Strength of Danish 1867 RB BP only or Imr 3031?

[JBMauser]

I am working up loads in BP burt I woudl like to try some IMR 3031 as wll.  I do not load any of my millsurp guns to any max load, mild and cast is my style.  I use a 405 gr lee HB bullet.  I have been reading on other boards that the concern over old steel getting brittle from age alone is basically rubbish but 125year old steel is not the same quality as modern weapons built for smokeless powder.  I am interested in the opinion on this matter by those of you who shoot these old gems.  JB

[curator]

The Danish Roller was made with high quality steel, better in fact than the metal Remington was using at the time. If you keep your loads to what is listed for trapdoor Springfields you should have a large safety factor.

[John Traveler1]

I routinely load and fire M1873 Trapdoor Springfield level .45-70 loads using IMR 3031 and 405 grain lead bullets.  No problems or changed headspace, and total is well over 1,000 rounds in several original Trapdoors and Danish Rolling blocks.  The load is 35.0 to 37.0 grains IMR 3031 and soft lead 405 grain bullets.  Don't use jacketed bullets as this will prematurely wear out the relatively soft steel rifling.

These old guns were made extremely well, and long as you don't try to shoot hot-rod loads in them, they will hold up just fine.  The RRB desugn is certainly stronger than the M1873 Allin design trapdoor, and the smokeless loads that duplicate M1873 pressures are safe in both.

The concern that old gun steel metallurgy fails is baseless.  The only way gun steel "goes bad" with age is if it is allowed to corrode or rust out from nelect.  This has been confirmed by formal metallurgical analyses.

[marlinman93]

John is correct, old steel doesn't degrade, but years of shooting can put wear and tear on an old action. We have no way to know how hot the loads were that have been shot in any gun over 100 years old, as most of the previous owners are long gone!
 Still, if all looks tight, and the gun checks out good, the loads you are planning to use should be safe.
 I shot my Swede Roller, which was made from a US made Remington action, chambered for the 12.7 cartridge, and it saw a lot of smokeless rounds.
 My new Rolling Block is a #1 Sporter in .44 Sharps Bottleneck, and it too will have some mild smokeless loads run through it.

[John Traveler1]

To second Marlinman's comments about the strength and shootability of original rolling blocks, the Danes or the Swedes (or both) rebarreled those original M1867 BP actions to an 8mm bottlenecked caliber and used for front line military service until replaced by the 6.5x55 Mausers.  Those same rifles then soldiered on in reserve service well into the 1920's.

I would not hesitate to fire an old black powder RRB after careful inspection and headspace checks.