And......a Peabody followed me home. :)

[trails4u]

I've been wanting one for a long time......finally pulled the trigger on a .43 Spanish. Already set-up to load for it....which is one of the reasons I wanted one in the .43.

Any words of wisdom? I'll be feeding it a steady diet of black.....no plans to load smokeless in this one. I have heard rumors it may prefer the .446 bullet. Chamber cast and bore slugging are on the list as soon as I have it in hand....can't wait!

[Wayne Smith]

Soo... it hasn't actually followed you home yet?

[trails4u]

Soo... it hasn't actually followed you home yet?

Er....uh.....good point, Wayne! I suppose it is still following me home, but should find its way soon!

[Don McDowell]

I would suggest loading the cases with 1 1/2 Olde Eysnford, rp 9 1/2 primers and a paper patch bullet appropriate length for the rifling twist no more than .004 under bore diameter, wrapped with two wraps of seth cole 55w paper, and a muzzle loader original dry lubed felt wad between the bullet and the powder.

[trails4u]

I would suggest loading the cases with 1 1/2 Olde Eysnford, rp 9 1/2 primers and a paper patch bullet appropriate length for the rifling twist no more than .004 under bore diameter, wrapped with two wraps of seth cole 55w paper, and a muzzle loader original dry lubed felt wad between the bullet and the powder.

Thanks, Don. I've not yet been down the PP rabbit hole, but it does interest me.... There's a learning curve there for me, for sure.

[Don McDowell]

It's not a hard trail, but it can be a frustrating one at times. You'll also want to wipe the expose portion of the patch after the round is loaded with a drop of jojoba oil on your finger tip. Then you should be able to blow tube up to 10 -15 rounds with no loss in accuracy.
Those 44 caliber wads they sell are just right for the 44 and 45 rifle cartridges.

[Don McDowell]

When you get the thing in, and get some measurements on the bore, let me know I may have a handful of bullets cast up and ready to go that may just brighten that ol girls day.

[John Allen]

Those Peabodys are really nice. My uncle has the rifle version.

[trails4u]

When you get the thing in, and get some measurements on the bore, let me know I may have a handful of bullets cast up and ready to go that may just brighten that ol girls day.

I most certainly will, my friend! My roller shoots the 439 greasers decently, but I believe from my research that both rifles should be capable of great accuracy. I also have a few 446 greasers...haven't tried those in the rolling block for accuracy yet. You really got me thinking about the PP thing.......

[Don McDowell]

Looking forward to seeing what it measures

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[GOPHER SLAYER]

It appears that the rifle has seen vey little use and very good care. Many years ago I had a Borchardt in 45-70 made for the South Carolina National Guard. I wish I still had it.

[trails4u]

Thanks, Gopher. I've looked at a bunch of them for awhile now, and just never could pull the trigger on one. It's a lot of money for my family. This one....I couldn't NOT pull the trigger on it! I let one pass a few weeks ago in similar condition, and it's ached since. I was very pleased to find this one, and I am now like a kid at Christmas waiting for it!

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Have Peabody in 45-70 . Nice rifles and well made.
We use 40-1 and as much 3F Goex as that boolit will permit with a cereal box wad. Easily will shoot 3 inch groups off cross sticks.
Mike in Peru

[nekshot]

Congrats and I kinda envy you! The more plastic on new guns the better these old wood and metal firearms look!

[Tom Herman]

No worries! The guy in Nigeria that he wired the money to said he'd get the rifle right out to him!

[trails4u]

No worries! The guy in Nigeria that he wired the money to said he'd get the rifle right out to him!

That's right, Tom! And the necessary paperwork to claim my $50M settlement from their government!

[ascast]

very nice ! I have one of those. I've not played with it in years, BUT I recall groove dia was larger than 439, but I could not get then in the chamber. I was using a stash of CCC brass which was thick. I got some Buff Arms reworked 43 Spanish from 348W. I had to move for job and it all got tabled. IIRC the CCC brass was around 13 thou thick in the neck and the 348 was about 8 thou thick. Then I discovered a horrendous ding in the crown. Got that fixed. Looking forward to reading your updates.
good luck

[trails4u]

It's supposed to be here Tuesday.....aaarrrggghhhh!!! The original shipping notification said Friday, so I was quite excited at the prospect of a long weekend to tinker with it. Bummer.

