43 Spanish

[gerrycaruso]

Some here know that I've been messing around with a 43 Spanish rolling block for the last couple of years. For those trying and failing to get accuracy with smokeless powder, I think I know why and a possible fix. As black powder shooters already know, black powder will bump up an undersized bullet but smokeless will not. The 43 Spanish came into being before smokeless powder so undersized bullets wasn't a problem. With smokeless powder, you have an undersized bullet rattling down the bore and accuracy is pretty much nonexistent. I was pulling my hair out (I have none to spare) trying to figure out a solution and I think I did. Paper patching. It allows me to increase the bullet diameter without increasing the diameter of the bore riding nose section. It seems to work and it's not as difficult as I expected.

 

[weatherby]

Last fall/winter I picked up one of those.
I haven't shot it or reloaded for it yet but plan to do so.

What weight and diameter bullet have you been trying so far ?

And since we all like pictures

 

[weatherby]

Ok I'm diving in.
Big gun. Big bullet. Big brass.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I tried black powder but wanted a smokeless powder load. I did it but it was a bit more complicated.

 

[weatherby]

I was originally going to try smokeless.
I either didn't have or more probable couldn't find the one I wanted in the stash to try. So figured I had to start somewhere.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I use 5744. IMR4227 works well with cast bullets but the big cases like 45/70 and 43 Spanish seem to do better with 5744. You could also use IMR4759 if you could find any.

 

[weatherby]

First attempt was pretty abysmal.
Today's attempt shows great progress.

 

[gerrycaruso]

Is that with black powder? Does your rifle have a very heavy trigger pull? Mine was about 12 pounds. Now it's down to 4 1/2 pounds and I got rid of that awful rear sight. I had a tang sight mounted.

 

[weatherby]

That was with black powder.
Yes my trigger is still very heavy.
Tips on what you did to lighten that ?

 

[gerrycaruso]

I brought it to Dave Santurri. He took it apart and lightened the pull. Then he drilled and tapped the tang and mounted the sight. I got the tang sight from Midway.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I tried smokeless vs black again today. The black powder load was 71 grains compressed behind a lyman 439186 which is a 370 grain plain base. The smokeless load was the same bullet, paper patched to increase the diameter ahead of 23 grains of Accurate 5744. The smokeless load shot a better group. The last back powder cartridge came out in 2 pieces and it happened before with black powder loads. I see one case with a split shoulder. It's ready to come apart but I don't know if it's the powder, the case or the rifle. I guess I'll stick with smokeless loads.