.43 Spanish Rolling Block questions?

[hc18flyer]

I've been lusting for a single shot, like the looks of the old Trapdoors and rb's. I enjoy casting, shooting steel, paper, and whitetails. I am thinking a 43 Spanish rb would fit the bill? Thoughts? Is there a better reference book that would help me understand what to look For? What about the DeHaas Book? I will be going back and reading old posts in this section. Thanks in advance for your replies, hc18flyer

[skeettx]

I like my rolling blocks, 43 Spanish, 11mm Mannlicher, 11.7 Danish
And for mine, I have removed the rear sight screws and made bases to fit the holes
and use K-4 Weavers, as my eyes are OLD :)

[marlinman93]

The .43 Spanish will be a fun shooter. Only drawback is the caliber itself, and the initial cost of buying .43 Spanish brass or ammo. Jamison is the best choice and cheapest at $2 per case. The .43 Spanish .439" bullet is a bit smaller than the other Rolling Block military variants in similar cartridge sizes, so molds for casting don't have as much variety of weight and size as the .44 versions at around .446 caliber. But the military Rolling Blocks in .43 Spanish are plentiful, and still very reasonable. Often found in good shootable shape for under $500.

[mtnman31]

I can't help with any recommendations for references.
Agree with previous posts, the .43 Spanish rollers are great and still reasonably priced. I've had good luck with the Lyman bullet using home made lube and Goex 2f packed in Bertram brass. I have an NEI mold but haven't shot the bullets yet to compare.

[marlinman93]

That Lyman mold for the .439 370 in the Spanish Rollers is a really nice bullet!

[trails4u]

I've had one for a little while, and it's become one I can't seem to leave in the safe. MANY folks here have extensive experience with them, and I'm sure would help you get one up and shooting in a hurry. I too have the Lyman mould....it works.

[KenH]

Make sure you check to be sure it's not the 43 Spanish Reformado chambering. From my understanding there are two versions of the Reformado, one is the true .43 Spanish Reformado, with original cartridges and a .451" diameter brass jacketed bullet. The other Reformado is a true .43 Spanish that has been rechambered with the barrel left the same size as the original .43 Spanish (11.15 x 58R) which uses a .439" diameter lead bullet.

Just something to check. If you wind up with a true Reformado, no problem, just use the regular .43 Spanish brass and fire form to chamber and cast up .454" soft bullets and you're in clover. Heck, even use .457" soft lead just fine. I've shot a few .457" diameter soft lead thru my rechambered .43 Spanish and it works ok. I just feel a tad concern over shooting .457" thru the .439" bore, but it does work. That soft lead just squeezes thru.

Ken H>

[curator]

Remington rolling blocks in .43 Spanish can have bore (groove) diameters that vary from .439 all the way up to .445 and occasional .450. Apparently Remington workers were not too careful about which barrels they were screwing into receivers on large contracts to South American countries. Remington was also selling their version of .44-77 which was very similar cartridge case but .445 bullet. Slug the bore if you intend on shooting the gun. I have two rollers in .43 Span and they are pretty good shooters with proper bullets and loads. Buffalo Arms supplied my brass (converted .348 Win) some years ago and I am still using them since I never resize the cases, simply reprime, load and shoot. A full load of 77 grains of Old Eynsford 1 1/2Fg and a 370 grain Lyman slug makes for some stout recoil in a carbine but not so bad in the full-length rifle. Original sights are a challenge for older eyes. The .439-370 Lyman moulds often throw undersize boolits. I had lapped mine for consistent .440 diameter with 1 in 40 tin/lead alloy which really helped with accuracy.