And I do expect it to be somewhere 446-449 or so, as my research suggests a good many fall in this range. Hopefully on the low end of that range! .443 or so would be awesome...as I do want to try PP in this rifle....but not getting my hopes up for that. I can always go to a larger bullet, but I have the 439 mould in hand. We'll see......

[John in PA]

Before you buy dies, slug the bore and if the .446 is a go, then get .44-77 dies instead of .43 Spanish. Cartridge dimensions are the same except bullet diameter. Expander will be too small, and necks will be sized more than necessary if you use the Spanish dies. A chamber cast to double check neck diameter might be useful if you have the materials (Cerrosafe or pure sulfur). Also, once your brass is fireformed to the chamber, just size the necks enough to hold the bullets, especially if you're using black.

10-12 gr Unique with a tuft of polyester to hold powder against the primer makes a pleasant and accurate target load with a proper fitting bullet.

[trails4u]

Thanks, John! I already have dies for the 43 Spanish for a roller I already have. Also have a .439 Rapine mould. Just bought a .446 mould from a member here, so I guess I'm jumping the gun a bit, however, I wanted the .446 to experiment in the roller anyway. :)

Chamber cast and bore slugging will be first order of business....so we'll see from there!

I am worse than a kid at Christmas!!!!

[Don McDowell]

Lee 43 Kaiser dies, work very well with .446 bullets

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[trails4u]

Don....I'm going to guess that the dreaded autocorrect got ya here..... 43 Mauser, I'm assuming was your intent.

You may live to regret chiming in on this post.....I'm gonna pick your brain like there's no tomorrow!!


Lee 43 Kaiser dies, work very well with .446 bullets

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[Don McDowell]

Yup , the stupid auto correct finally wore me down, and I quit changing it..
Pick away when your ready, there ain't much there to get..LOL

[trails4u]

Well....it's here, and it's very, very much as advertised. First thing I did was stick a light in the chamber and took a gander down the bore, and holy cow....it is truly bright and shiny. Case hardening is every bit as good as the pics suggested, wood is very clean, cartouche looks like it was stamped in yesterday! No time for chamber casting or bore slugging tonight (gotta water the garden) but coming soon!!

Giddy doesn't even begin to describe it!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Big Mak]

Range report please! :)

[John in PA]

If any of that brown discoloration on the action/lock etc is old oxidized oil and grease (very common), Gumout or similar carburetor cleaner will remove it with a soft cloth and no damage to finish beneath. It's quite possible that nearly 100% brilliant case colors and nitre blued screw heads are hiding under there. Don't get the Gumout on the stock, though. With extreme care and a little light oil around the lockplate first, you should be able to tap the lock out of the stock without damage to the inletting. Then you can let the solvent go to work!

[trails4u]

If any of that brown discoloration on the action/lock etc is old oxidized oil and grease (very common), Gumout or similar carburetor cleaner will remove it with a soft cloth and no damage to finish beneath. It's quite possible that nearly 100% brilliant case colors and nitre blued screw heads are hiding under there. Don't get the Gumout on the stock, though. With extreme care and a little light oil around the lockplate first, you should be able to tap the lock out of the stock without damage to the inletting. Then you can let the solvent go to work!

Thanks for the tip....and you may be spot on with your assessment. I haven't been over it in detail yet, but I'm not sure this thing has been apart much. Without too much inspection, it does seem that to some degree what you suggest may be true. Very excited to get deeper into it! Too busy to mess with it last night, and storms tonight...so no shooting yet. :sad:

[trails4u]

Well....I finally got around to shooting it a bit, not much, as my 10-yo daughter is quite the 'range hog' with her 10/22 :razz:, but I did get about a dozen downrange. Not very impressive....but it was using brass that had been fireformed to the chamber of my roller. Hoping that now having brass better formed to this chamber, results may improve a bit. Having the fired brass will also allow me to do some measuring....maybe figure out what bullet this thing is going to like. I used the 439186 yesterday....it was what I had loaded for the roller, and I just really wanted to make it smoke. :)

I didn't measure....but it was probably 4" at 50yds. Ouch.... Not optimal conditions, however, as I was tending to Lil' Miss Annie Oakley between shots.

I did learn that I'm going blind....I don't shoot much with military sights these days, and good lord...I can't see them anymore!!?!? I ended up putting some white nail polish on the rear and a touch of red on the front post. That helped.

