"Big Boston"

Shooting the wrong caliber ammunition happens more often than it should, not that rare. For the most part the shooters are aware and responsible shooters. We are enthusiasts and have a desire to experience different guns and varied calibers. A testament to todays brass is it's ability to survive a fair amount of abuse. 44-40 in a 45 colt expands the mouth and seals adequately for cowboy loads. It does make a rather anemic pop, and looses several hundred fps. It would be better if i didn't have 44-40, 44 Mag and 45 Colt firearms, and they are in Vaqueros or 73s. I have a policy of only taking one of those calibers to a meet at a time. Back in the day, the government told the firearms industry to simplify the number of different calibers and marking caliber on firearms. In addition the color coding of shotgun gauge ammunition came into being. I remember one shooter saying that if you shoot enough ammunition long enough you will have a XXX moment. And then he looked at the group and said, and don't be smug, it can and probably will happen to any of us. IMHO the rules for shooting cowboy are pretty extensive and seem to do a good job of keeping us safe. BB

Similar to the one in the picture. BB These were probably discontinued in the 60s.

I used a few bags of the LAGE (LOGIE) Uniwads in the 20 ga and some in the 12. IMHO a good wad, versatile and decent patterns. Not all that popular back in the day. Still have a few hundred 20 ga in my tickle trunk. IIRC the Farmer Bros were in the mix, invented them or ??? BB

Thanks for clarifying that. You were right to ask, and as you can see from the answers is that the consensus is that is not an approved way to go. I shoot lots of different calibers and there are two shooters in out family, it's better is the headsatamp on the cartridge is actually what the caliber is. BB

I saw one like these at a recent gunshow, almost picked it up. To me this would be what a frontiersman may have had. I don't have any details on the design, but I believe it has it's origin in Europe. Perhaps it's time to add blacksmith to my list of adventures. A true cowboy knife (today) has a fairly short blade for utility work, like cutting bales open, etc. Pre cartridge revolver days, the knife was the first line of defence. One carried a big knife, in plain view, as a deterrent to other ne'er-do-wells. I see pictures and the knife was worn on the strong hand side, and the handgun was on the off side. Men were a bunch tougher back then. IMHO.

I admire your diplomacy Colorado Coffinmaker, I lack that trait. Doc Moses, you were correct in thinning the neck, without that your ammo would not fit in the chamber. However you did not taper the transition between the thinned neck and the body, that may introduce a point of stress. After than you lost me. As a proof on concept, if you were defending yourself in times of war, it has almost as much merit as shooting 44 Russian in a 44-40 chamber, perhaps a bit better, but not something I'd try or recommend. I'm not sure of the limits on fireforming, but at the base the brass is thick and resists expansion much less fireforming. At or just above the web, 0200" up from the base, the clearance between your modified 44 Mag case and the chamber is. 0.019" approximately, and that would be too much for me to accept as reasonable. In error I have fired 44-40 in a 45 Colt. Expansion was only to half way down from the case mouth. To get any sort of fireforming you will need more pressure than most 44-40 firearms can safely withstand, IMHO. Or are you loading with Black Powder? Even here in Canada 44-40 brass is available. 500 44-40 brass costs about $70 more than what 500 44 Mag brass cost. Cowboy shooting and reloading are not hobbies for the faint of wallet anyways. BB

To my way of thinking a shorter chamber should increase velocity. The chambers seem a bit tighter in the open tops as well. The cylinders that is in the open tops have throats all over the map, from 452 to 454, yest ES/Sd doesn't seem to reflect that. Ruger has uniform 451 throats and the groove. dia also 451, It has always worked well, not an issue IMHO. Of the open tops the one with a 454 groove has lower velocity than the 452 grooved barrel. That would seem to indicate the larger grooved barrel isn't sealing as well. I think my old friends expression, "It's just FM" seems to apply. (FM, Flipping Magic) BB

