Reloading questions for 0.50 Rimfire Remington Rolling Block Carbine

[Patrick Chadwick]

Seems to be a Style I (Layman's usage) Whitney** RB rifle in .43 (stamp on barrel), presumably .43 Spanish, similar to the Mexican RB shown on P.190 of the Layman book. Wood has been replaced by sporting style, but decently. Seller claims visible rifling, whatever that means*. Receiver has decorative curved edge to top sides. So either from new as sporting rifle, or Bubba-ed. Price was OK - a bare 3-figures, worth it for the system. I just hope the barrel is usable. Photos when possible. Wish me luck!

* "visible rifling", in my experience, means anything from "as new after cleaning" down to "next stop - hacksaw". Which is why one should never pay more than a wallhanger price for online oldies!

**Whitney-Laidley?, not sure if Type I, photo too unclear.

Information

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[Warwick]

Patrick, my work on the carbine is in suspension for now. Magtech has no 32 bore shotshells on its Australian website and importing the things would smother me in red tape with success by no means assured anyway. So I am back to the 50/70 case cutdown to suit the bullet seated further back and I have managed to get a cut down case to chamber. Next step is to ream/expand it to 0.534 so I am in proces of making up expander plugs. I've ordered a block casting from The Gun Shoppe, but I feel as though I am dealing with people on Mars - their phone has the same recorded message day after day - speaking to a human being has proven impossible thus far, meaning I don't know if the order is placed successfully. And until I have a working CF block - no investment in a mould.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Seems to be a Style I (Layman's usage) Whitney** RB rifle in .43 (stamp on barrel), presumably .43 Spanish, similar to the Mexican RB shown on P.190 of the Layman book. Wood has been replaced by sporting style, but decently. Seller claims visible rifling, whatever that means*. Receiver has decorative curved edge to top sides. So either from new as sporting rifle, or Bubba-ed. Price was OK - a bare 3-figures, worth it for the system. I just hope the barrel is usable. Photos when possible. Wish me luck!

* "visible rifling", in my experience, means anything from "as new after cleaning" down to "next stop - hacksaw". Which is why one should never pay more than a wallhanger price for online oldies!

**Whitney-Laidley?, not sure if Type I, photo too unclear.

It's arrived. And yes, it does indeed seem to be a Whitney-Laidley a.k.a. split-breech.
As for the rifling - "visible rifling" !! - make that "vestigial rifling" - it's there, intact, no gouges, but very, very thin.
Pictures when I have managed to get it to go bang!

[bigskybound]

Found your thread from 2015. If you are still stalled on this rifle, send a chamber cast to Rocky Mountain Cartridge co. in Cody, WY and have them turn some custom cases that are drilled to use a .22 CB blanl as a rimfire primer. I have seen these in RF Spencers, etc.

[Patrick Chadwick]

"And until I have a working CF block - no investment in a mould."


Understandable. But you could at lest get the 54 minie bullets

http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/dist...Australia.html


Importers and distributors
FORBES WHOLESALE PTY LTD.

P.O. Box 589 - 3095 - ELTHAM - VICTORIA
Telephone: 0061 39 439 6111
Fax: 0061 39 4397288
Email: forbes@forbesws.com.au

- I hope!

[Patrick Chadwick]

If you can't find .54 minies, look for .54 bullets for the percussion Sharps rifle.


In both case, you might have to fettle up a simple sizing die to squeeze the bullets down to the optimum size for your cases.

[Patrick Chadwick]

"So I am back to the 50/70 case cutdown to suit the bullet seated further back and I have managed to get a cut down case to chamber. Next step is to ream/expand it to 0.534 so I am in proces of making up expander plugs."

Before you carve up any cases and get involved with reaming, it is worthwhile taking that case and expanding or bell-mouthing it very slightly, until it shows a rubbing mark on the neck when you chamber it. This gives you a figure for the actual diameter of the chamber neck.

Take this value MINUS 0.002" as the maximum feasible neck diameter for a loaded cartridge.

According to this value, and the actual diameter of any bullets you may acquire, you will need to ream more or less - or maybe not at all, if you can get the thin-walled shotshells!

Inside neck reaming is a PITA, and I find it easier to expand the neck, set up the case in in the lathe with a tailstock-mounted pilot inside the neck, and turn down externally. Better still is to achieve a case/bullet/bore compromise where no turning is required!