This is a .45-70 based case that is 2.4 inches long and is suitable for smokeless or black powder loads. When loading with black powder, annealing of mouth may be necessary to allow case to properly seal chamber due to lower pressures generated by these loads. Our case is produced very strong to withstand high pressure loads associated with smokeless hunting loads and since the only way to make brass harder is to work the material our only option is to leave them stiffer so the customers can anneal for specific application. See annealing procedure in Frequently Asked Questions.