Life can be interesting. Several years ago i bought 100 45 Schofield brass to "experiment" with. Recently I purchased a pair of 71/72 open tops chambered in 45 S&W Schofield. before they arrived i used the opportunity to work up a load so that when they came I'd have something to shoot in them. The cylinders are chambered 45 S&W Schofield. the revolvers are sequential serial numbered Uberti early model 71/72 open tops catalog 11114. They have seen a bit of previous service as cowboy guns and I'm working on them to clean up a few issues. Yes, online purchase and pictures do not tell the whole story. Another learning opportunity paid for by yours truly. To the point, My load was developed in a 4 5/8" barreled Ruger Vaquero (original version) and as it was with some left over 452AA powder that load was posted in a previous thread. In that gun, with its 4 5/8 barrel the chronograph results were: Velocity Av 648.7/643.6 Es 26/23.4 Sd 10.63/9.53 Shots 5>/5< A decent load with bullets I had on hand. Although a sequential pair, my 71/72s were not entirely the same and there were issues. One had some timing and lockup issues so I concentrated on the other first. After a brief inspection and clean/lube I completed a chrono test. Velocity Av 598.3/588 Es 35.7/15.2 Sd 14.7/6 Shots 5>/5< No what I expected at all, shorter chamber/cylinder and a 5 1/2" barrel, I though there would be a velocity gain. The barrel is a bit on the loose side, groove at app 454, but still not what I expected. I addressed the timing issue, will have to order parts to correct the timing, but as it was safe to shoot, I ran it over the chrono as well. Velocity Av 633.4/636.7 Es 19.55/4.16 Sd 8.42/2.0 Shots 5>/5< The groove diameter on this one is 452, and that seems to have restored some of the velocity, but still not equal to the velocity with my 45 Colt. This is the first time that I have owned firearms where testing of this kind were possible. I've used 38 Spl in my 357s and 44 Spl in my 44 Mag, but don't own a 38 or 44 Special chambered firearm. Is a velocity gain in a longer chamber a phenomenon or are there other factors in play that I've not considered. BB Reference: Calibre 45 S&W Schofield Date Loaded 2022-05-04 Powder 452AA (Ontario) Weight in Grains 3.7 (4S) Bullet Cactus 230 gr. 45 ACP - pit run Weight in Grains 236 Primer CCI 300 LP Loaded OAL 1.375 Case ¬ 45 ¬ SCHOFIELD Weight in Grains 99 That is the load, IMO not much different that what you'd get with the same or a bit more Bullseye.

I have a concern on some of the details on your desired re-blue. I'm not experienced in the barrel reline process, however I have looked at the instructions from Track of the Wolf and watched a few videos on the process. After a re-line, I'd be a bit hesitant to use some blueing processes. My concern would be the high heat and/or the caustic nature of the process. You do not want to melt any solder, if any was used, and you do not want caustic salts in the joint between the liner and barrel. On the over polishing, I hear you. We had a gunsmith in our area the did show quality blueing, but he was very heavy handed with polishing. The metal is gone. 20 or more years since he left us, and you can still spot his blue jobs at gunshows, by the BLUE color and the polishing. If it were mine, I think I'd be tempted to do some cold blueing. I have done a few and was happy with the look and the protection it afforded. Not all cold blue products are the same, and depending on the metal, some do a better job. I just buy several products and test each out. One usually works. Degrease first, acetone or alcohol, wash with hot water, towel off and apply the blueing on the hot (warm) metal. Card with 4-0 steel wool. repeat until it looks good. to you. Post a picture, my visualization of you description may not mirror reality. Cerakote? BB

Coincidently I was thinking that WST would work with this as well. I had 5 Fed 150 primers sitting on the bench left over from a primer swap, so I loaded them up with the same load. Velocity Av 633.5 Es 7.8 Sd 3.16 Shots 5< It doesn't seem to mind the Feds. Good to know as my primer supply is not great, and who knows what will be available. BB

