Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

Paper patch 'em, if ya need to~! But, depending on the alloy, they just may "upset" enough to fill the bore nicely.

Ahh... "The Snake!" Decades later, Kenny indicated that it may not have actually been a fumble. But hey... who knows? I'd like to believe it was and that he eventually just decided to muddle the story for the fun of it.

Immediately reminded me of this play from almost forty-two years ago. Lotsa beer got spilt, at home and in the stands! People still talk about "The Play!"

I'm inclined to agree - the oversized (.451 - .452) bore notwithstanding. Anecdotal accounts of varying .43 Spanish chamber and bore dimension variances are legion. The .43 Spanish is a bottleneck cartridge; the Reformado was essentially a .43 Spanish with the shoulder "blown out" to the larger caliber, largely eliminating the bottleneck - sorta like the .30-30 / .38-55.: Ornery's cast clearly illustrates the shoulder. .43 Spanish over .43 Spanish Reformado .30-30 compared to .38-55 I wish Ornery a world of luck and fun with this project; that said, if'n it wuz me, I'd start out "making it work." Actually, that's what I did with mine, initially by re-forming .348 Winchester brass into .43 Spanish. Later, I found factory brass and used that. Danged thing was surprisingly accurate and a hoot to shoot - but it printed well over a foot high at a hundred yards with the li'l pointy front sight.. So, I soldered a ramp and tall globe sight just behind the original - easily removed if I (or anyone else) ever want to "restore" it. Well hell! It's been prob'ly twenty years... reckon I'll just have to dig it out, dust if off, and fire it up. 'Specially since a bag o' .43 Spanish brass just showed up recently in the mail ~ thankee, Palouse!

Well, I was about to say "Ooo... Re-chamber? Re-line? Re-barrel? Live with it...? So many choices!" Good direction you've chosen. Not cheap, but gonna be worth it. A bit of a tale from the past: The late Bean Pot of the Kings River Regulators had a reeeally ugly RB (Reformado) - it had actually survived a fire, and between the scorching and rust wouldn't even have made a decent wallhanger. But it could shoot! Hank, also late of the KRR, undertook it as a project with Bean Pot. After slugging the barrel, they procured a suitable mold and cast a bunch of bullets. A batch of .43 Spanish brass was easily blown out with a session of "back-yard fire-forming." All in all, a pretty simple process ~ and Bean Pot actually used it to win his next long-range match!

How 'bout a chuck wagon dinner bell? I've made a bunch of these ~ a few months ago I was asked to put together a "raffle prize basket" for a local Kiwanis event - so, I made a bell, a barbecue steak flipper and charcoal "rake," put 'em in a galvanized tub with some straw, a bunch of bottles of sauces, and a sauce pot. If the weather ever cools down a mite I'll make some more. But when it's 105° outside I hates workin' over a hot forge!

I found an old thread on Cast Boolits about loading for the Reformado ~ if that's what it is.... https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?272962-Sanity-Check-43-Spanish-Reformado Ornery, if you'd like a factory .43 Spanish (not Reformado) case to "check for fit," shoot me an address on PM and I'll send ya one.

Do it! And ignore the ignoramuses who bugle about "ruining its collector value." It's yours; do with it what will make you happy! It'll be downright sweet when restored!

And don't forget ~ originally written as a poem. Set to music in 1814 by Thomas Carr, and arranged by Theodore Carr: So, this is the way it was originally supposed to sound: (Yes... this has been previously posted)

Shux... back in the 90's on a couple of drives to BC the Canadian border folks just asked 5-year old Sassparilla Kid if his ma and I were his parents. He grinned, said "Yup!" and we were on our way.

Just a "wild" guess, but that .50-70 sure looks like a New York State Militia rifle... and it's really a quite handsome piece at that! Curious... does the hammer automatically move to half-cock when you close the breech? If you're not already there, you might want to go to https://www.remingtonsociety.org/ and sign up ~ fast and simple, and much good info there.

I know... it is.

