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View Full Version : 1879 Argentine RB and BP, just for fun!



Buckshot
07-12-2007, 03:28 AM
..............Just for fun Monday (it turned into a freakin job!) I decided to load 20 BP cartridges for my 1879 Argentine RB in 43 Spanish. It took from 1030 to almost 1500 to 'Giterdone' :-). First I had to setup a spare lube-sizer for BP lube. That took awile. Then the moron that owned the thing before me had the ejector assembly all farkled up, so THAT was dis-assembled and put back right.

Then I had to re-size, re-prime, and then re-flare the casemouths as they had been set up for slugs sized .441", and the pure lead ones were lube-sized .439".
Then I had to fiddle around and make a powder compression die. I was sweating by then!

Finally I had to dink around and figure the amount of BP these Bertram cases were going to hold with the boolit seated to engrave. It worked out to 83.0grs of Swiss 1.5Fg + a .030" cardwad with 1/8" compression. The powder went in through a 20" drop tube.

I got those 10 done and then decided to do 10 with Elephant 2 Fg. Those took 82.0 grains and a teensy more compression. Same boolit and cardwad. The slugs were from a Mountain Mould Dan had made back when he was still doing full on custom jobs.

http://www.fototime.com/14622A982A0BAF6/standard.jpg

These are slugs, above. They weigh 443grs cast of soft lead and mike .440" as cast. The 1879 Argentine has a long throat, and these were designed to reach through it and engrave the nose in the leade. I've had the mould about 6 years and the slugs had been cast for maybe 4, and this was their first outing. No sense rushing into anything, eh?

I tried those with the Swiss first. The RB backed off pretty well at the shot, and I thought it was funny as the cleaning rod 'Buzzed' with the shot. You could faintly hear it but it was discernable through my cheek. Took me a bit to figure out what it was. Anyway I was shooting at 50 yards (this was for fun, remember?) and my first 2 rounds were maybe 3/4" apart. I thought Hot Damn!

I'd run 2 damps patches through and a dry one between shots, and the first one wasn't bad. Those first 2 rounds stayed by themselves as the next 3 shots formed another group of 1-1/2" about an inch above the first 2.

Then I decided to try 5 loaded with the Elephant 2Fg. They were pretty dismal with five rounds spanning maybe 6 inches. And the group didn't start one place and then move across the paper. They went back and forth with a couple in the middle:shock:

At no time was there any leading observed.

So then I thought I'd see what would happen (Elephant) if I just fired without cleaning. Couldn't be any worse, and danged if it wasn't about the same. However, after those 5 there was a discernable difference in the amount of fouling in the barrel. So then I figured I'd try the Swiss loads without cleaning.

That was edjumakyshunal as something to NOT do again :bigsmyl2: The 5 rounds made about an 8" group. So that made the first 6 rounds at 3" or so seem not so bad! Anyway it was fun and that was my intent in the first place. Fellow Burritoisto Glen asked me how come if I was going to dork around with BPC loading I didn't do like most others and use a 45-70, instead of some lame calibered thing with a BN to boot? I had no good answer for that, ha!

...................Buckshot

John-n-va
07-12-2007, 06:12 AM
Try blow tubing Buckshot...thta might make a difference.

I have been reloading for 40 years or more and must say I truly enjoy "dorking around" with BP.:-D Anybody can make nitro powder shoot...BP is a different story and will actually challenge your abilities. Don't get no better IMHO.

SharpsShooter
07-12-2007, 07:07 AM
The swiss load has some promise. I'll agree that a blow tube would help. It is not surprising that you had a group shift a couple inches. That is fairly common in most BPCR's. The first shot out of a clean barrrel will be 2" high at 100yds and the rest will settle to the sight setting and into a 1.5" group from my Rolling Block. It's all fun stuff.

SS

Gussy
07-12-2007, 01:18 PM
FWIW I have had better luck with the new Goex Express. Swiss gave me very hard fouling where the Goex was soft and cleaned easily. I mean EASILY. After a 50 shot run out of my 38-55 (50 gr 2F Goex express), blow tube hard, run a patch, run a damp patch, dry patch and oil. It was clean. Never had any other clean that easily. This is in a new Green Mountain 14 twist barrel which really hasn't worn in yet.
Gus

mazo kid
07-16-2007, 09:42 PM
Buckshot, next time out remove the cleaning rod. It can give different barrel harmonics with different loads. Emery