A few questions:

1) Vertical stringing. The last three I fired were after I could see the sights a little better, and without distraction. Windage was probably .3", but vertical was about 2.5", again at 50 yds. I'm thinking...if I can fix the vertical, this thing might be a shooter. Any ideas??

2) Trigger. This thing has to have a 15lb. trigger. Any known fixes?? I've done some internet searching, and can't find anything about lightening the trigger.

I do get that #2 may be directly affecting #1. :)

3) I had a couple fired cases that dropped the primers out, and a few more where they were partially out of the pockets. Headspace issue? Based on the design of the action....I'm pretty clueless about how I'd even check the headspacing. It is not reformed brass...it's Jamison 43 Spanish stamped brass. If it is a headspacing issue...will the fired brass now pseudo-headspace on the newly relocated shoulder, or do I have a bigger problem??

All in all, this thing is fun! One of my favorites right now for sure!!

[BRUCE MOULDS]

regarding the trigger, the assra forum gunsmithing section might be worth posting the question.
there are people there who know these old guns.
the headspace question might also be relevant there.
keep safe,
bruce.

[Don McDowell]

If you were shooting black powder, the vertical was most likely coming from fouling out. Another cause could be inconsistent rest, or possibly the rest being to high or to low. Grip on the wrist can also give you fits. But with that heavy trigger could be a big part of the problem.

[trails4u]

If you were shooting black powder, the vertical was most likely coming from fouling out. Another cause could be inconsistent rest, or possibly the rest being to high or to low. Grip on the wrist can also give you fits. But with that heavy trigger could be a big part of the problem.

Yes, shooting black. 2F at about 63g IIRC.

I've not had a chance to slug the bore, and I'm not sure after really looking at this thing how exactly I'm going to do a chamber cast, short of taking the action apart. I did measure around on the fired brass a bit, and apparently the chamber is plentiful, as the fired cases measures around .448 inside the mouth. Comparing the fired brass to that fired in my rolling block, two things of interest. #1, the Peabody fired brass seems to be about .010 shorter than the RRB fired brass. #2, the shoulder seems to be about .020 or so ahead of where the RRB fired brass is. Just for fun, I tried to chamber a Peabody fired case in the rolling block....it won't go. Stops about 1/2 inch or more from chambering, so apparently the chamber in the Peabody is much more generous than in the rolling block.

More work to do...... I really appreciate all the feedback!

Trails.

[Don McDowell]

May want to jump that charge up to 70 gr. or a bit more.

[John in PA]

Here's a link to a pretty good article on adjusting trigger pull on musket locks. The lock pictured is a Springfield lock, but the principles are the same for a back-action lock like the Peabody. You should be able to achieve a safe, crisp 3-4 lb pull if you do this correctly. Regarding the suggestion to shim the full cock notch with brass to decrease engagement, I use J-B Weld to retain the shim after degreasing both parts thoroughly. Much more detail in the referenced article. http://www.nwtskirmisher.com/useful-locks.shtml

A quick, totally reversible cheat to getting a better sight picture is to prepare a small piece of aluminum flashing or shim stock with a very clean hole about .050" and J-B weld it over the large v-notch in your rear sight. If you desire to remove it in the future, the application of a bit of heat from a propane torch to the sight will allow the peep aperture to pop right off with no damage to finish.

[John in PA]

To remove the breechblock of a Peabody, with the action closed, remove the breechblock pivot screw. Then, while applying gentle pressure to the front of the block, open the action. The breechblock will pop out of the hinge recess. For a chamber cast, you also need to remove the extractor (single screw, bottom front of receiver). Use modeling clay or Duxseal putty to close action areas where you don't want Cerrosafe or Sulfur to flow in case of sloppy pour. Also, oil bore and chamber lightly, and then plug bore maybe 3/4" ahead of chamber to avoid making a casting that's too long to get out of receiver.

To reassemble, lower the lever, set the block in the action, engaging extractor properly, with rear of breechblock protruding above receiver. While applying firm thumb pressure down on the rear of the block, "tickle" the lever into the correct position to engage the hooks on the bottom of the breechblock and close the lever. The block will snap back into place. Then hinge screw can be replaced. With a bit of practice, you can have the block in or out in about 30 seconds.

[trails4u]

Great information, John. Thank you!!

[RedJackson]

Sweet gun, nothing better than the oldies !