One factor in my preparation to form my own brass is that I'll need a new case trimmer. My Wilson trimmer is a work of art, but not suitable for 45-75. I've been feeling the need anyway for my 56-50 Spencer brass. Does anyone know if the Lyman Universal Trimmer would work for those calibers?
CC Griff
I have a Lyman universal trimmer - it works - fiddly getting the case secured in the chuck/holder but it fits.
Most of the cutting I did in my lathe - made a die / holder / thingy from a big old one inch nut and bolt
My process was
1) reduce the length of the 348 case by turning MOST of the excess length off of the neck
2) Anneal the case to about two thirds down
3) neck expand - do this in as many steps as you can - so I went to 375, then to .401, then to 457
I made expander plugs with a long slow taper - you will find bolts that thread into the body of common reloading dies - just cut the head off, turn the body to size and POLISH it, plenty of lube. (one of the die companies was advertising expander kit for close on two hundred bucks)
4) go shoot! I used blackpowder full case loads from the start. The rifle didnt shoot too bad with the forming loads - I figured might as well start having fun as soon as possible - fireforming with special loads looked like work to me.
There will be some length shrinkage - so at the start make your cases as long as the chamber will allow - I would shoot em at least twice (or more) with blackpowder before the final trim - my cases ended up a tad short because I didnt leave myself enough spare. Doesnt matter with black but if you gonna load a 76 with smokeyless you need that crimp groove to work good ! We got some recoil and near on a pound of ammo in the mag slamming back each shot - bolits pushed back into case is not a smart plan.