Possible Brain Fart Here, Guys...

[Guy La Pourque]

Jeez, I was going all in on BPCR a couple years back and life just got in the way of things, and now I finally have time to get back in... and I've forgotten much of what I learned and have to start all over again!

I have a possibly stupid question about rollers: mine is a Pedersoli replica and I love it... but when bullets get too long, I find I have to fiddle and futz to load them - they get hung up on the breech block. And yet I see these things chambered in 50-200 Artillery Shell and the ammo must be 3" long and the boys don't have any problems at all. Am I doing something stupid here? Is there a maximum OAL for roller ammo...?

Sometimes I think I should be riding on the short bus with Forrest Gump...:-D

[Drm50]

I've had same experience with original RB that were the smaller Smokeless Actions from 7x57.
Block got in way of straight line loading. You kind of have to wiggle cartridges around to chamber
them. If you forced it in it would gouge the brass on bottom edge of chamber. I guess the only way
around it is to relive the breech block for clearence. The bigger BP actions like 43.Span don't have
the problem.

[marlinman93]

Never had hammer issues, but the breech blocks can be troublesome with long cases and big rims. My original Rolling Block Sporting Rifle in .44-77SBN has a hollow ground breech block, and the hammer is also reshaped differently. Cartridges drop in with lots of clearance. Many of the clones use a breech block that the rounded portion is flat, and no relief. And the hammers aren't cut to clear large rims either.
Here's a picture of a #1 Sporter in .40-50SBN and a BP military in a big case. Nptice the relief cut in the breechblock:

https://i.imgur.com/2wfX1bgl.jpg