40-70 Sharps Straight Brass

Str8shooter_mn · July 13, 2015, 07:28 PM

I've recently acquired a 1875 C. Sharps in 40-70 sharps straight caliber. I have 97 brass for it formed from 30-40 Krag. I am looking for a source for more 30-40 Krag brass or 303 British to form into 40-70 SS.
Any ideas on a source that won't break the bank would be appreciated.
Thank You

oley55 · July 13, 2015, 08:44 PM

I guess it is your desire to form ur own brass, but Grafe n Sons list a couple. The Jamison brass is $1.60 per shell case (although out of stock). not sure if that a bank breaker or not.

https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog...ategoryId/852?

condor bravo · July 13, 2015, 09:14 PM

Western Bullet Co indicates they have .30-40 Crag (new) at $19.25 per 20 and .303 British at $30 per 50. Apparently in stock; otherwise they would indicate. Go to web site and select "brass" for listing. Payment by PayPal is necessary but it seems to work out OK; not a PayPal fan myself but Western is quite a good source for brass and cast rifle and handgun bullets so sometimes you just have to go where you can get it. Recent bullet order delivery times have been good from Western and they ship by USPS flat rate which helps to result in fast deliveries.

Ralph Allen · July 14, 2015, 02:40 PM

You can order from Western and put it in your cart and then send a check. I don't do pay pal and this is how I've ordered from them. Ralph

condor bravo · July 14, 2015, 03:26 PM

Interesting you can do it that way (by following up the on-line order with a check). Does that delay shipment by the additional amount of time it takes for Western to receive the check?

HiBC · July 16, 2015, 11:09 PM

Take a good look at Hornady .405 WCF brass.
Long ago,long enough I forgot some details, I wanted a 40-70.The 30-40 Krag brass was close,but a little short.
When loading lead bullets BPCR,the soft lead bullet upsets.
If your cartridge case is short,the bullet will upset oversize as it clears the short case mouth,then get swaged or scraped back down as it hits the chamber mouth.Its not a good deal.Best if the case is chamber length.
In the SPG lube book,they show a good compromise in the 40-60 Maynard.You are not chambered in that,but SPG suggested it as ideal for forming from 30-40 or .303 brass.Still you are short for 40-70 SS.
Then Hornady came out with .405 WCF and it is nearly perfect for 40-70 SS brass.
There may have been some variation in interpreting 40-70 SS.Hard to say how C Sharps chambered them for rim thickness,bullet dia,etc.
I made up a fireforming device to fit a common old break action single shot 12 ga.I think I used an old junk milsurp bbl .I ran a 40-70 SS chamber reamer into it.Do drill it through with a .406 drill.You do not want the dia to choke down to .30 or 8mm.That might drastically increase pressure when the cream of wheat hit it.Length may have been about 6 in.I turned the OD to match a 12 ga shell,so it would chamber in the shotgun.
I used the Bullseye/Cream of Wheat method.Use Cream of wheat,not cornmeal.Try about 6 gr of Bullseye to start.Creep up the charge till the case blows straight.I think I'd not go much past 8 gr.
I had very high failure rate on once fired brass Very good results with virgin brass.
I made a hard maple dipper,that would throw about 6 gr.I took primed brass to the range,and a loading block,A funnel,Cream of Wheat,and a little toilet paper.I also took the same drill bit I used to drill the dipper.3/8 or 7/16 or so.
By hand I could slightly sighly increase the charge the dipper threw with the drill bit till I got results.
Put the charge of Bullseye in the primed case in the loading block.Fill it wth cream of wheat.Push a bit of toilet paper on top.No bullet of any kind.
Stik it in the chamber insert in the shotgun.Bang.Straight walled basic brass,with 40-70 taper.

I forget which taper reamer,but if you study an MSC tool catalogue...I don't recall if its taper pin reamer,B+S taper,0 or 00 Morse..but there is a series of taper reamer that matches the taper and size range of the40-70 SS.
I would not recommend barrel chambering with it as it has no pilot.It will work for the fireforming chamber.They are cheaper than a chamber reamer by a bunch.
I told you all that to answer your question,but,the brass will still be short.
I gave the setup to a buddy who made a 40-50 SS.It works great for him.
Seems like original 40-70 used a .406/407 bullet of modest..maybe 360? gr bullet.The silhouette shooters would more likely use 400ish gr bullets around .410/411 dia.I think the .405 Win/Hornady is .412,but check.
You will be figuring out neck tension,neck/chamber clearance,etc.that works.

Dufus · July 17, 2015, 12:42 AM

Buffalo Arms has some in stock.

http://www.buffaloarms.com/40_70_Sha....aspx?CAT=3838

Kevin Rohrer · July 17, 2015, 10:48 PM

Starline Brass sells 45-70 and other BP caliber brass. Their products are first-rate.

