35-40 dies.

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ian45662
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35-40 dies.

Post by ian45662 »

After reading Ricks article in the BPCR news I have suddenly found myself intrested in this chamber. CH4D sells dies. In the article Rick used 35-40 Lewis dies. CH4D has 35-40 Lewis dies but they also have 35-40 Maynard dies. What is the difference between the two die sets?
Nuclearcricket
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by Nuclearcricket »

Probably the best thing to do Ian would be to pick up the phone and call CH. They are nice people to deal with and they would be able to tell you exactly what the difference between the 2 sets of dies are.
Always best if you can get your information first hand.
Sam
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desert deuce
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by desert deuce »

Liked the article in BPCN #117 about the 35-40 caliber. As I recall Steve Baldwin of Accuracy Unlimited actually campaigned a rifle chambered for that cartridge in competition for a while and hopefully he will come up on the forum and share his experiences. Steve is a great guy and top notch competitor and eternally busy. :D
Sometimes you get the chicken, and sometimes you get the feathers!
ian45662
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by ian45662 »

I called them and he didn’t really know what the difference was. From some research I have done in here thanks from the help of Grumpybear it looks like the 35-40 Lewis is basically a 35-40 Maynard but the sizing die is made in such a way that it can be used to convert 38-55 brass. In the article Rick is using that die set to make his 35-40 brass so, With that in mind I just decided to go ahead and order a set. I thought I would be in for a long wait but much to my surprise ,and delight ,they actually had a set in stock. So now we have a die set on the way. Now I guess the next step would be to secure a barrel. Lija makes a 9 twist barrel. I could possibly maybe get that in 5 groove. Of course there is the tried and true Douglass 10 twist. I have some pondering to do on that but once the barrel comes in and I have ran a couple pieces of brass through the die I think then I would feel good about having a reamer made along with the appropriate bushings and indicating rod. I can also order a bullet mould once I have the barrel which of course will be a straight sided paper patch mould. Right now I think the BIG obstacle will be to get enough brass to be able for my wife and I to shoot a 2 day match. I am wanting to use the long starline 38-55 brass and will draw my reamer up accordingly but they are not planning on doing a run of 38-55 brass this year. Hopefully by spring of next season they will have done a run or 2. This is similar to my 38-50 journey in that dies were the first thing I acquired.
ian45662
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by ian45662 »

Reading the article again it would appear that the Lewis dies are made to fit the chamber drawing that is in the article so that’s good to know
Randy Bohannon
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by Randy Bohannon »

Amen Ian,

I just went down that road with the 40-50 SBN a.k.a. Sharps 1 11/16” .Dies were the first thing and to my surprise CH4D had them on the shelf for a Shiloh chamber and sent them out the same day . A set of RCBS case forming and trim die were on eBay and bought those too.
The RCBS dies convert 45-70 brass much easier than the FL sizing die from CH4D with lots of lube, albeit a bit smaller from the RCBS dies ,probably for a an original .403” barrel and should fire form just fine.
I won’t see the rifle for a while yet from Shiloh but I wanted to make sure I could make the right ammo for it before anything else and also learn the process that works best for me.
Good luck with the Lewis cartridge and will be following this endeavor .
Geologist
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by Geologist »

I have been shooting a 35-40 Maynard for 17 years. I shoot the DT 2.140 inch long chamber, and use the CH4D 35-40 Maynard DT or the 35-40 Lucas dies and do not notice any difference. I recommend the the 2.140 inch long chamber because the quality of Swiss has gone down hill -- fluffier and less consistent. I have tried 5 bullets and like the DT/PJ Money the best. I have a 330 grain Steve Brooks elliptical mold that I might be willing to sell. I do not recommend Starline brass. The case walls are to thin and neck separations are common. Use a 0.030 this high density poly wad. If you want to use the 2.085 chamber, I have a lot of formed unfired 35-40 brass I would be willing to sell. I use a 10-twist Douglas Premium barrel. You have to 'wipe' using this cartridge. PM me if you want more information.
ian45662
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by ian45662 »

Geologist wrote: Tue Apr 05, 2022 11:02 am I have been shooting a 35-40 Maynard for 17 years. I shoot the DT 2.140 inch long chamber, and use the CH4D 35-40 Maynard DT or the 35-40 Lucas dies and do not notice any difference. I recommend the the 2.140 inch long chamber because the quality of Swiss has gone down hill -- fluffier and less consistent. I have tried 5 bullets and like the DT/PJ Money the best. I have a 330 grain Steve Brooks elliptical mold that I might be willing to sell. I do not recommend Starline brass. The case walls are to thin and neck separations are common. Use a 0.030 this high density poly wad. If you want to use the 2.085 chamber, I have a lot of formed unfired 35-40 brass I would be willing to sell. I use a 10-twist Douglas Premium barrel. You have to 'wipe' using this cartridge. PM me if you want more information.
That is really good to know about the brass!!! I don’t know what the land to land diameter of the barrel will be. I can’t get a mould until I have the barrel and can measure it with some pin gauges. What brand of brass does everyone seem to prefer?
Geologist
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by Geologist »

I like to use the Winchester and it has a wall thickness of about 0.011 inches. I use the BACO 38 Basic brass -- it has to be formed and trimmed. By the way and with respect to Swiss, I use to be able to load 54.0 grains of 1 1/2 F now I can only fit 52.0 grains of 3 F.
Geologist
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by Geologist »

If you messing with 38-55 brass and reamers, remember that Starline brass's wall thickness is nominal 0.0072 inches thick while Winchester's is 0.011 inches thick.
ian45662
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by ian45662 »

Ok thanks. I will shy away from the starline brass then.
ian45662
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by ian45662 »

Geologist wrote: Tue Apr 05, 2022 11:44 am I like to use the Winchester and it has a wall thickness of about 0.011 inches. I use the BACO 38 Basic brass -- it has to be formed and trimmed. By the way and with respect to Swiss, I use to be able to load 54.0 grains of 1 1/2 F now I can only fit 52.0 grains of 3 F.
What kind of velocities are you getting ?
Geologist
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by Geologist »

Using the 340 grain Lewis and 49.0 grains of 1 1/2 Swiss 1252 fps. Using the DT/PJ bullet, 1257 fps. I have not checked velocities with 2F or 3F.
ian45662
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by ian45662 »

How much powder will the case actually hold? I plan on seating my bore diameter bullets about .080-.090 into the case.
Geologist
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Re: 35-40 dies.

Post by Geologist »

Found some old notes. With 49 grains of 2F and the Steve Brooks bullet 1271 FPS and with 49 grains of 3F 1286 FPS with a DT/PJ design.
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