Turned martini henry cases

[bosephus]

Todays project .. turned 577-.450 martini cases i do not have any solid head cases for my martini .. just reformed semi balloon head shot gun brass .
So i decided to turn a few of my own .rather then waste pricy brass stock i dont yet have anyway i decided to do a proto type out of aluminum .
Working from a chamber cast here is the first proto type .it fits my chamber perfectly .
Next up ... figuring out how to cut the primer pocket

 

[cjtoombs]

You might want to build up to full pressure loads and watch for cracking around the case neck area when you do. Aluminum cartridge cases have been used successfully in high pressure military applications (The GAU-8 gun on the A-10 uses aluminum cartridge cases). You just need to be sure you won't have any problems with it at full pressure levels. Those look like a lot of work to machine, have you thought about machining straight neck cases and building some forming dies to neck them down?

 

[COMachinist]

Hi
Good idea on making a proto type from Alum. I made some 416 Rigby rimmed cases for a single shot I made but had extraction problems with the rimless version. I ground a center cutting end mill to make the boxer primer pockets. They need to be a tight fit so they don't leak gas that is a big problem with machined cases. You could always pay 6.00 a cartridge for 577 basic 3" from Bertram brass)
Good shooting
CH

 

[george wilson]

Six dollars really isn't that much compared to the work of making a case.

 

[bosephus]

Cj .. i dont have any plans on shooting with an aluminum case . .. its sole purpose is as a proto type . The actual cases will be brass .

Co machinist ... you wouldnt happen to still have that end mill would you .
It sure would save me a ton of work .

George ... well it isnt so much the $6 for the case . I dont want a lot of cases , just a few to play with .
The real issue comes into finding those $6-$8 cases .. i have yet to see any of the basic 577 cases any where .. or any ready made 577-.450 .

Then if you do happen to find the basic 577 case you still have the long tedius job of trimming and necking them down to 577-450 .
It isnt much faster then just turning them .

Either way it is a lot of work ..

But there is one big reason i want turned cases over drawn cases .

That is a reduced case capacity .. the reformed 24 guage cases i use now need 135 grains of black powder to fill them
When finished my turned cases will be a near duplicate to the case capacity of a 45/70
And i will be able to tune the actual case capacity to exactly what i want .

This does two things for me ... a stronger case and it puts me into a whole know world of useable load data for the 45/70
Smokeless load data for the 577/450 case as it is is nearly non existant

So yes there is plenty of reasons why this makes more sense then it apears to on the surface

 

[COMachinist]

Six dollars really isn't that much compared to the work of making a case.

You got that right George. Machining cases is a work in futility. I ended up giving that rifle to a guide in South Africa many years ago. Last time I herd from him he still had it. He got a bunch of 416 rimmed cases from A-Square and made them in to 416 Rigby rimmed cases for it. Man that thing was a man eater, the recoils was something to behold. I bet the 577-450 is no walk in the park. IIRC RCBS had form dies for this cartridge. I don't want Hijack your thread Bosephus ,but there are better ways. Those Alum case are a one shot deal, and turned brass wont be much better. How ever you wont be loading a 100grs of 4831 either. good luck. Yes I still have the end mill here is the only case I still have from that experiment. Still use the end mill to cleanup 7.62x51 LC with the crimp around the boxer primers. I shot in my LR 308 SASS rifle. I just got a 6mm cheap Chines HSS 2flute end mill and ground it down to 5.31 or .209". worked perfect. it still works perfect. ) OH A-Square is out of business you can get it from Here https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/vendor/vendorId/6/page/2?

CH

 

[bosephus]

No worries at all ... a bit of hijacking doeant hurt a thing .

Case life should be pretty good .. the turned brass cases wont be my every day shooting cases , just for experimenting and such .
And there will not be any sizing done at all on the case so it wont be worked at all .
And chamber pressures will still be kept at reasonable low levels

 

[stonehands]

bosephus, Go to the British Militaria forum and look at the vendor section. One of the members forms and anneals the cases and sells them on the site. The price won't break the bank and gives you some spare time for reloading and shooting- the important part. I picked up Jamison cases just before the crash and they are really "everlast" cases. I shoot a Hollis Martini that is more accurate than I can hold it. I know you want the satisfaction of making your own but the 577-450 is a tall order to make. Good luck with your project, the aluminum sample you are making with the addition of some Delrin in the primer pocket should make a perfect 'snap cap' for your M-H. David

 

[bosephus]

Stonehand

I do already have a good supply of reformed magtec 24 guage cases .
And within thier limitations they have done pretty good for me .

I do not need turned cases to get the rifle shooting ... its nothing more then an i want thing .

The time to make them does not concern me in the least ... i have plenty of time to fill
And i do not have plans to make a whole bunch of cases .