I have a pair of used 71's, early model with navy grips, coming and they are chambered in 45 Schofield. A previous load development project got me a decent load with Trail Boss, but that doesn't do me any good now. The seller said he used Clays and it worked well for him. I loaded up some loads with Clays, but they weren't all that consistent in velocity. Good enough to be used, but nothing to brag about. I have a few powder options, and searched the forums and articles for some direction. An old Lyman manual listed 3.0 grains of Bullseye for 500 fps. I have some Bullseye but way more 452AA, so that is what I decided to try. My initial load was with 3.7 grains of 452AA, rotor 4S in my Accumeasure. A trip to the range for a quick chronograph session was fruitful. A solid 10-10-10 load. IOW the difference in velocity between powder forward and powder rearward (position sensitivity less than 10 fps. The Es (Extreme spread) for the powder forward string less than 10 fps and the Es for the powder rearward string also less than 10. These results were in a 45 Colt handgun with a 4 5/8" barrel. There will be a bit of velocity gain in the 71s with the shorter chamber and longer 5.5" barrels but this is the load I will test in them. I had a bit of leading, I may have to fool with alloy/size or lube, but I have a good base to work with. Calibre 45 S&W Schofield Date Loaded 2022-04-26 Powder 452AA (Ontario) Weight in Grains 3.7 (4S) Bullet Cactus 230 gr. (45 Auto) Weight in Grains 236 Primer WLP Loaded OAL 1.400 Case Starline 45 SCHOFIELD Weight in Grains 99 Times Loaded 3F Number loaded 10 Firearm Barrel clean/fouled Velocity Av 631.4/638.5 Es 20.2/18.1 Sd 7.8/6.6 Shots 5>/5< BB

I'm more of an amateur, but my story is somewhat the same. I'm more familiar with using a pump and selected the 97s for my cowboy shotgun. I wanted a spare and ended up with a decent shotgun or two and some turkeys. And similar to Yul, in my parts quest I was referred to a gunsmith in Alberta. I called and he told me he was retired but if I wanted he would sell me all his parts. With those parts I was able to spruce up a couple of turkeys to good or better condition. Yul and I can't be the only ones with parts. From what the retired gunsmith told me, back in the day gunshops would send him 97s that were in too rough condition to sell and he would salvage them for parts. The only downside being that not all the salvaged parts are in great shape. In the collection I got, there were a few like new parts, most were good parts and some were still usable but rough. The odd part was poor I've run into a few gunshow vendors that have quite a few 97s in their personal collection, nice ones that aren't for sale. The odd one refuses to sell to a cowboy, can't stand the thought of having the barrel on one of his babies cut down. It is a bit of a dilemma, the newest Winchester is over 60 years old, and the Chinese copies have come to an end. In Canada the last batch that was built ended up here as the USA banned imports of Chinese guns. There was a real glut of them and they sold for about $400 CAD. That was a couple of years ago and used ones list from $250 to over $400. The one I bought would not feed from the magazine, and had some other issues. I was able to correct the flaws and it has worked well for me. Be sure to tighten the screws or put locker on them. They are all metric, and if you lose one, that's a problem. The parts I bought cost a bit, but in the end, I've used or sold enough so that what's left is at zero cost. Gunparts did have some reproduction parts, I bought a magazine tube, and it was good. BB

Smack me hard enough and I'll fall as well. The sear does wear, either on the trigger, and/or on the sear. It needs to have some grease on it, especially if you slam fire. Slam firing takes it toll on a dry sear. Dirt can be an issue. The spring is a heavy duty piece, if the screw holding it on is tight, it should be OK. Easy to check, just turn the gun over, the sear spring and the screw that holds it are in view. The trigger has one heck of a mechanical advantage, IMO the spring that holds the sear in place is heavier than anything I've ever seen in any gun. The sear is also ground for positive engagement. I went into the parts bin and stuck a hammer in a lifter and just let gravity hold the sear in place, it will not fall if you slap it. A positive sear acts like a wedge. You may need a hammer and sear to repair that one if dirt isn't an issue. Be prepared to find other issues. BB

