15 months, and counting; to Nirvana...

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Ever been overcome by a rifle you saw? One of those cases of instant lust after. Remember the first time you saw your wife? That bad...

I bought a fully engraved, including animal scenes German O/U about 15 months ago. 16 Gauge on top, what was alleged to be an 8mm X 72R Sauer. There are five versions of this cartridge, and no three share a basic case. O/U was built in 1904.

Based on that information, I pay RCBS over $250 for a set of dies and one box of brass. And wait, and wait, and wait, and wait. Six months-plus to delivery.

Then I discover the case is about 3/8ths of an inch too long. It has been since late September trying to figure it out. Finally, two weeks ago I get to a gunsmith in Kansas, enroute to visit family in Illinois and he can make a very precise chamber cast. Handloaders book of cartridge has no reference. Neither does any of five editions of Cartridges of the World.

Finally, we uncover an obscure reference to a cartridge known as the 8mm X 57R-360. Some german took the 2.5" .360 Express cartridge betweem 1885 and 1890, shortened it to 2.25" and bottle necked it down to mm. Actually, the old 7,7mm diameter bullets that mike .317". It is very close to the 32 Winchester Special, but 2.25" long.

With that information to go on, I contacted RCBS. They have never heard of it. HDS had one box of brass in stock, $70 by time it shipped Priority. I should have started with Dave at CH4D.
He had the dies, dating back to the 1990's when he purchased the company from Tony Sailor. Brass ships Monday, and so will the dies and shell holder,

I am still having some fine motor skill issues dating back to surgery as a result of Agent Orange exposure over 25 months service in Vietnam. It is N-O-T cancer, it is termed an Endoma by the VA, who made that word up about thirty years ago so they would not have to say cancer.

Stone Crusher was kind enough to "souvenir" me 20 boolits, and someone else here, who's name I have lost coated them for me.

In a week or ten days I will get to shoot it for the first time. Probably the first time it has been fired since some WWII serviceman brought it home and exhausted the ammunition he had with it.

Am I the only member here "lucky" enough to find such strange firearms and take the process of making them shoot again?

Rich

[Camba]

I feel your pain. But at least, you know now what needs to be done. I in the other hand, I lost an opportunity to buy a rifle that was 20GA over a 7mmx57R but I did not know what that 7mmx57R meant. I wish I would had gone for it but I did not. I always think about that.
Camba

[missionary5155]

Good morning Rich
And when you finally get to pull the trigger for the first time and see a hole on paper it makes those months of trial float away.
Congratulations on sticking to it.
Mike in Peru

[Wayne Smith]

Nope - I have a Cape gun, made/sold Stettin, Germany between 1885 and April 1, 1892. 16 2.5" on one side and 10.5x47R on the other. I sent Dave a chamber cast. He told me my 10.5x47R chamber is different than the other 23 that he had! I got on Dan's Mountain Mold site and designed a mold for it. I made the mistake of ordering 16ga wads - for the brass shells I need 14 ga. wads and haven't accomplished that. I have a round ball and Lyman slug mold for the shotgun side - which, by the way, is damascus. The rifle barrel is fluid steel, it says so on it.

[GrantA]

Where are the pictures guys?!?!

[Handloader109]

where are the pictures guys?!?!

absolutely