Our main focus is in providing brass for firearms that are no longer supported by mainstream manufacturers.  As ammunition companies walk away from cartridges that they introduced there is a need for specialty brass and the number increases every year.  We try to carry brass that appeals to as many shooters as possible.

Yes.  Orders can be placed for any of the brass on the very extensive list of Bertram products.  In order to ensure that orders are completed, payment in full is needed.  The typical delivery time can be up to 3 months but may be less.  Confirmation will be provided that the items are in stock before payment will be taken.

The goal is to order brass 2 - 3 times per year in order to minimize freight costs and keep prices as low as possible.

We are not a reloading site but we have had years of experience loading a wide variety of old firearms and are more than willing to share information about works for our guns.  Ultimately, you are responsible for your own safety since you will be doing the reloading.

No.  We do not carry reloading dies but we can provide guidance on where to get them for older cartridges or what work-arounds are possible using more common dies.

No.  Due to the weight of projectiles, except for specialty items the shipping costs are excessive.  As a result we only carry ones that are not available anywhere else or at least not readily available.  Our goal is to aid in getting obsolete firearms shooting again for their owners and not being a bullet supplier.

There is a certain amount of fun in converting something such as a 45-70 case to the 8x52mmR Thai case.  Once you get done buying the forming dies, annealing the brass and trimming the rim.  The alternative is to simply buy the proper case, with the correct headstamp and ready to load.  In most cases the savings on forming dies and time more than covers the cost of the brass.  The other factor is that some cases such as the 8mm Lebel (and 43 Mauser) have a unique rim, that cannot be duplicated using North American brass.  So while it is possible to make most obsolete brass the cost, time and reliability make this a last resort action.

Yes, it is possible to resize 24 brass shotshells and trim them to length and anneal them.  Aside from the availability of the starting brass, ultimately the case was meant for a shotgun and the 577 Snider is a rifle round.  Bertram 577 cases are built as a rifle case and is more robust.

There is nothing as traditional looking as the 577/450 MH loaded with a paper patched bullet.  However, unlike grooved/lubed bullets if you use the more traditional bullet, a few things should be noted.  In order to not damage the paper patch, the mouth of the case needs to be expanded slightly and then the bell removed.  The amount of belling should be kept to a minimum to avoid work hardening and cracking of the brass.  It is recommended that you anneal the case every 3 - 5 times it is reloaded to keep the neck brass as ductile (soft) as possible.  This is the case for any case being loaded with this style of bullet. 

Unlike steel that can be hardened by heating and cooling, brass becomes harder (less ductile) each time it is re-sized and loaded.  This hardening of the brass means that rather than flexing, it will crack.  Depending on the amount the metal is worked, cracking can show up in as few as 5 reloads or as many as 10.  Especially in older guns where the tolerances are greater, every effort should be made to re-size the brass as little as possible.  Also to extend the life of the brass, every 5, or so, reloads, anneal the neck of the case.  Doing this on a regular basis will extend the life of the case almost indefinitely.

Using blackpowder (or Pyrodex) does lend an air of authenticity to shooting old guns and there is no reason you cannot do that.  If the brass is not cleaned immediately the sulphur in the blackpowder will stain the brass.  My experience has been that if not cleaned that the brass seems more prone to splitting.  The best option is to clean the cases by putting them in boiler water with a small amount of detergent and leave them there for 5 - 10 minutes.  Remove and rinse them with hot water and allow to dry.  This will remove the blackpowder fouling although there may be some lubricant left.  After that prep them the normal way for reloading.  A run through the case tumbler will bring them back to like new condition, although this is not really necessary.

While powders such a 5744 can be used, or small quantities of shotgun type powders, the best alternative is Trail Boss.  This smokeless powder is easy to clean up, it is safe in any sound cartridge rifle.  More care needs to be taken to match the bullet diameter to the bore, since it will not "bump up" a bullet the way blackpowder will.  However, clean-up is the same as for any other smokeless powder and the cases are 70 - 100% full and will duplicate blackpowder velocities.

If you click on the item in the store, it will bring up an expanded section that includes more details on the item.

Original Snider cases were constructed from paper or brass foil (see the photos in the gallery section) but for drawn brass cases there needs to be a slight neck to properly hold the bullet.  This is why when a necked case is fired, the neck section disappears.  

During the manufacturing process, brass is annealed multiple times to relieve hardening and to ensure that it will function properly.  After the brass is completed, it is cleaned to remove this surface tarnish and leave it shiny.  This is not done for some brass.  This brownish-red surface tarnish does not affect the performance of the brass and simply reflects that it was properly treated during manufacture.  In some cases if the brass is exposed to moisture, a green/blue spot may form.  This should not be present but in most cases it does not affect the brass other than being unsightly.