I hope I'm not bringing coals to Newcastle, I haven't seen this discussed before. Faced with $285 for a reforming kit or almost $3 ea. for 8X58RD cases, I came up with this: I am reforming  45-90 cases into 8X58RD cases. This method of course can be used on many other combinations. Start with a good-sized vise with a relatively hefty adjusting handle (To me this means it's intended for serious work). With a short cheater bar ( The short part of a floor jack handle will work), a good vise will easily do ANY case forming. Case forming is wearing on a vise, so take an older vise apart and check condition of the threads on the nut and adjusting bar and grease them. NEVER use case lube forming cases. It's a guaranteed defect maker. I turn out (usually) perfect cases in one pass. Remove the decapping stem from a FL resizing die and clean all lube out. Insert the case in the die, tap to get it started, and place in the vise jaws. Rotate the handle, using the cheater bar when needed. You now must develop a way to determine proper headspace. On my cases, there is a tiny cannelure just ahead of the rim. When the die edge comes to it, the case is right. You must develop some simple way to do this on yours. Get a large hex nut that will pass your cases and a caliber specific rod the right length. Assemble with your case and your vise to eject the formed case gently. This will gently eject even balloon head cases. I anneal AFTER forming, to avoid doing it twice. Trim, inspect, and you're done. And, that's it. Simplicity itself. In the words of the old commercial, "Try it, you'll like it"!

I suspect this thread will be transferred to the reloading forum (unless it's showing in the Classifieds due to a quirk in the server or my laptop - threads have been disappearing from the Index a lot of late). In the meantime I'll second the use of a big honking arbor press for such work over a bench vise. I have a 5-ton arbor press (in addition to several small ones) that does a herculean job, especially with the help of a three foot cheater pipe.

Endeavors in the nature of reforming brass to something larger will have me exploring further the use of water hydraulics. I have such a die, made by Hornady, that uses water and a lead hammer-driven piston to "fireform" .22 Hornet brass to K-Hornet configuration. Very efficient, but admittedly messy (best use it outside), and the result is perfectly formed brass with zero losses from fireforming in the chamber.

A machinist friend made a hundred cases from 45-90 for me several years ago for my Jorgensen-Krag.
I think half the european cartridges are makeable from this one or the 50-90.

Rich

I gave up all my vices. Although sometimes I fall back to my old ways.

There are some days when it seems a big fat cigar would be just the ticket.

I'd borrowed the reamer from Wilson's in Cashmere Wa. and  I built up a 220 Wilson Arrow 30 years ago in my Ruger #1 .All I had was their FL pound type  die and I used a nice vice to form cases.it worked well for me until I found an RCBS FL die.

My purpose in this thread was to enable ordinary shooters to better enjoy their still affordable RBs or even get into serious competition with rifles chambered in expensive or unobtainable calibers (8X58RD, 11mm, .43 Spanish, .43 Egyptian). It works for any round you can obtain a FL sizing die for, especially all those No. 5s with shootable bores. I use a 20-year old Grand Rapids 5" bench vise with excellent leverage. It was $75 on Ebay, and $75 shipping. I inspected and regreased all threads. I can manually turn the vise handle to within the last 3-4 turns before needing a cheater bar, so I don't think any appreciable wear. Recently I formed 80 Jamison 45-90 new cases into 8X58RD cases. These were $1 each. The only commercially available cases are $2.85 each (when available), and sometimes  start splitting after a couple firings. I have 100 Starline coming, also $1 each. Doing those will save me a total of $333. That will finance a lot of shooting. And even some travel. Our shooter can now enjoy many obsolete calibers. All he needs is a FL die and a neck sizer. Remember, he isn't supplying Gretna, he only needs a relatively few cases for himself. Seems to me this enables shooters to widen their enjoyment of our sport. Maybe even become or stay members.

Arbor press is the thing to use. Small hobby size presses used are in demand by leather workers etc. Real big ones less so due to bulk and weight. 

I found one 75 miles away that kept coming  down in price due lack of interest, Greenard # 3 1/2 ratchet. Told him it was too big for me.  Kept after me & finally offered it for scrap value. 100 bucks. Big job rolling it into my utility trailer , 

Home by myself, had to rent a engine lift & get it out set up for cleaning & painting. Then rent the lift again to move into the shop and positioned. Needed a stand, buddy welded one up for me. Finished with the stand it weighs nearly 500 lbs, this from old catalog & calculation on the stand weight.

It’s very useful will form many items. Example load 10 G black powder shotguns on it. Form Rifle and pistol brass too. And it’s intended use bearing replacement. Recently  Re bushed & refurbished heavy steering gear for a pair of twin screw 41 foot work boats . Press set the new bushings.

FYI the chuck does not turn, holds punches etc centered for straight pressing. Quick to remove. Added a return spring too, useful volume repeat punching- sizing.

Every shop needs one

Boats 

Boats

boats wrote on Oct 10^th, 2023 at 8:56pm:

Beautiful, but...."every shop needs one"? Do you mind if I come by and do a few 8X58s on that beauty? One of the jaws fell off my vise.