Forming 50-70 Govt Cases

After the Civil War, the US military standardized on the 50-70 Government cartridge. It only lasted roughly a decade before being replaced by the 45-70 cartridge in 1873. While the 45-70 remains popular even today, the 50-70 is largely forgotten. Despite it's short service life, there are a number of interesting rifles that fire it, namely early Allin conversion Trapdoor rifles and Remington Rolling Blocks. I have a NY State Militia Rolling Block that chambers the 50-70 Government cartridge. Dies and bullet molds exist for this caliber, however brass cases haven't been produced for years and what is available on the secondary market is very expensive, over $5 a piece. I found that 32ga brass shot shells are close dimensionally to 50-70, however they are let down by the thinner rim, which if not addressed can cause excess headspace. Can the rims be reformed?

New York State Militia Rolling Block
   • New York State Militia Rolling Block  

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00:00 Intro
00:55 32ga shot shells
01:38 Case construction
02:35 Trimming
04:43 Annealing
05:22 Sizing
07:58 Thin rim
09:47 Peening rim
14:13 Alternative solution
15:00 Loading
16:08 Shooting
16:40 Conclusion