Straight wall case life is highly variable. I've had magnum revolver loads that got neck splits in five reloads, owing mainly to a heavy crimp. I've had cases running light target loads with a taper crimp in .45 ACP get up to 50 reloads. No annealing in either example. Board member Humpy mentioned having one case that had been reloaded 156 times (IIRC) and I believe it was a .308 case that he anneals regularly. So this stuff is all over the map.
Starline makes very good brass, similar to the Winchester brass I got the large reload count fr<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CNick%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" images="" smilies="" redface.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Embarrassment" smilieid="3" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" images="" smilies="" redface.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Embarrassment" smilieid="3" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype><o></o>om in .45 ACP. I have some Starline 45-70 brass, but have not got any long reloading history on it. I fully expect it to behave just like pistol brass. That is, if I load it warm and crimp it hard, it will split young. If I load it mild and crimp only to the minimum degree needed, it will last a very long time, and 50 reloads are not impossible.
Because the H&R BC is a single-shot, it doesn't need the crimp my Marlin 1895 needs to prevent recoil from pushing bullets into the case in the magazine tube. Indeed, shooting lead bullets, the only crimp it may require is enough to prevent the air that is compressed at bullet seating from pushing the lubricated lead bullet back up out of the case. I've seen that happen, but a very light crimp prevents it. In the single-shot rifle, Lyman's
45-70 taper crimp die for black powder loads will work perfectly to extend case life if you have have that trouble with bullets expanding back out? It will also press the belling back out of the case mouth more gently than a roll crimp does, but check that you have the problem with bullet push-out first? You particular bullet and lube may not cause the issue?
With the long 32" barrel, very light charges of pistol powder can achieve the desired 1400-1500 fps velocity range with great economy. Too fast, though and you wiill create pressures in the magnum+ handgun range, and that won't be easy on the brass. QuickLOAD predicts 18.5 grains of Alliant Power Pistol will make 1450 fps without exceeding SAAMI pressure limits; about 25,500 psi. It only fills about half the space in the case under the bulelt. Any time I have less than 60% fill, as with some of my Bullseye squib loads in .45-70, I use a tuft of Walmart's store brand polyester pillow stuffing over top of it. It is also perfectly suitable to use paper or fiber or card wads. Just take an old case with a split neck and cut it in half. Sharpen the brass by turning a chamfering tool into it until you have a sharp outside edge. That will cookie-cut tight fitting wads of newsprint to hold the powder back against the flash hole for consistent ignition.
You will need adequate start pressure without relying on a crimp for it. The single-shot is perfect for that. You just seat the bullets out until they touch the lands in the throat. That helps accuracy with lead bullets, anyway. I can't do it with the lever gun, because the rounds don't feed from the magazine if I do, but the H&R won't impose that restriction.
Figuring out the best load economy is tricky. I've gone through the exercise for myself on a number of occasions. For still longer case life, you may want a still lower pressure, but that will take using larger charge weights of slower powders to maintain your velocity target, so you end up paying less for brass, but more for powder. I can't tell for sure where the best cost balance will lie? An example would be 22.8 grains of 2400. It gets to your velocity with a peak pressure of only 18,250 psi. About .45 ACP pressure. That would be very easy on the brass, but
Once you get your first case split, you can anneal the mouth of a .45-70 case.
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