Newest update/progress report: Payment sent Sat. AM for a 2nd 20ga Rossi outside hammer coachgun, this one identical in design to the 12ga I’d purchased new in ’72, both being Garcia Corp imports w/Greener top crossbolt in addition to double underlugs and will be my 1st DR project victim! I already have a slightly newer Rossi 20 as imported by InterArms, nearly identical but without the Greener crossbolt, just the extended rib. I’m still looking for a 3rd 20ga outside hammer Overland, but this time w/the scarcer 26 or 28” brls. At this time I’m just trying to put together shotgun/s, barrels, rib stock, etc. that I’ll need to complete one double rifle w/an extra set of shotgun barrels.

I’ve really at this time ruled out 25-35 as a caliber choice as I already have a Browning HighWall newly rebored to that cartridge and will also someday finish my planned 25-35 rebarrel on a Marlin lever.

If I wanted to play it safe I could spend $300 - 500 on barrel blanks and fit up 38-55 or 32-40 w/SAAMI specifications of 30,000cup, stay with black powder or equivalent loads w/smokeless in the 18 – 28,000max, and if I did a good job can’t see how a 20ga 3” chambered double wouldn’t comfortably handle those rifle pressures with the smaller cartridge base dia. of .420/.424. Though a 38-55 DR would also be a nice choice I already have a nice 38-55 lever action. Instead just got a bargain purchase on 2 new 26” .30 caliber profiled blanks - $125- for the pair (while I was putting the order together online I noticed .458 blanks at the same price – ordered 2 of those also!) and expect them to arrive around the same time as my newly purchased Rossi 20ga. Plans are for the 30 cal blanks to end up 25 or 26” 30-30 or 30-40 Krag barrels fitted to my Rossi 20ga monoblock, w/a ľ-16 thd’d and .700” dia. sweat fit per Ellis Brown leaving a barrel/chamber min. wall thkness of .140” in 30-30 and .120” in 30-40, with monoblock wall thkness adding another min. of .150” all around at breech – resulting in a “receiver” 2.5” long and 1” O.D. On the surface this sounds adequate, but the monoblock remaining wall thickness of .150” doesn’t take into account thd depth (down to .125” at thd crest), and the wild card till I cut off the barrels and expansion ream both chambers to a true cylinder – will the furnace brazed in the monblock shotgun barrel stub (which will then remain a thin furnace brazed sleeve in the block) provide adequate strength after barrels are tinned, screwed down and properly sweated? My gut instincts tell me that if the factory furnace brazing was done properly, and if I fit and sweat properly yes! Thoughts, am I missing something, or being too self-assured?

The 2 .458 blanks won’t go near one of these Rossi 20ga, and if and when only on a 12ga monoblock as the 45-90 base dia. is .100” larger than 30-40 – identical to the increase in barrel breech dia. moving up from 20 to 12ga. Another issue I should’ve but didn’t address till after ordering the .45 cal barrels is twist – most of my 45-70s have been 1-20” or 1-22”, older Winchester for 45-90 w/light bullets was more like 1-32” – my new barrels are 1-14” which would better stabilize 500gr. bullets at 2,100-2,700fps, not 350-400gr. at 1,800fps, but first we’ll build & proof & regulate, and then see! I still have to deal with which outside hammer 12ga I’ll build on. I still have access to an early Rossi Overland 12ga, was thinking maybe CZ’s Turkish hammer double might prove a better choice but am hearing too many negatives – unless I resurrect an old gun my choices are down the Remington Spartan/Russian Baikal, or the Chinese Colt hammer copy, or ….?

Thanks, Joe (hobbyguymaine)