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I need some help with a decision 405/40-70 SS Rifle.

Louisiana Shooter

Louisiana Shooter

I have a bit of a dilemma.

I've always been intrigued with the black powder big bore cartridges. I'll dabble for a few years then lose interest again then do again. Do the same thing with Contender pistols. Anyway, I've noticed the price on some of this stuff has went sky high lately due to the shortages.

I've got a H&R single shot rifle to use as a donor to build a barrel stub on. I've got a .408 32" barrel blank. Got a bunch of 405 Winchester brass for the special reamer - 405/40-70 spec'd to use 405 Hornady brass. Got the 405 Hornady New Dimension die set that works with this setup.

In other words, all that is left is to do the work.

I cruise GB often just to see what I can spend some money on......and waste time. Saw the prices on most of these parts and now I'm really thinking about selling it all instead of building it. Then again, the rifle maybe worth more after being built than the components. I'm just not sure about that part. Right now, the parts are worth substantially more than I paid for them. Could make a tidy profit just on that.

BTW, I do this type of thing for a hobby - build, shoot, fondle a bit, then sell....then start the process all over again.

Just looking for advice as to sell the parts now or build, shoot, then sell! LOL!

Like I said, the selling part would happen regardless if I build it or not and some point anyway. Right now, the parts are worth quite a bit as they are. Not sure how long that will be the case.

Obviously, if I sell the parts, the funds will go into something else to build and sell, eventually. ;)

Let me know what y'all think.
 
45-70 bullet dia .458 , 45 acp bullet dia .452, 45 caliber black powder .400. I think you have the wrong barrel.
 
ebb said:
45-70 bullet dia .458 , 45 acp bullet dia .452, 45 caliber black powder .400. I think you have the wrong barrel.
Click to expand...

RE read, he wants to do 40-70...

Louisiana Shooter said:
BTW, I do this type of thing for a hobby - build, shoot, fondle a bit, then sell....then start the process all over again.
Click to expand...

Glad I'm not the only one. A few times I've even made a pretty decent profit. Almost enough to cancel out some of my more hair brained decisions (that I'm fixing to make more of).
Louisiana Shooter said:
Just looking for advice as to sell the parts now or build, shoot, then sell! LOL!

Like I said, the selling part would happen regardless if I build it or not and some point anyway. Right now, the parts are worth quite a bit as they are. Not sure how long that will be the case.
Click to expand...

I don't know what you value your time at, or wether you value the experience more; but if it's something you know right of of the gate that it's not going to stay around I would sell off the components if I knew I was going to make money on them.
 
Decisions.....decisions.


If you don't build and sell, the funds, more than likely, will be used to procure something else FUN.


Build and enjoy the experience - from beginning to poking holes in target (or hunting!!).

Build, but sell before tossing some lead and copper downrange. :)


Unless selling frees up funds to purchase something that you have been frosting over or absolutely is on the MUST HAVE list, build and enjoy.
 
We need to start a club no one will admit to belonging to, DABH it will be safe to belong to as it is not a 3 letter club, The Presidential position is open to what ever DABH wants it, No club fees, Do not really have to admit why you belong we will all know why already. DABH because FB was already taken.

I my name is _____ and I do the same thing over and over, I do enjoy it until I think about how much time and money I spent on another dumb project.........

Hey..... I got this one of a kind you'll never see another _______ like it For Sale.... Is the hook line.

Another Dumb A__ Bone Head takes the bait

My safe, reloading bench and house is full of them
 
Oh yeah back to the original question, Build it what else do you have to do read this board?
I have a 40-40 ( 405 win short) encore barrel and way to much stuff to go with it, It is what got me started down the path.

30-40 Krag necked to .411 using 405 Winchester dies to form and load it is not a one step conversion by any means, the barrel was a project barrel that is ugly but it shoots amazingly accurately, have a bunch of money tied up in it and now dont shoot it any more 10 projects later

In retrospect I should of just got a 405 Win to start with
 
Sorry I missed that, never knew there was such a thing as 40-70 rifle. I have a guy locally that bought a Thompson encore in 45-70 and had no idea it would kick so bad. He wants me to load some light bullets for it, light enough for him is so light that they don't make them. Now hew come up with shooting Thompson 45 caliber saboted bullets. But they are made for black powder dia. .400 and the encore barrel is .458. he wants 200yd shoots with next to zero recoil from a 45-70 case. What Ray123 said.
 
ebb said:
Sorry I missed that, never knew there was such a thing as 40-70 rifle. I have a guy locally that bought a Thompson encore in 45-70 and had no idea it would kick so bad. He wants me to load some light bullets for it, light enough for him is so light that they don't make them. Now hew come up with shooting Thompson 45 caliber saboted bullets. But they are made for black powder dia. .400 and the encore barrel is .458. he wants 200yd shoots with next to zero recoil from a 45-70 case. What Ray123 said.
Click to expand...
Look at the Hornady 250 grn monoflex........or down load it using the old 45-70 loads instead of modern loads. You can turn a 45-70 into a nice, well behaved plinker with the right loads.
 
Barnes makes some 200 grain bullets and I suggested these, but he thought that was too much. How do you mmake a 45 caliber shoot small up to 200yds with 223 recoil? I hope he thinks I am BSing him and doesn't call back, its a fool's errand.
 
Before my shoulder surgeries I owned/shot a few big bores. The one that surprised me the most was a 12 lb 458 Winchester using the 250 mono's..........felt like shooting a 308. It was a killer too on whitetails. Any angle just shoot for the chest cavity. With the mono it didn't tear up nearly as much meat as I thought it would either.
 
Have him get a mouild for the "collar Button" mould @ 178gr or get ahold of Arsenal moulds and have them make a 454424 230gr. bullet mould to cast at .460" (thats what I am doing). He can cast/size/lube them so he will have some "skin" in the game.
 
I’m having trouble seeing much of a return on a project like this. 40-70 is historically a finicky cartridge to get to shoot well. Not saying it won’t but might be a challenge. Especially if you potentially don’t have the means to cast bullets to correct diameter of the bore. Could be a real money pit. Having said that, if you’re in it for the challenge and the experience go for it. If not, sell off the components.
 
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