Hello, Someone once wrote that we were fortunate to be able to form cases for .40-70 str, & .40-60 Maynard from existing .30-40 Krag brass. They made it sound like it was just a coincidence. I don't think it is. When the U.S. army began looking for a smaller caliber to replace the .45-70 service rifle, The Springfield armory probably contacted Winchester or Remington, and asked them for help. Even in those closing years of the 19th century, as now, there were bean counters at work. When the engineers determined what the army wanted, they probably looked to the basic .40-70 case..shortened it a bit, tapered body, & necked down to .30...and they had the new Krag case! Why re-invent the wheel..or go thru all the expense of developing new tooling, when they could alter what was then available? Just a thought.
