Can I fireform these cases? - Discussion Closed Thanks!

[briannmilewis]

By now I am sure you think I have way too much time on my hands, and don't know where my weird ideas come from, so just incase you have been getting bored, here is my latest two ideas.

I am sorta fixated on 357 bullets at this time, and have been looking for new and cheap cases to house the 357 bullet - 223 Remington and 30-30 Winchester parent cases were obvious, and there would only be fire-forming, not trimming or neck turning required - hey, I am lazy!

I want some experienced folks who have done fire-forming of wildcat cases to provide feedback.

In each image, can the case on the top of each image fire-form OK into the case on the bottom of each image?

Do you have any advice about the best way to do it?

1.

2.

I am also looking at an existing 357-444 Marlin which will need a forming die - move over 357 Max!



Thanks!

[alan in ga]

The .35/30-30 was a popular round for 'reboring' lever rifles to when reboring was more common. Today folks just buy new barrels unless the existing barrel is rare [uncommon sights on it or some engraving, etc].

[stimpylu32]

Brian

Theres an easier way to do what you want here , get a Lee uni. de-capping die , switch out the strait de-capping pin to one with a tappered expander in .358 .

You may need to anneal the case necks to avoid tearing the neck as you push it out , necking up is the easiest case forming that can be done , were as necking down is were you run into problems with folded in necks and necks that are too thick .

stimpy

[securitysix]

Interesting ideas, especially the .357-.444, though it looks like it's tapered rather than necked, which is odd.  Why not neck it down a la the .357-.44 Baine & Davis?

On that note, a while back, I had a notion that I never followed through on to neck a .45-70 down to take .35 caliber bullets.

As for fireforming cases out straight, the .270 Ren was a .22 Hornet that was "necked up" according to Hornady 6th Edition.  Not sure if people actually ran thin Hornet brass through a sizing die and hoped for the best or if they fired .22 Hornet ammo in a Ren chamber.

I did once get to see the result of a .308 Winchester fired in a .270 Winchester chamber.  Guy had two Ruger 77s that were identical except chambering, had switched guns and been firing the .270, but didn't take his .308 ammo off the table.  He accidentally grabbed a .308 and chambered it.  I wasn't there when he fired it, but he showed me the case.  It was blown out straight save for the mouth, which looked like it was roll crimped, and was split in several places.  I'm not sure if the splitting was from the pressure of shoving a .30 caliber bullet down a .27 caliber bore, from the mouth of the case meeting the shoulder of the chamber, or from the violence of expanding to the chamber.

If there's no problem with actually blowing the case out by firing the ammo in your straightened chamber, I would think the .30-30 would be fine.  The .223 would present more of a problem.  You've got to headspace it on something.  The .30-30 can headspace on the rim.  The .223 doesn't have a rim to headspace off of.

[briannmilewis]

Thanks for your input I really do appreciate it.

I revisited everything I was looking at doing and why, and one of the biggest reasons was to fill gaps...that did not end up exisitng. Looking deeper into many varieties of 35s like the 35 Rem, 356 Win and 358 Win, and 357 Max, all gaps are already covered pretty much, so that is what I will conerntrate on...rechambering H&R 357 Mags!