I was looking at the stroke the bolt would have to travel, it would be 1.4/1.6 (87%) less travel. The carrier snaps up and snaps down, it is activated by the lever, but the travel of the carrier is not actuated by the lever. Timing would be different. At least that's how my brain visualizes it. BB

There are a lot of parts in an 1897, any one can break, and oft times more than one piece is worn out, or broken. I would avoid a "C", first it had the 3 screw forend, and they were prone to failure. They can be worked on, but they are a bit convoluted and new wood is not available. Sometime before the "E" series the firing pin interlock leaf spring was replaced with a coil spring, which is less prone to break. The firing pin interlock is a safety feature and should be checked. The gun will still work if the spring breaks. Easily checked without any tools, two hands will do. Check for an empty chamber and magazine, With the action closed, cock the hammer fully. Now try and open the action, it should not open until you press the release button on the right side, up from the trigger about an inch. Open the action a bit, so there is about a 1/4" clearance between the carrier and bolt. With your little finger push on the firing pin, it should be locked, and sticking proud of the bolt by about 1/8". with the fingers on your left hand push up on the carrier slowly, maintaining pressure on the firing pin with your little finger. The firing should unlock just before the action is in full battery. While you're in this region test the bolt release. In half cock the bolt is locked, the release will not release the bolt. It will release the bolt when fully cocked. With the action closed, push the pump fully forward and release it. Now lower the hammer fully. If you pull back on the pump handle the action will remain locked close. Now push forward on the handle and the action will unlock. Beware, this feature is often defeated for competition. The common issue with this action is that dirt will accumulate under the interlock lever on the lifter. If the interlock doesn't work smoothly, there is a small part that connects the button to the lever that breaks, fairly often. Broken part on the right, good part on the left. Where that little stinker hides. If it's a takedown, test that feature. If assembled incorrectly, it will not take down, a fairly common issue and easily fixed by assembling it correctly. If a takedown, check for any movement between the two halves. This is adjustable. this is my old "D", it'd been adjusted once in the last 100 plus years, and there are about 6 notches left. Once corrected, it very seldom needs adjustment. No oil dirt and sand and neglect will wear these out. I've had some that needed a "5" to correct the slop. Of course check the bore of any shotgun, deep pits and rust are common. One common failure on 1897s is that the hammer will follow the bolt, fails to cock the hammer. This is usually due to lots of wear. Two places to check ar the wear point on the top of the hammer, wear on the bottom of the bolt and how much wiggle is in the bolt when the action is open. 1/4" up and down movement would be too much, 1/8" somewhat normal. Look at the wear point on the hammer, it may be welded (repaired) already, not a good sign. Mixing and matching parts is a better way to fix this. The square shows one wear point that is an issue and can contribute to hammer follow. The oval shows the point where the bolt rides on and cocks the hammer. This particular gun had the start of hammer follow, I corrected it by replacing the bolt. These used hammers are from L to R, good hammer, very little wear, second hammer has a battle scar or two, but still good, the third has some wear, the last hammer has been welded, typical mediocre job. The next common failure area is the buttstock, the wrist area. The buttstock should have no wiggle and no cracks. Repairable but a bit time consuming. The last common failing is with the cross pin holding the carrier in the action. It is held in with a small screw beside the hammer spur in the middle picture. A quick check would be to push the pin back and forth, it should move. Sometimes the screw is rusted in, likely if the pin has no movement. This is repairable, but takes a bit of skill and some luck to do without uglies. These are the main things i check at a gunshow, Each issue should reflect in a discount. One item that you cannot see until the action is disassembled is the bolt, the locking lugs can wear. Before you put the gun down there is one last safety feature to check. The 1897 lacks a trigger disconnect, and to prevent an out of battery discharge should you forget to release the trigger the hammer will not fall until the bolt is nearly in full battery. The firing pin interlock is the failsafe for this. With the trigger pulled pump the action open and then slide it slowly closed, the hammer should only fall once the firing pin interlock has released the firing pin. There is more to check, but these will quickly determine if the gun is worth buying, your skill level and access to parts are a factor as well. Thanks for you time if you actually got to the bottom of this lengthy post. BB

