model 1895 40-72

[Huntermb]

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I've got a couple of model 1895's in 40-72. I've acquired a little brass and dies etc. I was wondering if you folks could offer up some good loads for these olds girls and maybe some bullet suggestions. I was also thinking about shooting cast bullets out of them from time to time. Can this brass be made from anything else besides 405? I live in Manitoba and where I am that type of brass etc is hard to come across. Thanks for the help

[pokey]

no answers for ya, but welcome to the fire.
i'm sure someone will be along with words of wisdom soon.

[Gun Smith]

Sorry, 405 W.C.F. brass is the only case with a body close enough to be formed into 40-72. You also have to turn down the rim to .519".
I have the same problem with my 38-72 M. 95.

[kimwcook]

I can't answer your question, haven't ever had that caliber. But, welcome to the forum. Someone should come along and answer your questions.

[Kansas Ed]

The most common brass is the .444 Marlin stretched. Buffalo Arms sells it... http://www.buffaloarms.com, and it's really good quality. If you have a tight rifle, the .405 brass WONT work. That is unless you not only trim the diameter of the rim, but also take the rim thickness down. I prefer not to do this as the primer then protrudes. The .405 had a .013" thicker rim than either the 38-72 or 40-72, but the nice thing is that you can use the .405 brass to cure the ills of a rifle with excessive headspace issues. Your other bet is to order it from someone who handles Bertram brass out of Australia. IMO the stretched .444 is better, but you should be able to find someone in Canada who handles the Bertram.

I've done a lot of work the last year with the 40-72 and you can find my experiments here:

Data Scrounging: http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=16342
Round 1 First Surprises: http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=17997
Round 2 Data: http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=18899
Round 3:Urban Myths http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=19321

But I'm nowhere close to being done with this rifle as of yet. My last expedition with it a week ago laid flyers everywhere, so I'm back to the drawing board with my loads.

Ed

[Huntermb]

Wow thanks for the info and the links. I'm going to get serious into getting some good loads worked up for these. I want to use them on bear and whitetail in the fall.

[KirkD]

Huntermb, glad to see another Canadian around the campfire. You say you have a COUPLE '95s in 40-72? You are very fortunate. If you decide to part with one of them, please let me know.

The only thing I can suggest by way of loads is from Mike Venturino's 'Shooting Lever Guns of the Old West'. He used 21 grains of 5744 under a 280 grain gas check cast bullet for 1,209 fps and 23 grains of 5744 for 1,329 fps. These loads a little light. I don't know what things are like in Manitoba right now, but I can't get 5744 powder here in Ontario to save my life. The local shooting store has had it on order for over a year now. You could use IMR 4227 as a substitute. It has an almost identical burn rate to 5744, but it is more position sensitive.

Snooky Williamson, in his book 'The Winchester Lever Legacy' used 40 grains of IMR 3031 under a 406150 cast bullet (334 grains) for 1,300 fps. IMR 3031 is a lot easier to find on the shelves.

Keep us posted as to how they shoot.