50-70 Case Life

[Axman]

I really have no worry about ever running out of 50-70 brass but after I had the NEF Handi rebored a while back I thought I’d take a single pc of 50-70 and see how many loads could get out of it.

The plan was to take all the stuff, dies, bullets, precharged vials,primers and a press to my hunting camp and shoot till it failed.

I loaded 24grns 4759 and a LBT 465 grn .512” w-wt bullet in a sized expanded case.

After shooting the first shot the fired case would hold the bullet pretty good so I figured instead of changing dies all the time I’d shoot as fired, hand seated. I would not carry these to hunt with as I wouldn’t trust them to stay in place.

26 shots and primer pocket was tight and I ran out of powder.
The LBT’s were getting a little loose for comfort so I had some .513” Hoch 20-1 bullets I found and pan lubed them with SPG,

I got home and went to the club I belong to and shot 24 more with the Hoch nose pour bullets.
I punched out the last primer and reprimed and pocket was still good

50 Shots in a single piece of brass.

Here are some pictures of the first and second loading outfits and the piece of brass that has only been wiped off with a paper towel.

Thanks
Jim

 

[Michael]

Sounds about right, being unsized and throw in annealing the neck area every now, and then, they will out live you.

 

[oscarflytyer]

ok/great to read/know/hear!

And... 1) You are right up the road from me (iirc); 2) I am looking at acquiring a 50-70; 3) NOW I know where to get 50-70 brass! lmoa!

 

[Axman]

There’s 2 lots of 50 pcs on gunbroker that are $310 and $250
Crazy

 

[Michael]

Just get it from Starline, if it's on backorder, just wait it out and save up for it while you wait. Just like that Shiloh 50-70 Saddle Rifle you're going to shoot it in. Make your deposit, wait, save, 18-24 months and waa laa.

 

[RicinYakima]

I'm still shooting Dixie Gun Works brass from the 1970's, the two piece kind. Forged head and soldered copper tube for a body. Never going to wear out as long as you don't size them hard. Lucked into a set of early Lyman dies made for the .518" bullets for original rifles, so no excess sizing of the cases.

 

[Axman]

Ric
Any chance of a picture of one of those cases?
I’ve got some older Dixie but not those.
Thanks

 

[Missionary]

Now I need to look at my Dixie 50-70 brass to see what I have... All I know for sure are they have been with us for as long as the 1868 rifle and they came with the rifle.

 

[RicinYakima]

Ric
Any chance of a picture of one of those cases?
I’ve got some older Dixie but not those.
Thanks

I'll look some up today. PM me if I forget to post it here.

 

[RicinYakima]

I have only one box of unfired cases, 20 to a box, left.

You can just see the temper line on the outside of the case.

If the case is clean on the inside, the solder line is very visible.

 

[Axman]

Thanks
I’ll have to look at mine that are stashed.
I think some are 24 ct but I’ll have to look. I do know some are marked DIXIE and some are marked DGW

 

[Axman]

I forgot to say in first post that the case was .010” shorter than when I started.

 

[Michael]

That is not at all unusual.

 

[Axman]

That is not at all unusual.

Any idea why it happens?

 

[Michael]

IME has a case it repeatedly fired it forms to dimensions of the chamber. In doing so it pulls brass from all over the case which ends causing it to shorten. This can be easily be seen as well when forming 35 Whelan from '06, or 35-30 from 30-30.