Thank-you, that does fill in some of the blanks. Would you mind measuring those for future reference. From the cartridge lengths and comparative heights I'd guess that the original 66 is only around 1.4" long. The early Uberti seems correct for the stated 1.515 in the earlier post, and of course 1.6" for the current model. IMHO a Uberti 66 in 38 Long Colt with a 1.4" carrier would be a slick rifle. It wouldn't need a short stroke kit. BB

On this site my search picked up this: Uberti - IT, (ubertireplicas.it), replied to my email: "... With regards to your questions, I can only tell you that these various modifications were made before 1994. We don't have the exact date." Lever, carrier, and groove diameter changes. Did not ask about mainspring tensioner. Also, Uberti/Navy Arms 1866 #14XX: Proof 1968, safety, carrier length= 1.515", bore Uberti/Navy Arms 1866 #3XX: Proof 1967, safety In addition my research into the 44 Henry cartridges, yes there were several, seems to indicate the length of the longest 44 Henry cartridge was 1.385". the latest version was a berdan primed centerfire cartridge made in or for Brazil. Bullet diameter was 0.440 max to match the 0.440' groove diameter. The bore was 0.420", making the lands 0.010", rather deep rifling. It would then appear as if the progression to the next 44 caliber rifle cartridge, the 44 WCF, used the same(ish) bore, 0.420" and the rifling was shallow, This morphed somewhat and has become the current 44 Caliber family. Caveat; All this information is internet information, it is probably fact, but may not be. Time to lay this one to rest. I've purchased a used pair of Uberti Colt 1871/1872 early models chambered in 45 Schofield. Those will require some load development and some range time to get them running. I dabbled in 45 Schofield some a few years back for my 45 Colt. Unfortunately my best load was with Trail Boss, so it's back to square one now. My first load with Clays was not a winner,IMHO. Powder position sensitive and large(ish) Es/Sd. BB

Just one of those nagging details that keeps me awake at night, almost. The Henry rifle was designed to shoot 44 Rimfire ammunition. It had a bullet around 200 grains and a charge of around 25 grains of black powder. I've not found a definitive spec for the cartridge but a later version, the 44 Henry Flat was 1.346" in OAL. This cartridge was what Colt chambered their 1871-1872 open tops in, and it was also the cartridge used in the 1860 Henry and the 1866 Winchester. So my question would be, what was the length of carrier (or the opening for the carrier, depending on how you spec these) ? I read somewhere that when Uberti first made the '66 the carrier was short. So, for no particular reason, I'd like to know what was the max length cartridge you could use in a Henry rifle? Thanks, BB

This topic pops up fairly often, on this site, and others wanting lite loads for youth or girlfriends. Of all the advice the 12 to 15 grains of Clays, and to a lesser extent Red Dot, a Claybuster 3/4 oz wad and 3/4 oz of shot is the dominate load suggestion. When my case of Lite ammo is finished, that is where I'll start. BTW, if you are so inclined, a black powder loading, under square on the powder works as well, from what I've been told. BB

My experience would support " Got to a shoot with whatever you have and shoot". For my first shoot I called upon a cousin and borrowed a shotgun and a rifle. I only had 2 handguns. This gets you in the game and with the people that can help you. I've bought several, perhaps more than several firearms from club members and like Dutch said, if I wanted to try a firearm, a simple ask was all I needed. I've reciprocated since. I've shared ammo, lent handguns and rifles, tried different guns, all part of the game. Like being on a cattle drive together, without the horses and the dust. The 1897 I borrowed for the first shoot would not cock every time, I had to stuff a pair of gloves in back of the gunbelt to get it tight enough, my 44-40 rifle ammo dented the targets, and I had fun. I apologized for the "Hot(ish)" ammo, and for the next meet was a bit better prepared. I don't use any of those original guns, and I think that's fairly typical depending on how you started. I know of one enthusiast that had been getting his cowboy kit together for years now, and still hasn't showed up at a meet. He wants everything perfect, cowboy shootings not about perfect. BB

