My newly acquired 1871 RB Pistol ---

[Ron B.]

Good gracious alive; has it really been so long?

Sorry, it's been a while since I've actually posted here; about my guns anyway. Today, UPS came rolling in; bringing me my newest baby. An 1871 centerfire 50 cal. Remington Rolling Block pistol! Here's a photo, taken in haste! Yep; it's snowing here, in Trinidad, CO ---

Left Side - best side!


No, she's not perfect; although the price was fair.
Not so great bore, wire brushed, and poorly refinished grips. But, question is, should I fire her up? Have any of you had any experience with the 50 caliber ammo needed for this girl? I'm a 50-70 fan; and suspect I may be able to modify some brass for reloading? Nothing heavy, for sure.

Thanks for any help you're willing to give!
RB

[Mk42gunner]

Sweet.

Cartridges of the World, 11th Edition; gives case length of .875". Military load was 25 gr FFg.

I think I would have to shoot it once anyway, even if it was with a round ball.


Robert

[NickSS]

If you need brass Buffalo arms probably can provide it. I know they carry Starline 5650 brass as I bought some for them and it is shorter than 50-70 and can be trimmed down to the pistol length easier. They fit in both my Spencer and my 50-70 Sharps. They are short for the sharps but I had a couple rounds that did not fire in the Spencer that went off in the sharps and at 15 yards I hit what I was aiming at. My spencer had a firing pin protrusion problem that I took care of by grinding a bit off the front of the transfer block which allowed the firing pin to come out further. Now I do not get light strikes and failures to fire.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Brass can also be made from 348 Winny. IF you can come across some with split necks EVEN better as people will turn loose of that for shipping.
Round ball shoots nicely out of mine. I started at 6 grains Unique and worked up .5 (1/2) grain until 9 grains. 7 grains is very mild and will wack any 50 pound critter with authority. A case full of 2f with the ball pushed in will probably drop deer out to 50 yards. Remember to smear the correct lube around the exposed RB before firing.
I am still hunting a front barrel stock for mine which has a very nice bore.

[mag44uk]

I am everso green with envy!
I have been looking for one of these here in the UK for several years.
The last one I saw was 1200 GBP and it was pretty rough,no rifling to speak of.
Cheers,
Tony

[Ron B.]

Hello Guys,
Thanks for the info; and recommendations. Sadly, after cuddling this little Darling since yesterday I've decided to return it to the seller. It's just not in the condition I thought it should-would be. Surprisingly, I found another in much better condition. And, at not too much more money. The replacement ships my way tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

If anyone finds any brass, ready to load for the RB pistol keep me in mind please.

Thanks!
Ron

[ZoroMan]

I am interested in buying that one! Since you returned it can you let us know who is selling it or where it can be bought?

Also here is a source for 50-70 brass--- http://www.starlinebrass.com/index.php?cPath=1

It is 50-70 Government.

I use 50-90 (Sharps) brass from Starline and have been very happy with it. (I did notice they are out of stock on the 50-90 Sharps until Jan 2010 !!!) I load using Performance Cast boolits.

Here is another source for 50-70 brass and they have all the 50's in STOCK---
http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Brow...g=652***670***

[45nut]

I lusted after one of those for years,, ahh well.

[Ron B.]

Well, one RB pistol sent back; one received; just minutes ago! What a difference a few more dollars do make! Here is my latest Newest Oldest Newest #2!

The bore is pristine!
Everything appears original; best I can tell?
The Casehardening; like new!

I can't wait to light her up!
If anyone has load info, I'd appreciate your help.

I got this from Cherry's on-line. It's really a Cherry!
Thanks Cherry! Here's their link; hope it's okay? ---
http://www.cherrys.com/

ZoroMan!
I've responded in private to your inquiry!
Good luck!

45nut!
They are out there. Just have to be real careful with whom your purchase one from.

I thank everyone for their Interest!
Here's those new photos ---

Cherry's RB Right Side

[mag44uk]

Thats the nicest one I have ever seen!
Wheres the group?
Even greener,
Tony

[ZoroMan]

wow she is a beauty. And yes I got your private email and I emailed a thank you back. I hope you got that.

The Midway USA supply for 50-70 brass is a reliable source. Is that boolit you have in the picture next to the gun a round they sent to you with the RB pistol or did you load that up?

[Ron B.]

Hey, thanks guys!

