brassforming

Status
Not open for further replies.
E

edwin41

Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2011
Messages
225
Location
holland
hello
got an idea spinning round
for the more obsolite calibers as in blackpowder cartridges , ive done some reading about fireforming a cartridge to the correct size .
if i read correctly one has to find a cartridge in about the same size , do a little altering and then the correct shape occurs with firing the weapon.
my thoughts are to make a metal image of the preffered chamber , with a slide at the bottom , and put my cartridge in the camber.
on top i would make a hydraulic coupling , and use something like an hydraulic
pump like the enerpac.
then i can put a lot of pressure on the cartridge and i guess it will easily and
controllably put in the right shape without the risks involved with fireforming.
mabey something to think about for the specialists among us ? :confused:
greetings from holland
 
That would probably work OK. Don't forget proper venting of the forming shell and to make it strong enough for the pressures involved either. That said the tooling to make the exact dimensions (chamber reamer, lathe time to make the shell etc.) would cost more than a PILE of ruined brass IMHO. For the average firearm owner they should just fire form and know there will be the odd round that will turn out bad. Now if you were going to make this into a business, how many rounds would you have to modify to make your investment back let alone turn any profit. Not many will work at a loss unless it is for personal reasons.

Not all casings are fire-formed, some are swaged down either in small steps or in one step with forming dies.
 
Seems to me it's a lot easier and more practical to fireform the cases. Don't need a full charge of powder.
 
Handloaders Manual Cartridge Conversions

That sounds like fun, given a long damp, dark fall and winter, however, it need not be so complex. Most conversions require stepping through sequential form dies and a bit of trimming. Redding, RCBS, and CH4D make reforming dies. CH4D has or will make custom dies for just about any caliber.

Suggest you start with this book:http://www.amazon.com/Handloaders-Manual-Cartridge-Conversions/dp/0883172690

Scott
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top