Saeed can I ask what brass you used for yours first?

Next, I know Bertram makes it for $20 a piece or so.
Is lathe turned stuff the only other alternative?

Thanks for any replies

Karl.

Karl,

The ones we have are made by Butch Searcy, and made on a lathe. They are of exceptional quality.

I refuse to use Bertram brass of any caliber. I have tried a few and found them to be a perfect example of how brass case should never be!

Lar I meant 700 NE is 47 each.
Unsure of the 50bmg price.

I wonder if they could be made from modified 50BMG cases? Can you get those in Australia? I'd send you some, but they would probably get nabbed in customs like the 4bore/ 20mm cases.

You could use the 12GA FH brass that Rob and Fritz are going to make,that we helped figure out how to put on rim. By making base smaller after the rim has been
added.From .800 approx down to .780..If you get some
12Ga FH cases, my case lathe/spinner can reduce them,along with the swages I have now, and the way I do it wouldn't
thin the sides.Tough brass that would go many loadings.Ed.

Some of my Lathe turned brass is on it's fifth or sixth reload and is still going strong. Most .700NE loads are in the 35-40KPSI range and well made Lathe turned brass seems just fine at those levels. There is also probably enough work hardening going on that the brass actually improves in strength with each firing/reloading cycle. Given that the wall thickness of the Lathe Turned brass is far more consistent than anything Bertram has ever bothered to make, I'd go that route in a heartbeat. Ed is also correct in that .700NE could be made from .50BMG cases, although I'm sure case capacity would suffer a little.-Rob

Rob-Is John setting up to make those cases also.His quality
is absolutely the best.I don't know if you want to get tied
up making everything for everyone.You'd have to quite
the bureaucratic job.It is amazing the loads you got out of that turned brass, but as you say it gets tougher with every firing.Ed.

Couldn't they order the brass in a hardened state, cold rolled to reduce cross section and harden, then turn it down?

Lar
The BMG is legal here in VIC someone on the Aust forum said the 50BMG is illegal in QLD, which I see Karl is from.

Noticed the Aust site Ammodump list it at more than $47 AUD each

The importation of cartridge brass requires an import permit in Australia - this is a federal law. They might not stop it all but if they find it they will cease it.
You need a permit from state gov licensing branch/registry.
Easy to get a permit in Vic just fill in form send it to Vic Firearms licensing branch had mine back in less than a week.

Ed - I was very skeptical at first of Lathe Turned brass myself,but the truth is the truth. It's actually damn good and John is the best there is! It does get better with each use and I've only had one case that cracked at the mouth out of 100.-Rob

Lathe turned brass is soft because it does not get work hardened as it would if it were drawn, correct? Is there just no way to heat treat/harden machined brass to the streinth of drawn brass?

Kristofer

KB-It can't be heat treated.To toughen the case head, it must be hammered in manufacture or work-hardened by firing. I have done that with soft headed brass and increased the pressure the
case head could take without expanding, by 1/4.Fired light loads to start with and by load 7 or 8 i could get closer to full power.Ed.

Ed- Is absolutely correct by firing the cases, they have become much stronger. 6 or 7 times seems just fine for straight wall cases.-Rob

Lar-They do start out with half hard brass, about like bullets John makes. Which correlates to the hardness on a
properly made shell casing, of area just where the head transitions to the side of the case.Which isn't weak as
half hard has a yield strength of 45-50k and full hard is
65k.Most properly made brass is full hard in the head or
more. Afew firings takes half hard close to full hard.
The real secret to proper turned cases, that are as strong as brass will allow, is make them thick enough and a big radius in the corner.Ed.,

$47 AUD each
I can get them here for $.75 ea. I have a few 20mm cans full that I just picked up for the price of cleaning the deck after a shoot. I turned down some 20mm cases to 4bore dimensions and bushed for a shotgun primer pocket, but they got nabbed in customs. It would probably just be cheaper to find a local guy who could turn some for you???

Lar-Do you have any 20 mm cases to spare or sell. Need a
half dozen for important research.Ed.

Ed, I know I have atleast 1 20mm can full with links and all. send me an address. I'll have to check and see if I ended up with 2 cans or 1. CRS. What I've heard is that you can use the primer cup and flip it over to seat a 50BMG primer in as the 20mm primers can be hard to come by. I just bored out the primer pocket and soldered in a bushing for a 209 shotshell primer.

Lar and 416,

50BMg rifles are illegal but the brass is okay in my state(for now) since the BMG wildcats are also legal.Strange laws eh? Cost is $2 from PMC I think.



Yeah lar the brass would probably be nabbed again. The feds would let it in with a permit, but my state is starting to lump 'anti-material cases' in with 'artillery and anti-tank' which are both listed as illegal.

Any case would have to be as 'sporting' as possible and correctly headstamped.

Thanks for your suggestions though.



Karl.

Lar-Thanks, but don't send all you have to me,I will email you address.6-8 cases would be fine unless you absolutely have to get rid of more.Ed.

Any hints for us Ed on what you are doing?

Lar, I have lost the thread about the cast mould somehow. Can you email me mate?

Karl.

Karl--Just researching the absolute, most humungous,
belted straight case.Ed.

Lar--Did you get my email and address?Ed

Ed, I got it and it should be in the mail tomorrow if I can walk. The back went out today and I've been stoned on painkillers all day.

Karl, look here.
http://www.accuratereloading.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=557270&page=3&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=21&fpart=&vc=1&PHPSESSID=
This is what I have done so far.
Once I have the 12ga down, it shouldn't be any problem to make a 10 ga.
I did see a very nice 8 bore cast slug over at www.mountianmolds.com from a mold he made for a customer. His work is lightyears beyond what I can do on my Smithy. If you want something of real quality, then check him out. He made the mold for my 470Ne 500gn with 70% and 90% diameter meplats.

Ah the 10ga thread. Doh! The site has been taking so long to bring up new pages I keep switching it off.
Thanks mate I will check these fellows out as well then. By the way how is the 470 going?

Karl.

That brass can be machined and still be at the correct hardness. You just have to push a thicker web so you can have extra to machine off. I know this is a curse word but...A-square has a bit of .700 brass. Has anyone used it?

Ed, the brass is in the mail.

Lar-That is great. Will get with you later.Ed.