Does anyone out there have first hand experience with Jamison brass in 470 Nitro?

I'd like to hear about brass dimensions (ie, does new brass chamber easily), is it consistent and how does it hold up to repeated reloadings.

I appreciate any comments.

jamsinson's ==== bell, improved, as he refreshed all the machines

I've not measured any, but it's fit in all the rifles I've tried so there was never a need to.

I've reloaded some of mine 7 or 8 times. You don't have a lot of pressure working the brass in a 470, and if you don't overwork it with your dies, it should work as well for you too.

Not .470, but I've used quite a bit(boxes) of his .500-3" cases with no problems encountered so far.

Just received some. Not much to look at but appears to be fine.

I have shot the 470 N.E., 500 N.E., and 505 Gibbs brass with no problems to date in my rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by Showbart:
Just received some. Not much to look at but appears to be fine.

What do you mean by: "Not much to look at"?

Thanks for clarification, I haven't or seen any as I have a lot of Bell.

Not polished bright and shiny, more yellow in color, a little dull to the eye.

I have some 470 brass headstamped "Rigby". Was purchased around the time of the sale, not sure if it is Bell or Jamison. Any help?

quote:

Originally posted by JBoutfishn:
I have some 470 brass headstamped "Rigby". Was purchased around the time of the sale, not sure if it is Bell or Jamison. Any help?

It's Bell. A lot of the left over stock was stamped "Rigby", including some I got directly from Bell (Mast Tech).
-----------------------------------------------
"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

quote:

Originally posted by 400 Nitro Express:

quote:

Originally posted by JBoutfishn:
I have some 470 brass headstamped "Rigby". Was purchased around the time of the sale, not sure if it is Bell or Jamison. Any help?

It's Bell. A lot of the left over stock was stamped "Rigby", including some I got directly from Bell (Mast Tech).

I got a big stash of new 470 NE brass from a dead man's widow by way of a merchant.

Mine is stamped, encircling the primer pocket:

B.E.L.L. (northern hemisphere, polar route)
and
470 (south of equator)

I have gleaned that BeLL is the older make, and BELL is the more recent designator on the headstamp of this brass.

I now have gleaned that some of the last make of this 470 NE brass was stamped simply "Rigby" as if it was a run done for Rigby or to denote the Joseph Lang and John Rigby connection?

My BELL 470 NE brass is of excellent quality, showing annealing color in the necks and well enough polished for the pickiest of eye.

I do have some BELL basic Brass in .416 Rigby straight cylinder form that has no headstamp at all.

since I have a good stock of BELL 470NE brass, I have had no need to try the Jamison brass in this caliber.

I can say that the Jamison ".505 Gibbs Jamison" and the "MBOGO 470" headstamped stuff has been excellent, and looks to be on a par with Horneber.

No. "BELL" is the old Bell brass, Brass Extrusion Labs. "BeLL" is the new Bell (Mast Tech).

Apparently, a lot of Mast Tech's stock at the time of the sale were overruns from orders for Rigby. I ordered a large batch of .450/.400 3" from them at that time, and all were stamped "BeLL", but several cases stamped "Rigby" were mixed in. The stock still available in some calibers must all have been stamped "Rigby". I've seen it .450/.400, .375 Flanged Magnum, .470, etc.
--------------------------------------------
"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

Then I managed to get the BELL and BeLL bassackwards in temporal sequence. I cannot blame Sometimer's disease for that one. It is all old hat, er, uh, old brass!

1. B.E.L.L.
2. BeLL (MAST Technologies)
3. Duh ... RIGBY!!!

Then start over with new Jamison plant and machinery and old MAST Tech tools and equipment,and throw in some PMC aquisitions too, all assembled at Sturgis, SD: about 2004?

Voila! Jamison International, LLC.

MAST: Is this an acronym made up from some wives or partners initials, besides those of Jim Bell?

When did Jim Bell start B.E.L.L.?

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
MAST: Is this an acronym made up from some wives or partners initials, besides those of Jim Bell?

When did Jim Bell start B.E.L.L.?

I don't know about the acronym. BELL was going long before I got into double rifles in the mid '80s - I seem to recall hearing that he started in the late '70s. It's been too long ago, but I do remember the sale to PMC/Eldorado. I think it was maybe in '91 or so.
---------------------------------------------
"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

Googled:

Jim Bell was in the Peace Corps in India about 1965, drooling over the double rifles that had no ammo. He began importing British double rifles and talking to H&H about making brass in late 1960's to early 1970's. He is a B.S. Mechanical Engineer, grew up in a family gun business and was a gunsmith himself as well.

In 1973 he founded as president and owner, Brass Extrusion Labs Ltd: B.E.L.L. was in Bensenville, Illinois.

PMC bought him out in 1988 and they never followed through with continuing the custom and obsolete brass business that Jim Bell had pioneered, apparently the deal went bust in Boulder City, Nevada.

(I guess that makes B.E.L.L. brass 1973 to 1988 vintage, and made in Illinois, a little way down the road from my home. That is some great brass that still looks new today in its factory packaging.)

"MAST Technology" was founded in 1990, using the first initials of the owners' wives to come up with "M-A-S-T." Nevada location still.

Enter "Bell" or "BeLL" brass on the new headstamps.

Government brass and munitions contracts grew, took over, and MAST ceased operating the custom and obsolete brass line in July 2004.

By January 2005 the final inventory and machinery were finding new homes with Jamison International LLC and Buffalo Arms.

Jim Bell:


http://www.bellbrass.com/history.htm
http://www.bellbrass.com/bell_brass_line_discontinued.htm

quote:

Originally posted by 400 Nitro Express:
No. "BELL" is the old Bell brass, Brass Extrusion Labs. "BeLL" is the new Bell (Mast Tech).

when owned by Jim Bell, and now all that machinery is in the hands of Jamison, Stamped JAMISON

FWIW - I sectioned a piece of 470 Jamison brass that has been shot/relaoaded 8 times. Here's a close-up.

Looks good, yes? Man it just needs a brush and go again.

Yes, they look fine and you owe me $1.50 for the experiment.

Actually, having fired them and FL sized them this many times, I was kindof curious myself.

New_guy,

I'm headed back to San Antonio today. If you want to swing by, I'll have the $1.50 waiting for you.

Thanks for the photo of the sectioned case. That is quite impressive. No thinning at all after 8 reloading. Wish I could say the same about some of my Norma brass in 9.3x74R.

quote:

Originally posted by B. Doerr:
No thinning at all after 8 reloading. Wish I could say the same about some of my Norma brass in 9.3x74R.

I haven't used Norma in years, but back when I did I never got more than three rounds out of their 9.3X74R brass. I found RWS infinitely better and have used it ever since.
------------------------------------------------
"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

Well I'm certainly glad I started my 470 brass stash with Jamison and not Norma and again, at half the price! Where does Norma get off? I did order a 20 rnd box of Norma 470 ammo, so there's my Norma brass.

So much for being hard to look at, dropped these 20 cases in the tumbler and they polished up like a champ! Purr-tee!!