.58 Miller Rimfire any ideas?

[John Allen]

I just won an auction for a Miller Snow conversion of the 1861 Springfield.
Does anyone have any ideas on making cartridges for it?

Here is are some pics from the auction house.

8908889089

[shooter93]

I'll have to look around for the name but there is a fellow down in Texas I believe......he makes ammuniton for anything. Some gets fairly expensive but it's re-loadable and he gets many old guns shooting again. I belive he will also sell you brass and a correct mold both of which he makes.

[Frank46]

Think the guy in texas is Bob Hayley Spelling may or may not be right. Frank

[Bullshop Junior]

Ive seen a few converted to muzzle loaders...

[T-Man]

The following is intended only for those who are totally familiar with standard reloading practices.

Starting in 1865 there were several breechloading conversions of Civil War muskets. The most common today are the Miller conversion in .58 rimfire, and the Needham conversion in .58 centerfire, usually selling for $600-$800. These can be identified by "Parkers' Snow" and "Bridesburg", respectively, marked on the lockplates. The Needham has been referred to as a rimfire, but all I've checked were centerfire. You may also encounter the first Allin conversion in .58 rimfire or Remington Rolling Block conversions in both centerfire and rimfire.

As you might imagine, the centerfires are easier to load for than the rimfires. In the case of the Needham, start with 24 gauge plastic shotshells from Fiocchi. The cases have to be trimmed and sized; this latter can be done with a sizing ring made from a 7/8x14 plumbing adapter, or maybe a 28 gauge sizer. The cartridge is very similar to .577 Snider, but shorter(1 7/8"). Other conversions use even shorter cases, such as the Roberts(1.25"). There is too much headspace with the Needham, so you have to take it up with an O-ring stretched over the base. It is best to use a heel type bullet with the plastic hull because the wall is too thick to chamber with a Minie. Try LEE's R-E-A-L .58cal.

I'm probably the only guy on the Internet who has made .58 rimfire ammo, but after I reveal my secrets, you too can be an expert. My R&D has centered around the Miller conversion, but is adaptable to other calibers. In this case, start with a 28 gauge plastic shotshell, unsized and trimmed to 1.5". Then drill a #60 hole centered between the primer and rim, and at a slight angle into the shallowist portion of the case. Precede this with a deep center punch dent to help guide the flame from the cap. This is a difficult ignition, so use only FFFg black powder or finer to fill the case; other powders won't work or will result in hang-fires. Thumb press a 20 ga Sabot slug into the case and make sure that the cartridge will chamber; you may have to turn down or shorten the case. The mold for these is Lyman #236-595, and the slug looks like a huge airgun pellet with a hollow skirt, . 576"/.560".

Now comes the critical part. Cap gun caps from the '60s can be used as primers; the currently available roll caps are much smaller and weaker, and don't work. Smear some Glue Stick on the base and cut off a cap from the roll and pierce its center with a pin. Align the pin in the ignition passage in the shell and fold the edges of the cap over the rim, remove pin, and press cap in place. Insert cartridge in chamber with the cap oriented at 2:00 and SLOWLY press breechblock closed. It is now ready to fire.

There are several things which can go wrong here, resulting in disaster, so pay attention! Firstly, always make sure that the firing pin is fully retracted before closing the breech. After the first firing, it will likely stick in the down position because of powder residue in the channel. You may also have to increase its length or travel. Invariably there will be some mis-fires, so in this instance wait a full minute before opening the breech, then clear the ignition passage with the pin and try again. There may be some leakage from the breech, so always wear goggles and/or a face mask.

My second method uses 28 ga. brass shotshells from Graf.com., which take ordinary Minie balls.These are Berdan primed, so the pocket has to be filled with the special primer or solder. Now drill a #60 or smaller hole as close to the rim as possible and countersink it. This will be the same size hole as used on percussion nipples, and can be drilled with a circuit board drill bit. Coat the back side of your caps with Photo Mount or some kind of removable adhesive. Install caps as above.

Further experimentation is needed. The ignition passage could be 2 diameters, as on a percussion nipple. The slow-burning black powder tends to melt plastic hulls, but also closes the passage somewhat, for a better seal.

[Cap'n Morgan]

In Europe this is the most common way to reload the old large caliber rimfire cartridges:

http://britishmilitariaforums.yuku.com/reply/80912

The "primer" is a 22 BB cap blank, but 22LR or short can also be used after the bullet is pulled.

[John Allen]

Thanks guys. I will have it in my hands later this week. Once I do a chamber cast I might be able to make the 28 gauge idea work.

[ndnchf]

There are not many folks who load and shoot any of the .58 caliber brass cartridges, so I'm always interested when I come across a discussion. I shoot a Remington rolling block chambered in .58 Roberts. Fortunately, its a centerfire, so I don't have to deal with the same ignition issues you are. But beyond that, there is a lot of similarity. The .58 Roberts is shorter than the the .58 Berdan, but longer than the .58 Carbine rounds. My chamber is 1.400" long and I use lathe turned cases that are 1.337" long. I've reamed them to .594" and am currently using a .590" minie ball.

Here is a loaded .58 Roberts, with a .56-50 Spencer to its left and a lathe turned case (before reaming) and the minie' ball to its right.

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y493/ndnchf/BPCR/58compare_zps18f28a84.jpg (http://s1277.photobucket.com/user/ndnchf/media/BPCR/58compare_zps18f28a84.jpg.html)

These big bores are a hoot to shoot. Good luck getting your Miller going.