1-1/4") 2-1/4" (4 in 1-1/4") 1-7/8” (4 in 1").  100yd.

Bertram brass, new throat, CCI SRMP, 12.5gr IMR-4198, 100gr Cramer #55.  3" and 1-1/2" (4 in 3/4") 100 yds.  1613 ft/sec.

Redid above: 3", 2-3/4", 2-3/4" 3-1/8".

Bertram brass CCI SRMP, 10 gr XMP-5744, Kapok tuft, RCBS 87 gr tumble lubed 2" to 5-1/5" @100yds.

RMC cases, misc primers, 25 gr Swiss 1-1/2grease cookie between card wads, 100gr paper patched. Keyholes, tips and scattered 100 yd.

25gr olde Eynsford 1-1/2, 90gr 25720 90 gr 0.258" Lyman BP Gold, Rem 9-1/2, CCI-400 and CCI-450 5-1/2" to 8-1/2" verticals @ 50 yds.

Same powder & bullet, 50 yds Rem 7-1/2 BRP OE 1-1/2, 26 gr 4 in 5-1/4"; 28 gr 9-1/2" (4 in 5-1/2"); 30 gr 6-1/4".

CCI SRP best 26 gr 3", CCI-450 SRMP best 30 gr 4-1/4".

Fire lapped the barrel 60 shots.  Before lapping, CCI SRP 12.4 gr 4198, 257464 sized 0.260" 3-3/8"@50 yds.  After lapping, 6 shots in 2-5/8" @ 100 yd.

Did above over, 3 groups @ 100 yds.  6 in 2-3/4", 5 in 2-3/4" (4 in 1-1/8") and 5 in 1-1/8".

Throating and fire lapping seemed to help, but I ran out of steam.  No further development since mid 2020.

Haven't retried the blistering velocities with jacketed bullets after the barrel treatments.  This is a Low Wall, relined by Redman, chambered by me.

I chambered three more Redman .25 caliber relines in .25-20 SS&WCF and .25-21.  All can give 2-1/4" groups @ 100 with no particular trouble.  Some do better.

Most Bertram cases are different lengths&heads and all are too short.  Doesn't help accuracy much.

In my 25-21(sorry wrong cartridge) I was  having problems with loaded neck diameter and basically no throat. Decided to try a .256” bullet based on some obscure reference to Stevens bullet size I can’t  easily find right now. Bore measured .257”

Made a world of difference.

ndnchf wrote on May 25^th, 2023 at 9:59am:


Technically both.
First tried sizing down to .256” from .258, it showed promise, so had a mould made.

The other big indicator was a significant drop in lead left behind in the barrel.

For a company that prided itself on the quality of its' barrels, they sure weren't very good at holding groove diameters to a tolerance.