.43 spanish reformado

[crankshaft]

I own one of these, made at the Oviedo arsenal.  I also have formed .348 brass and the proper dies.  The action is tight and has an excellent barrel.
Should I shoot it as is? rebarrel? or hang it on the wall? Is a .454 the proper size bullet if I decide to shoot it?

[John Traveler]

Crankshaft,

I have encountered several .43 Spanish and .43 Spanish Reformado ("reformed") Rolling block rifles, including one Oviedo Arsenal sample

Various sources (Barne's Cartridges of the World, Layman's Remington Rolling Block MIlitary Rifles, etc) describe the Reformado as a later re-chambering of existing .43 Spanish RRB.  Other sources claim the .43 Spanish Reformado came first, and the .43 Spanish came later.

I've dissected original .43 Spanish Reformado rounds, and the .454" diameter bullets have a thin  bronze/guilding metal jackets filled with a soft lead core. If the Spanish considered it safe to fire 0.015" oversize jacketed slugs in a 0.439 bore, it was their business, not mine!

Suffice it to say that I've encountered RRB bore diameters that were from 0.439 to 0.455.  The only way to positively identify the size bullet to use is to slug the bore and do a chamber cast.  I would match bullet diameter to groove size, regardless of which cartridge it was chambered in.

In every instance, chamber neck dimensions were very generous.  Case life can be short even if you necksize.  This was supposedly a design to make the Remington Rolling Block more reliable under battle conditions.

YES, this caliber is very shootable as a BPCR, but it requires more work and load development because of the differing bore/bullet sizes.

HTH
John

[John Traveler]

Crankshaft,

I have encountered several .43 Spanish and .43 Spanish Reformado ("reformed") Rolling block rifles, including one Oviedo Arsenal sample

Various sources (Barne's Cartridges of the World, Layman's Remington Rolling Block MIlitary Rifles, etc) describe the Reformado as a later re-chambering of existing .43 Spanish RRB.  Other sources claim the .43 Spanish Reformado came first, and the .43 Spanish came later.

I've dissected original .43 Spanish Reformado rounds, and the .454" diameter bullets have thin  bronze/guilding metal jackets filled with a soft lead core. If the Spanish considered it safe to fire 0.015" oversize jacketed slugs in a 0.439 bore, it was their business, not mine!

Suffice it to say that I've encountered RRB bore diameters that were from 0.439 to 0.455.  The only way to positively identify the size bullet to use is to slug the bore and do a chamber cast.  I would match bullet diameter to groove size, regardless of which cartridge it was chambered in.

In every instance, chamber neck dimensions were very generous.  Case life can be short even if you necksize.  This was supposedly a design to make the Remington Rolling Block more reliable under battle conditions.

YES, this caliber is very shootable as a BPCR, but it requires more work and load development because of the differing bore/bullet sizes.

HTH
John

[crankshaft]

The groove diameter is .448, I have not cast the chamber but it is generous, taking a .454 bullet with no problems.   Actually I have shot it.  I don't cast and proper bullets are hard to find.  Some 370 gr .446 bullets left the brass covered in soot and were no more accurate than .454 I have tried.  One problem with the larger bullet is they have to be deep seated as there is no throat and they will not seat into the rifling.   I even have paper patched the smaller diameter bullets which stopped the blowby but didn't do a thing for accuracy.  I think what would work is a .454 bullet with a long ogive and a lot of grease grooves to decrease bore contact, maybe partially resized to a smaller diameter.  Another issue is bullet stabilization, after shooting a 6 in. group at 50 yards, I proceeded to ring the 12 inch gong at 200 from an offhand position.   It has been fun, but the thread on oversize firing pins has caused me to reconsider.

[445supermag]

crank
   I have one 43 sp refomado with a real good boar and i have one barrel that is like brand new , not even markes on the barrel thread. Both are 455/456. gruove dia. They sure are not rechambered 439 barrels. The case looks  streight to almost to the end then it has a slight taper . It ends with a brass bullit that is crimped looseley. The spanish version rifle that i have  and the barrel have round ring on the bottem of the chamber that is used for a recoil lug for the forarm. The forarm has a screw that goes through the forarm. Not like the rem that has the lug about midway up the barrel and fits a recees in the forarm. Also noted is that the rear barrel sight is sodered on , no screws like the remington. Of all the rb barrel that i have the barrels have been close to what they are reported to be. The chambers have a larger veration to the brass case. I have chambercast that are hard to match up to cart dementions. You have to remember these are millitaty rifles, all shooting mill ammo. In battel no one picks up the brass to reload., so if the chamber is a little large that ok as long as the brass does not split. Ya gotto remember that the rifle has to keep shooting when the enemy is chargeing. So you get larger chambers,larger feeboar and smaller bullits in millatary gun,s to deal with black powder flowling. The rich were officers and the poor were the targets.

[445supermag]

crank
  nei used to make a mold for the danish 45   that cased a bullit for the 455/456 grouve barrels . IT,s about 500 gr . i have shot these in the danish. Lyman has a mold that is about 475gr in 455 dia and looks like the lovern bullit. that might work. I was made for the enfield musket but we found that it works well wth thw numrich 45/70 barrels that have a 455 grouve dia. You did not say what type of lesd you are useing and what type of powder.

[crankshaft]

I have been using lead bulk bullets that I have picked up at the local gun shop.  I got some 43 Mauser 370 gr. bullets from Huntingtons that are .446. Too small.  Lately, I have run some 45-70 405 gr. bullets through a .454 sizer. They work but not too accurate.  I got a .451 sizer today and will try that.  As for powder, I started with pyrodex, but lately have been using 34 gr of 3031.  Any  idea what the potential accuracy of these rifles?  I am getting 6-8" at 100 yards.  Maybe I am expecting too much.

[crankshaft]

I forgot to mention, this gun has been sporterized, barrel shortened to 28 inches and the wood cut down.  It has the through screw in the forearm that goes through a lug on the barrel.  A .455 barrel groove would certainly closer match the chamber in this gun.  Are there any available out there?

[Leftoverdj]

Crankshaft, were I trying to shoot a rifle with a .448 groove diameter, I'd try running .457 cast through a .454 sizer and then through a Lee .451 pushthrough die. Two .003 reductions is easy and does very little damage to the bullet.

[crankshaft]

Thanks, that was my thinking also.  Loaded some up, got to get to the range.