[Carcano]

We recently saw a (still running) thread about the atrocious quality of Bertram cases for the 8x58 RD. An unfinished product that will break after usage, because the crooks who produce it do not care to finish the work-hardened reformed cartridge case (by annealing) but leave that to the buyers. In any other field, customers would kick such businessmen's behinds; here, reloaders are apparently happy to show off that they are knowledgeable enough to remedy what should have been done already and for what they have paid.

One must therefore look for alternatives. Dieter Horneber ( http://www.huelsen-horneber.de/ ) is one such alternative (of usually high repute), but situated in Germany and thus faraway from the US market.
There is Starline who after their initial shady salesmanship and less-than-trustworthy promises (but that was back in the 1990s) have since long acquired a decent reputation. But I do not know whether they make the 8x58 RD.
A family-operated business right in the US of A that apparently has been working for many years is Gad Custom Cartridges: http://gadcustomcartridges.com/ .

They offer the 8x58 RD at a remarkably low price: $ 20.00 for 20 loaded rounds, $ 10.00 for 20 cases.

Now, who has aleady had experiences with them? Is the rim properly thinned (since the case seems made out of .45-xx basic cases), is the case long enough, is it correctly annealed?

Carcano

 

[Dutchman]

Gad Custom Cartridges: http://gadcustomcartridges.com/ .

They offer the 8x58 RD at a remarkably low price: $ 20.00 for 20 loaded rounds, $ 10.00 for 20 cases.

Now, who has aleady had experiences with them? Is the rim properly thinned (since the case seems made out of .45-xx basic cases), is the case long enough, is it correctly annealed?

Amazingly these people have only a phone number and a physical mail address. No email.

I'll order 20 rds from them. I'll also inquire, in writing, what load data they use for their loaded ammo in 8x58R Danish and ask if they differenciate between the Krag and the rolling block in load levels. I'll also send them copies of the information I received from Norma in Sweden on the historical load levels, whether they want it or not.

Buffalo Arms in Montana sells a fine 8x58RD case made from .45-70 and its the correct length. How they get it that long is a mystery to me because its longer than a .45-70 case. But the necks and shoulders also need to be annealed from whatever dastardly forming process they use. But they are good cases. The rims are turned. I lost a couple to neck or shoulder cracks and then I annealed them all. I think I have 100 or them.. or 97 or so left. They've been loaded 3 times now with no further case cracks. But I do intend on downloading to medicore cast bullet velocities from now on as I have no need to work up any loads beyond 1,500 - 1,800 fps with cast bullets. If I need more power I have other rifles more capable.

http://www.buffaloarms.com/

Buffalo Arms also sells 8x58RD loaded but its a very confusing offering. They claim two different headspaces, .060" and .070" claiming they've measured both but they don't say what rifles nor do they say what load level their cartridges are loaded to. They've been asked about the 1889 rolling block but they don't know so I've never recommended them to be fired in the rolling block. The Norma 8x58RD cases have a .058/.059" rim thickness and so do the Danish military cases I have that were reloaded in Sweden. Buffalo Arms gets around $1.50 each for the 8x58RD brass. Its been a few years since I bought any from them.

Buffalo Arms is an excellent company. The owner is a BPCR match shooter and very well known. I really should write them in hard copy about this load level thing with 8x58RD and send them, too, the data. I'm going to make some waves over this.

I've drawn out a design for a headspace gauge for 8x58RD that will have 3 or 4 different thickness discs from .056" to .074" (or so) and a brass neck pilot. My lathe isn't powered up yet so it'll have to wait. I'll do some R&D with this idea.


Dutchman

 

[j4570]

Several people have used GAD for the Swiss Vetterli to my knowledge. You can see the reviews at

www.swissrifles.com under the Vetterli forum.

JW

 

[Carcano]

Gad Custom Cartridges

Amazingly these people have only a phone number and a physical mail address. No email.

Depending upon personal perspective, one may consider this quaintly charming or obnoxiously outdated . Every reader just be his own jury.

FYI, the son of the owner has email access, but the proprietor hates email and calls himself "near computer illiterate".

I have resuscitated an informative older posting about them:
http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?p=27930

I'll order 20 rds from them. I'll also inquire, in writing, what load data they use for their loaded ammo in 8x58R Danish and ask if they differenciate between the Krag and the rolling block in load levels. I'll also send them copies of the information I received from Norma in Sweden on the historical load levels, whether they want it or not .

Evidently, our Dutchman is A Man On A Mission. But humour aside, what you do is very good and necessary. Thank you for your endeavour!

Buffalo Arms in Montana (...) But the necks and shoulders also need to be annealed from whatever dastardly forming process they use. But they are good cases.

Sorry, but that is a blatant contradiction in terms. An unfinished product is not "good". Cannot be. It might become so after somebody has finished it.

Buffalo Arms is an excellent company.

Your statement makes me doubt that. Anybody who tries to sell his unsuspectong customers a half-finished case for the price of an entire cartridge can't claim such a favourable epithet. Chuzpe (American Yiddish: chuzpah) is the most _flattering_ term I could come up with for such an attempt.

The owner is a BPCR match shooter and very well known. I really should write them in hard copy about this load level thing with 8x58RD and send them, too, the data. I'm going to make some waves over this.

Kick his lazy ass.

Carcano