IMHO barrel length really comes down to personal preference, IOW, what "feels" right. It's a bit hard to explain but one day it was like Zen took over, the gun just felt like it was part of me. For me it was a 4 5/8 barrel. In Canada a 3" barrel is prohibited by law, too dangerous for mortals to use. I sold the 7 1/2" Vaquero I had, just didn't feel right. The whole reason for the long barrels was to burn black powder. The longer the barrel the higher the velocity. When I started shooting double duelist, I used a 5 1/2 in the off hand, only because it was easier to poke the longer barrel in the holster. With more experience, the 4 5/8 works just as well. But if the 7 1/2 fells better in your hands, use it. The main lengths are 4 5/8 5 1/2 and 7 1/2. There are others but not so common. I'm not sure why Ruger has 5 1/2 for their SAS pair in 45 and 4 5/8 for the 357 pair. I suspect for mounted riding and shooting, which uses 45, the longer barrel works better. In our game, length is not a performance advantage. Sight radius may be the only consideration. In reality, having mismatched pistols is probably more authentic than having a matched pair. Even Rooster Cogburn had a pair of Navy Sixes as back-up for his SAA. You don't even need to keep them the same calibre, but mixing calibers like 45 Colt and 44-40 can get a bit interesting. BB

It's fairly common to Hi-Tek or powder coat a 9mm bullet for use in a 1873 rifle. A roll crimp into the body of the bullet lets you adjust the length to what works best for you. In the theoretical world, using SAAMI and CIP specs as reference, there is basically only one barrel specification for 9mm, 38 Spl and 357 Mag and most of all the other calibers in that group. The spec is 8.79/9.02 in mm or .346/.355 in inches. The CIP spec is the same for groove but the bore is listed as 8.82 for some. Therefore, in theory, it's just a matter of what size of a bullet do you want to shoot in your firearm. If you own a Colt, and measure the barrel, you will find that the groove diameter will seldom be over sized, IOW, the groove will be between 353 and 355. It has been mentioned above that Ruger has larger groove diameter barrels, and most will run in the .357 to .358 inch zone. Uberti list their firearms in 38/357 as being to spec. 346/355. Cast bullet theory has established that for best accuracy a cast bullet should be at barrel groove diameter up to 0.002" over groove diameter. In my experience, loading at typical cowboy velocities, ideally the bullet can be 0.001' under groove diameter, up to groove diameter. Your typical commercial bullet is cast from 92-6-2 and has a BHN of 15, you probably don't want it any larger than groove diameter. Leading won't be an issue at cowboy velocities. Sized like that, maximum velocity is limited to less than 800 fps, thereabouts. So, to answer your question I'd first have to ask what your barrel groove diameter is. Unfortunately the big picture is a bit different. If you are shooting a revolver, when fired, the bullet has to pass through the throats of the cylinder first. If the bullet is too much smaller than the throat diameter, the forcing cone will be spray welded with gas cut lead. In my experience you can get away with about a 0.002" clearance and still have minimal leading. Therefore, if you are shooting a revolver, my second question would be; What are your cylinder throats sized at? Revolver theory for optimum accuracy/performance wants the throats of the cylinder to be larger than the groove diameter of the barrel. They can be equal, but the cylinder should not be smaller. Issues will start to pop up if the cylinders get much more than 0.002" larger than groove diameter. The bullet should never be larger than the throats, a cast bullet should be sized so that it will just slip through the throats, not a drop through, but an easy slip. This is to lessen the strain on the revolver frame and helps keep end shake increase to a minimum. That is my rule of thumb overview, there is so much more to the equation. The softness or hardness of the bullet is a factor as well. Also in the equation is the pressure you are loading to. If you load much below black powder pressures, with anything other than a soft lead bullet, obturation is not a factor as it may occur but bullet bump up probably does not. I shot a few bevel or concave based bullets, and this type of bullet definitely helps seal things up. Hollow base bullets will seal at even lower pressures. This is one of the reasons Trail Boss works well for cowboy shooting. Trail Boss is a high pressure low velocity powder. It has a good peak pressure when it burns, but it doesn't have the energy one would expect at these pressures. So, my third question would be, what bullet are you referring to and how hard is it cast. And is it coated or lubed conventionally? I fired a few thousand 9mm bullets in my guns, mostly rifle and most were coated. Performance was good in all aspects. I've also tried some 9mm cast, conventional lubed bullets and met with failure more often than not. Here the failure was mostly due to the 9mm bullet being light, 125 grains, and the issue here is getting the velocity low enough. I found it a challenge to get velocities low enough and still have good chrono numbers. I experienced ignition/powder position issues at the low loading densities required to lower the velocities. It worked in 38 Long Colt brass, but my Es and Sd went south in 38 spl and 357 Mag brass. I found it easier to drive a heavier bullet slow. I shoot 146 to 150 grain bullets at around 700 fps with good accuracy and minimal leading. My loads work in guns with 360 throats and 354 grooves on the extreme. I size my bullets at 358. I'm a slow learner, in the beginning I spent more time cleaning lead from my barrels that shooting. Today, not so much. A bit off topic, but I recently added another 44-40 to the collection. Its throats and groove diameters were somewhat larger than my other firearms, but my ammo still worked well. My ammo must have been well into the zone as I went from an alloy with a 14 to 15 BHN to an alloy about 11, and saw no significant difference. Throat clearance on that one is about 0.002' and I saw a slight performance increase when I went to a bullet with a larger grease groove. With clearance, the grease is sealing the throats, Loading for our game is far from being an exact science, there are many approaches that will work. A Hi-Tek bullet has a fairly large zone that it will tolerate, a powder coated bullet is a little less tolerant of variations, but still works well. The conventional sized/lubed bullets require a bit more attention to detail. BB

