Making 33 Winchester Brass

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Anyone making 33 Winchester brass using the RCBS Form and Cut dies ? I have used my 33 Win Resizer die and was wondering if there is a big advantage in laying out the bucks for the RCBS Form and Cut die set.
I do form using 45-70.
Mike in Peru

[bgmkithaca]

I make 33 win. brass without the forming die set. A 38-56 die is used first followed with the 33 win. full length die. If the 45-70 brass is hard it will get annealed before the first step, if not hard after going through the 38-56 die. I anneal before final sizing in the 33 win. full length die after trimming to length it should be ready to go at this point if you are careful and don't size too far. For what it is worth I have never used the forming die set and can't comment on them. Hope this helps.

[jnyork]

I made mine using the seating die to do the first size, then run it through the regular sizing die. I lost 2-3 out of 50, no big deal.

[smokenrust]

Glad to see this discussion because I am in need of 33WCF ammo...
Does anyone actually make the brass head stamped 33WCF or better yet, sell loaded ammo? thanks, S&R

[BigSky56]

cases http://www.buffaloarms.com/33_Wincheste ... x?CAT=3841
bullets http://www.buffaloarms.com/Detail.aspx? ... 9&CAT=4142. danny

[KWK]

Does anyone actually make the brass head stamped 33WCF...

I believe Jamison does.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Thanks each of you. I have made a few using several progressively smaller pistol die calibers to reduce the neck area then finish with the resizer to get the shoulder correct to the rifles chamber.
Had considered the RCBS set as I saw a set for sale on another site but figured it was maybe an expense better used for another mold.
Mike in Peru

[KWK]

I checked the case maker sites today. CapTech/Jamison, Bertram, and Rocky Mountain all make .33 WCF brass, correctly head stamped.

[3leggedturtle]

I always wondered why the .33 never wasn't more popular.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
It was a popular lever action round. Then Winchester came out with all sorts of better bolt action calibers and finally the .348 Winchester that sealed the doom for the 33 Win.
with the end of WW1 there was no way a small midbore diameter lever action cartridge in a "heavy" lever action was going to compete against all those light weight Springfield 1903's in 30-06 or being rechambered for the other high pressure cartridges. Then add to the pile the millions of Mausers looking to be hunted with in that fine 8mm or again rebarreled. Yep the beginning of "magnum madness" was sprouting.
I can garantee if there were rifles still in production and a demand we would not be making brass. The 33 Win just fell into that time frame when it could not compete in a big way against all the other options.
But for me it is another of those "just fine for me" old calibers that get the job done in a nice way. Why I even haul a 50-95 (repro) about looking for some ground hog or coyote to thump when up north there. Have a couple 45-60's that get out also. So that 33 Win just is a natural to slip about with ready for any task a east ILLinois river bottom might offer.
Mike in Peru

[marlinman93]

I also make .33 Win brass from .45-70, but don't own forming dies. I start by running annealed .45-70 brass into my .44-77 die set. Then run them into my .40-65 die, and finally into my .38-56 die, and then the .33 Win dies. This works great for me, and I've used the same system for decades.

[6pt-sika]

Does anyone actually make the brass head stamped 33WCF...

I believe Jamison does.

I got some awhile back from an outfit in Maryland I believe called "Quality Cartridge" . At the time I had guns for the 33 , 38-56 , 40-65 and 45-70 so I didn't want a bunch of different stuff that was all head stamped 45-70 . Got 40 pieces of the Quality Cartridge for the 33 , 40 pieces Quality Cartridge for the 38-56 , 100 or so of Starline for the 40-65 and WIN 45-70 for of course the 45-70 . For me it made life a shade easier , plus I like everything being head stamped what it's supposed to be .

[6pt-sika]

FWIW I had a nice double cavity Lyman 338320 GC mold that I shot in the 33 WIN . I wanted to get a RCBS 33-200GC but was never able to find one at a price I'd pay after they got away from the GC design and went PB instead .

I had a bunch of the Hornady 338 200 grain FP bullets but never did shoot any of them before I sold the gun . Incidently the 33 WIN I had was a pre 1920 Marlin Model 1895 .

[marlinman93]

Does anyone actually make the brass head stamped 33WCF...

I believe Jamison does.

I got some awhile back from an outfit in Maryland I believe called "Quality Cartridge" . At the time I had guns for the 33 , 38-56 , 40-65 and 45-70 so I didn't want a bunch of different stuff that was all head stamped 45-70 . Got 40 pieces of the Quality Cartridge for the 33 , 40 pieces Quality Cartridge for the 38-56 , 100 or so of Starline for the 40-65 and WIN 45-70 for of course the 45-70 . For me it made life a shade easier , plus I like everything being head stamped what it's supposed to be .

I've been reforming brass from donor brass so many years, I just don't think twice about what the headstamp reads. I don't mix it all together in the tumbler, or anywhere else. So whatever I have marked on the plastic box is what the caliber, and load are. Hasn't been an issue in many decades of forming for me.
beyond that; I have calibers that there's just no way to find marked brass for. So if I've got some that are mismarked headstamps, the rest are no problem either. Besides I'm a tightwad, and donor brass is often a huge savings over store bought.

[dtrice]

I always wondered why the .33 never wasn't more popular.

Me, too.
I'be always been enamoured with .338 caliber. It only puts out about a pound more recoil than 35 Remington, but should have better sd and bc. I do like the 348, too. But it's a little more power than I'd really need and more recoil. The 348 case is too big, but I think the 33 wcf cartridge would fit inside an 1895 action, so that adds flexibility. For a long time I've wished that browning had chambered some of their 1886s in the 80s in 33 wcf. Maybe Winchester will do a special run of them one day, I was duty they brought back the 71.

[450 Fuller]

Getting in late to this interesting and useful topic on the 33 WCF. I have 3 1886 Winchester rifles in this caliber. The extra lightweight rapid tapers are
just about the same weight as a 94 or half magazine M-55. But more SD and stopping power for its size. Ben Lilly used one on grizzlies in NM in the 1900s.

I have been using the RCBS form n cut dies but it seems to need an intermediate step. I use a 348 size die and then will got to a FL 33 sizer. Like the
earlier posts-taking gradual step down other calibers like the 40-65 and 38-56 seems to work pretty well. Lyman made an interesting die that I used 20 years ago.
It was a one-step special die, utilizing one pass drive in with a leather or plastic driving hammer-to pound the case into the die. A steel rod pushed it out. Worked well.
BUT-you need to anneal the case necks by the candle or torch methods. I have about 4 boxes (400) of the old discontinued Hornady 200 gr FP bullets.
Hawk and Nosler have 200-210 gr bullets that can be be used in a pinch. That is about the best bullet weight.

Jamisons is now out of business. Bertram brass is $$$ high.

Quality Cartridge in Hollywood, MD. may be the best current for quality. They anneal their brass twice-and its head stamped 33 WCF. It was around $35 for a box of 20.
The 1886 rifles in 33 WCF are great in the outback for deer and caribou-even moose.