ZoroMan, those two live rounds are 50-70 of course. Yes, I've reloaded the 50-70 for a good while now for my Traps, and Rolling Block rifles. I'm planning to cut down some 50-70 brass to approx. .875 length and go from there. All my 50 cal. cast boolits are 405 gn. I plan to shave off the backside, reducing the weight to 300 gns. I'm uncertain whether I'll opt to load BP, Pyrodex, or try a very light load of TrailBoss. Regardless, I will proceed with caution. BTW---Did you call Merz about the other RB?

Thanks,
Ron

[Ron B.]

Hey Guys!
I spent an hour, or so making up/cutting down 50-70 brass to .890 or so. And, cut down some 405 gn bullets to approx. 300 gns. Now the big question, should I go ahead and add powder? Lol! This round reminds me of a very fat 45acp. I'm gonna do it --- but may on it first as it's too cold outside anyway. Plus, I need another Coors ---

Oh, came back to add; she does go boom. Well, with a primed empty case anyway.
Boy, that trigger is a monster to jack off!

[Southern Son]

Roy, How much black powder will you get into the case under one of those boolits?

[Ron B.]

Hello SS!
Good question! I haven't actually reloaded any rounds for the 50 cal. Remington Pistols yet. But, will later this morning. Goex's site recomments 25gns of FF for a velocity of 600 FPS.

http://www.goexpowder.com/images/Loa...-Revolvers.pdf

They don't give an example for COL. Nor do they state what length barrel they used for the test?

Thanks,
Ron

[ZoroMan]

Yea I would start with around 25 grains of black. It should not be too bad in recoil and just make sure you really pack a wad OVER the powder to take up the air space completely between the powder and the boolit.

You can buy 350 grain boolits off the shelf and with lube from cast performance.

[Ron B.]

Neither have I ---
A report ---
Well, today it finally warmed up in Southern Colorado; settling in the 30s. That's great; better than single digits any day! This is the first chance, in weeks I've had to get out and shoot! Bummer!

7 Shots, using modified 405 gn .512 diameter, self-casted bullets. I had to cut off the bottom two lube rings, using a hack saw. Crude, but it works. Individually filed, to get every bullet down to 302-303 gns. Sized to .512-Lubed. Please excuse all the taped up holes on my target; I didn't really expect this pistol to shoot so well or I would have replaced the cardboard backing.

5.25 gns IMR Trail Boss
COL: 1.330
350gn CB Modified to 300gn length: .77
Casings: Modified Starline 50-70s, cut to .875 approx.
Distance: 40 feet
#Shots: 7 (one wasted, getting on target)
Chrony Av: 595 fps
ES: 67
SD: 27

The pistol is accurate; having an extremely heavy trigger pull. I'm estimating a whopping 25-30 pounds! If I continue to shoot her, it'll have to be fixed. Here's pics of the 40 foot target. Next reloading session, I'll increase the charge to 5.50---6.00 grains of Trail Boss. I think a safe load for this RB is around 700 fps; using this weight bullet. She does tend to shoot high, as evidence by the smaller sticky I was actually aiming at.

From 40 feet:


Photo of my modified-glorified 50 Caliber loaded bullet - Ain't she purdy?



The views are just horrible up here; on the mountain top 5 miles, due west of Trinidad, CO.


Thank you for your continued interest,
GRB (Ron)

[Mk42gunner]

That is just a tad high, but not bad for a first try. I would decide on a load before trying to mess with the sights.

It shouldn't be too hard to get the trigger livable, judging buy my No. 2 rolling block.


I wish I was in financial shape to look for one of those.


Robert

[Ron B.]

Well, after checking a couple of places for custom reloaded ammo I opted to go my own way, improving slightly on my first try. The two companies I found who have this ammo available wanted $159.95 & $175 per 50! Making myself a casing cutting mould out of a block of 4x4, i managed to speed up my process of cutting down some Starline 50-70 brass, ending up with a total of 50ct. Here are my results, as chronographed ---

300 gn Buffalo Arms FN lead cast bullet
6 gns IMR Trail Boss
WLP primer
COL: 1.36
Casings: Modified 50-70s, cut to .925
Trial Distance: 40 feet
#Shots: 20
Chrony Av: 700 fps

The pistol is accurate but the sights are lacking. I won't be modifying them however due to the value of the pistol. Having such a heavy trigger pull, around 30lbs it's not ever going to be one of my favorite "plinking" pistols I'm afraid.

Good shooting!
Ron

[jh45gun]

I would suspect you could get the trigger a lot better than that I know on my Remington Roller number 5 receiver the trigger is no target trigger but it is not bad either.