The sleeves come in a kit, There is a procedure for setting the up, not complicated, but it has a few steps. http://www.nulineguns.com/part_part_2046_3_31_42.php I got a handful of sleeves in a parts buy, was able to use one, perhaps a #5 or #6. They are numbered; B-A-B-1-2-3-4-5-6. Read all the instructions, like most things 1897 the parts all work together. Back in the day gunsmiths regularly replaced barrels, today, from the guns I've bought, very few people even know how a 97 works. I like learning, the parts I bought came with the fixture to remove barrels. The correct way doesn't use a pipe wrench and a vice. for practice I removed a barrel and put it back one without screwing anything up. BB

My thought is that the time is ripe for a new manufacturer to come online. Back in the day, a wee bit farther back than my day, CCI, Speer, Hornady, Hodgdon and a few more saw the opportunity to begin marketing components for the firearms enthusiasts. Not one of the founding fathers ever said or thought that our 2nd Amendment right would not come at some expense. The biggest previous jump in prices occurred in the 70s. The energy crunch and Hazmat have taken their toll. I am OK for this year, was still able to replenish a few months ago. I try and have about a years supply on hand, I don't shoot that much, usually a brick or two of each of the common primers will last me a year. What gets me is that when I need to change my load, I never know which primer will be the best. I may not run out of powders or primers, but I will run out of the ones I use more often. I was using a bunch of Trail Boss, and the best primer for that was either a Federal or a CCI. Some of my alternate loads need a Winchester or even a Remington. The point is, i can't be alone in my approach, I'm willing to swap or trade. But with the uncertainty that exists, I hesitate to sell off stock. In Canada we've been paying 60 to 70 CAD per 1000 anyways, now it's more, but the biggest hit has been transportation. The main players have become woke and refuse to ship anything related to the firearms industry, and that is probably another business opportunity. IMO bootleg primers and powder is the new moonshine. BB

Bought this kit just on the off chance my friend may sell me his 1901. 10 ga 2 7/8". Didn't come with the load card, but I have data from the older Lyman manuals. BB