July 13, 2015, 07:28 PM	#1
Str8shooter_mn Junior Member Join Date: July 13, 2015 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1	40-70 Sharps Straight Brass I've recently acquired a 1875 C. Sharps in 40-70 sharps straight caliber. I have 97 brass for it formed from 30-40 Krag. I am looking for a source for more 30-40 Krag brass or 303 British to form into 40-70 SS. Any ideas on a source that won't break the bank would be appreciated. Thank You

July 13, 2015, 08:44 PM	#2
oley55 Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2013 Location: JAX, FL Posts: 377	I guess it is your desire to form ur own brass, but Grafe n Sons list a couple. The Jamison brass is $1.60 per shell case (although out of stock). not sure if that a bank breaker or not. https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog...ategoryId/852? __________________ “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.” ― Ronald Reagan

July 13, 2015, 09:14 PM	#3
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	Western Bullet Co indicates they have .30-40 Crag (new) at $19.25 per 20 and .303 British at $30 per 50. Apparently in stock; otherwise they would indicate. Go to web site and select "brass" for listing. Payment by PayPal is necessary but it seems to work out OK; not a PayPal fan myself but Western is quite a good source for brass and cast rifle and handgun bullets so sometimes you just have to go where you can get it. Recent bullet order delivery times have been good from Western and they ship by USPS flat rate which helps to result in fast deliveries. Last edited by condor bravo; July 14, 2015 at 11:06 AM.

July 14, 2015, 03:26 PM	#5
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	Interesting you can do it that way (by following up the on-line order with a check). Does that delay shipment by the additional amount of time it takes for Western to receive the check? Last edited by condor bravo; July 14, 2015 at 03:59 PM.

July 16, 2015, 11:09 PM	#6
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,350	Take a good look at Hornady .405 WCF brass. Long ago,long enough I forgot some details, I wanted a 40-70.The 30-40 Krag brass was close,but a little short. When loading lead bullets BPCR,the soft lead bullet upsets. If your cartridge case is short,the bullet will upset oversize as it clears the short case mouth,then get swaged or scraped back down as it hits the chamber mouth.Its not a good deal.Best if the case is chamber length. In the SPG lube book,they show a good compromise in the 40-60 Maynard.You are not chambered in that,but SPG suggested it as ideal for forming from 30-40 or .303 brass.Still you are short for 40-70 SS. Then Hornady came out with .405 WCF and it is nearly perfect for 40-70 SS brass. There may have been some variation in interpreting 40-70 SS.Hard to say how C Sharps chambered them for rim thickness,bullet dia,etc. I made up a fireforming device to fit a common old break action single shot 12 ga.I think I used an old junk milsurp bbl .I ran a 40-70 SS chamber reamer into it.Do drill it through with a .406 drill.You do not want the dia to choke down to .30 or 8mm.That might drastically increase pressure when the cream of wheat hit it.Length may have been about 6 in.I turned the OD to match a 12 ga shell,so it would chamber in the shotgun. I used the Bullseye/Cream of Wheat method.Use Cream of wheat,not cornmeal.Try about 6 gr of Bullseye to start.Creep up the charge till the case blows straight.I think I'd not go much past 8 gr. I had very high failure rate on once fired brass Very good results with virgin brass. I made a hard maple dipper,that would throw about 6 gr.I took primed brass to the range,and a loading block,A funnel,Cream of Wheat,and a little toilet paper.I also took the same drill bit I used to drill the dipper.3/8 or 7/16 or so. By hand I could slightly sighly increase the charge the dipper threw with the drill bit till I got results. Put the charge of Bullseye in the primed case in the loading block.Fill it wth cream of wheat.Push a bit of toilet paper on top.No bullet of any kind. Stik it in the chamber insert in the shotgun.Bang.Straight walled basic brass,with 40-70 taper. I forget which taper reamer,but if you study an MSC tool catalogue...I don't recall if its taper pin reamer,B+S taper,0 or 00 Morse..but there is a series of taper reamer that matches the taper and size range of the40-70 SS. I would not recommend barrel chambering with it as it has no pilot.It will work for the fireforming chamber.They are cheaper than a chamber reamer by a bunch. I told you all that to answer your question,but,the brass will still be short. I gave the setup to a buddy who made a 40-50 SS.It works great for him. Seems like original 40-70 used a .406/407 bullet of modest..maybe 360? gr bullet.The silhouette shooters would more likely use 400ish gr bullets around .410/411 dia.I think the .405 Win/Hornady is .412,but check. You will be figuring out neck tension,neck/chamber clearance,etc.that works. Last edited by HiBC; July 17, 2015 at 12:14 AM.

July 14, 2015, 02:40 PM	#4
Ralph Allen Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2007 Posts: 436	You can order from Western and put it in your cart and then send a check. I don't do pay pal and this is how I've ordered from them. Ralph

July 17, 2015, 12:42 AM	#7
Dufus Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2014 Posts: 1,967	Buffalo Arms has some in stock. http://www.buffaloarms.com/40_70_Sha....aspx?CAT=3838

July 17, 2015, 10:48 PM	#8
Kevin Rohrer Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2010 Location: Medina, Ohio Posts: 1,050	Starline Brass sells 45-70 and other BP caliber brass. Their products are first-rate. __________________ Member: Orange Gunsite Family, NRA--Life, ARTCA, and American Legion. Caveat Emptor: Cavery Grips/AmericanGripz/Prestige Grips/Stealth Grips from Clayton, NC. He is a scammer