45-70 OAL with 405's

[davem270win]

I've got a new Marlin guide gun and am in the process of working up handloads. I began loading some Remington 405 jacketed bullets last night, and am finding that when I seat to the top (and I mean the very top of the groove) crimping groove, the overall length is 2.64 - but the manuals all say I shouldn't exceed 2.55 or 2.57 to feed in a lever action. My cases are trimmed, and are at 2.10.

Will this work in the Marlin, or are the Remingtons not usable in this gun? Do I need to trim the cases further?

[Castaway]

It depends on the ogive of the bullet, but my buddy's GG will not take a Lee 405 cast bullet greater than 2.55".  Over that, the bullet pulls when extracting a loaded cartridge.  If I remember correctly the Remington 405 is roughly similar in shape.  There's one way to tell and that's to load a dummy cartridge and see.

[flattail]

I used a Lee factory crimp die with the Rem 405 gr jacketed soft point, going close to what I call the ogive (the rounded part of the bullet) and end up with an OAL of 2.580". I needed to do this because I have a short throated Handi rifle.  I haven't tried this round in my guide gun yet to see if it will cycle.  If it cycles in mine, don't mean it would cycle in yours, anyway.  If you don't have a factory crimp die, I would sure get one.  Lots of times you'll use it.

The Lyman's 48th Edition reloading manual shows loads for the lever gun for that same bullet, so somebody must have figured out how to crimp it.  It seems like somebody posted once that they loaded it to 2.55" and then used the Lee factory crimp die at that OAL.  I don't personally know if the crimp die will work on the ogive.

I'm very new to this, but maybe somebody who has loaded this bullet for the guide gun will respond.

flattail

[ggeilman]

I am pretty new at this too, but the factory crimp die seems to do just fine at 2.55.

[davem270win]

I checked out a box of Remington Factory loaded 45-70-405. Remington seats the 405 bullet with the cannelure well into the case, and the case rim over the slight shoulder in the bullet, which is above the cannelure, and then factory crimps at that point. Thanks flattail, the Lee factory crimp die is just the ticket for this. My OAL is now below 2.55.