And down the hoooole we goooo.... Ornery, check out this thread that I started a few years ago... on this very subject! I think you might find it entertaining, and perhaps even a mite useful.... Hardpan's Rolling Block Quandry

The stadium used to be pretty decent - even when shared with the Raiders, prior to the Raiders bailing out of Oakland back in 1982. A bunch of buddies and family and I would go to a LOT off games; but even back in the early 70's we'd voice opinions about Oakland not deserving the team. Even when they where a championship team there were times when attendance might be around 3,000 fans. Or fewer. On a weekend! And it got even worse in modern times. Now, about the Raiders - when Al Davis brought 'em back to Oakland in '95, to accomodate him the city of Oakland altered the stadium to a point where it was undoubtedly the worst baseball park in the country. It is absolutely horrid! My late Uncle Frankie was one of the construction superintendants on the re-model job; perhaps the most cheerful man I've ever known, but at times he'd almost have tears in his eyes when talking about it. After the work was completed, I remember listening to a game on the radio one day and the announcers were discussing it ~ one of 'em flat-out said "tear it down, Oakland. Just tear it down!" Now, maybe they will. Or the new owners: On May 23, 2024, the city of Oakland announced its plan to sell its one-half share in the existing 155-acre Oakland Coliseum complex (63 ha) for a minimum of $105 million to the African American Sports & Entertainment Group, whose plans for the site include residential and commercial uses.

I definitely remember foil-wrapped Ding Dongs. I also remember freezing 'em! 😋

I've done that. Just this afternoon I opened my digital calipers case and smiled when I saw the .348 pin gauge nestled inside - a 2" long steel rod exactly .348" in diameter. This was a leftover from my .43 Spanish from .348 WInchester forming project. The ..348 Winchester is a good "parent case," except the case diameter at the web is .553" (just forward of the rim). The .43 Spanish is .525" - that's .0028" too big. As the case is really thick there, I found it easier to turn the case down than try to cram it into a die. So... the pin gauge? Well, I'd just slip it into the case mouth, chuck it up in the drill press and a few seconds with a file did the trick. The pin gauge aligned the case, and prevented the chuck from crushing the neck. Worked well! .43 Spanish

I always check first thing!

Ornery, you're probably safe on the .45-75. Initially developed for the 1876 Winchester; pretty much limited to that rifle and a few other special "Winchester" commemorative type runs. Now, it's possible that someone chambered a Remington Roller for it, but not overly likely. But it would be cool if it was! 1876 Winchester

Forgot to ask - when you slugged the barrel, did it have an even or odd number of lands/grooves? And I assume your measurements were groove diameter...? And by the way ~ that is a right handsome rifle ya gots there!!

Ornery, welcome to the world of "Rabbit Hole Remington" owners! A couple of interesting Remington information tidbits: First, the military Rolling Blocks were rarely, if ever, given serial numbers. The fact that yours has what appears to be a serial number on the lower tang might indicate that it was manufactured for the civilian market - possibly as a target model. Not a bad thing at all! Also, Remington, for some mysterious reason, rarely, if ever, stamped a caliber on the Rolling Blocks. And this in itself is your ticket into the "Remington Rabbit Hole," as they were factory produced in at least two dozen chamberings. Of these, there are perhaps a half-dozen that could be for the bore diameter you measured - especially considering that their tolerances were not so great back then. Some of these possibilities might include: .43 Spanish .43 Spanish "Reformado*" .43 Egyptian .44-77 Sharps/(Remington) .45-70 (not likely, if your chamber is too short) 11 mm Danish 11X59 mm Gras ... any "custom" calibers (perhaps .45-60?) *On the subject of "Spanish .43 Reformado," the cartridge actually took an 11.5mm (.453) bullet. Don't ask me where they got .43; again, some of the dimensions of the period were pretty imprecise - especially with military chamberings. The "true" .43 Spanish shot a .439 bullet; ostensibly much too small for your bore, but who knows...? As suggested above, get yourself a block o' Cerrosafe and do a chamber casting. If you have a copy of "Cartridges Of the World" you should be able to find a match; if you don't, just post the dimensions here and you'll get a bunch o' lookups! In the meantime, here are a few pictures that might pique your interests - or perhaps ignite a migraine! .44-77 Sharps (Remington) .43 Spanish .43 Spanish Reformado