.44/55?

[roger68]

HI Guys
Im new at this Cast bullet game and really enjoy shooting big bullets with Black powder.Down here in Australia there is a real shortage of single shot rifles, rolling blocks, sharps etc. there are a few martinis 450/577 and heaps of cadet 310's. I have a Carl gustav 12.17 x 44 R/B which is fun to shoot but with a slow twist really limits your bullet weights. I have just converted a Win Low wall that was originally a 44/40 with a really rusty barrel over to a shortened marlin 444( shortened 30 thou so factory ammo wont fit) to use with B/P with a 1:20 twist barrel has any one over there ever used the 444 case for this kind of thing? I have had a bit of experimenting with a Parker hale Mauser 98 in 444 that I built using 380 grn bullets and B/P. It worked reallt well but it wasn't a single shot faling block if you know what I mean!

[northern smith]

Hi . havent seen this post until know. The old 12.17- 44 r works well whith about 60 gr. Of bp and a a lee 450 gr 50 cal. Soft slug. I used the boolits as cast and panlubed whith some lube like spg. The shortend 444 will work for sure. Guess i would have used a compressed bp load and that bullet so it settels in the rifeling. Seems like a fun rifle.

[skeettx]

Here is my 444 Marlin
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/MVC-013S26.JPG

[northern smith]

Any info about powder and ball ?

[skeettx]

Load the 44/40 load, you know 215 grain bullet and 40 grains of blackpowder and work up from there
You know the gun will accept the BP 44/40 pressures and stress :)

The Low Wall was not built for heavy loads

Mike

[enfield]

I agree on the 12mm rolling block and 450 gr, I size the Lee to .510 and they work very well, not a flat shooting gun, but they can be accurate. the <444 with 20" twist should be a great BP round , kinda like a mild 43 mauser.