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I picked up a really nice type 2 Remington split breech carbine. It has a near mint bore. So it should be a good shooter. Today I converted 13 Starline cases from centerfire to rimfire. Plus I have 3 old Dixie and 1 Roberson reloadable cases. I hope to get out to the range with it this week. Not too many guys shooting these - the grandaddy of thousands of rolling blocks that followed.
Wow! A real treasure, that. Looks to be a whole lot of fun. :mrgreen:
DG
Very nice!
That is in nice shape! I've been doing a bunch of research on the #1's (primarily the military version) as part of a project and that looks pretty stubby-how long is the barrel?
It has a 20" barrel.
Very good, thanks, that looks like a lot of fun.
Very nice and you aren't kidding about the bore being pristine!
Would you be able to elaborate a bit about your process in converting the CF cases to rimfire?
Years ago I purchased a rimfire 56-50 case from (I think) Dixie to use in an 1865 Spencer. I got the 22 black powder blanks and appropriate bullets. But the firing pin in the Spencer wouldn't hit enough of the 22 rim to set it off.
Ultimately I converted by Spencer to CF so all is good there, but your project sounds pretty intriguing.
I hope yours shoot as good as it looks.
Jason
what did it entail in making the ammo.? it sure is different.
I have a few of the Dixie reloadable cases I got back in the 1980s. I too have a Spencer, but put a CF block in it also. The offset .22 blank works fine in single shots, not so well in repeaters. BTW, Roberson cartridge makes new reloadable rimfire cases too.
There has been a lot of interest in how I convert my cases to rimfire, so I made a 2-part youtube video that shows how I do it. The video shows me making .44 long rimfire, but the process is the same for .56-50 and others. They can be found here on my Antique Firearms playlist, as well as other interesting videos.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...tvKtcAr3VWEUrT
I got my first batch of .56-50 rimfire loaded for the Remington split breech carbine. They are new Starline 56-50 centerfire cases converted to rimfire. Acorn starter blank primer, 33.5gr of Old Eynsford 2F and a 357gr bullet.
For the bullet, I started with a Lee 515-450 mold. Then milled off the bottom groove. This dropped nearly 100gr off the weight. I like this mold because the bullets have large grease grooves and it shoots very well in other rifles.
That one stubby cartridge is a Dixie reloadable case with a 300 gr, .515" diameter pistol bullet from BACO.
thank you.
Nice video series. You've done some interesting projects.
I also have a Lee 515-450 that I got way back with the intention of milling the bottom off to lighten the weight.
I cast some as is though just because I wanted to cast some. With a proportionately reduced charge of BP, how do you think the 450 grain bullet would shoot?
Another thank you from someone who also much enjoys old firearms of the Rim-fire ages.
In a light carbine, recoil would be a bit more and bullet impact would be a bit lower. I've used the 450gr version in 50-70 NYS roller rifle and a M1868 trapdoor, and it shoots well. I've used the 350gr version in my .50-45 rolling block carbine with 43-45gr of 2F and it shoots well also. Here is a side by side comparison of the 450gr vs 350gr bullets.Quote:
Originally Posted by JRD
missionary5155 - Thanks, I do enjoy the challenge of getting these old rimfires barking again!
I took my .56-50 rimfire Remington split breech to the range today. Great fun to shoot this old War horse. Check out the short video I made.
https://youtu.be/G4jnN6e1CjQ
I recall that single-shot collector James Grant had a section in one of his books on “sleepers” to look for when collecting. He said the Split Breech was very hard to find, and that was back in the 60s. You have a real rarity there. I see Gallaghers, Triplett&Scotts, Smiths, Ballards, Sharps and other Civil War carbines now and again at Gun Shows, but Split Breech Remingtons are almost nonexistent.
I see a vertical “poof” of smoke out the breech when you fire a shot. Do you ever feel hot particles on your cheeks or forehead? I got some of those Dixie .38 RF adapters for my Remington #2, using black powder primed with empty .22 Short cases. Felt a fair number of “bug bites” while shooting it; was glad I had my sideshield safety glasses on.
I feel very lucky to have found this one, especially with a near mint bore. The split breech has a heavy hammer fall. The firing pin nose is kind of sharp too. I got a couple primers that were slightly pierced. The .22 acorns are pretty thin. That is the blowback you see. Its not bad, but noticeable. My .44 long rimfire I shoot in a Ballard has no problem with this.