| bigskybound |
| (.275 member) |
| 22/05/17 11:29 AM |
My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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Back last fall I purchased a pretty nice Remington Rolling Block 20 gauge shotgun with a project in mind. A few inquiries took me to a fine mostly muzzleloader gunsmith in PA who makes lots of barrels. He indicated that he could certainly rifle the bore, so I sent it to him. He is a busy guy, so it took about 6 months, which was OK because I moved and started a new job in another state.
So I got it back and now I need some ca. .645 round balls to load in brass shells. Rifling is a pretty shallow, slow twist, like some of the side by side gauge guns I have seen. Gun has no sights, just the dovetails I had cut. I have lots of sights kicking around and will probably mount fixed front and rear sights, since this will be a 50 yard woods gun with typical minute of moose accuracy needed.
| Ash |
| (.400 member) |
| 22/05/17 05:41 PM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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I like it!
Are you the fellow i bought my .585 roller off?
| 93x64mm |
| (.416 member) |
| 22/05/17 07:14 PM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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Daryl will chip in soon I reckon with a top load for you!
Should be an awesome rig when it gets going - bet it will shoot better than 'angle of moose' when you get some decent sights on it!
| bigskybound |
| (.275 member) |
| 23/05/17 03:49 AM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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Quote:
I like it!
Are you the fellow i bought my .585 roller off?
Hi Ash. That would be me. Did you get stateside? Always wondered how that critter would perform. Occasionally regret selling it - until I look in my safe at all of the guns that don't get out as it is.
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 24/05/17 09:13 AM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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Hi- a .645" groove diameter will put it 1/2 way between a 17 and 18 bore. No longer a 20 bore gun.
I suspect a chamber for 20 bore brass might be right, though.
A .645" pure lead ball should weigh around 400gr. even.
17 bore weighs 411.8 and an 18 bore ball runs 388.9gr.
In the 20 bore brass hull - anneal, of course - 2 3/4" or 2 1/2"?
Whatever primer you want, probably brass from Buffalo Arms, probably will use large pistol primers.
2 1/2 to 3 drams of 2F- necessary wads to get the height to the ball and slight crimp- or if tight fit in case, no crimp likely needed. Some of the BP Cowboy action guys seal with water glass & use no crimp on brass. I used a crimp for my ball and patched ball loads, as well as for shot loads in my straight rifled Husqvarna SxS. I made a cone-shaped die for crimping these. These are 16 bore brass and had to be annealed before loading.
| bigskybound |
| (.275 member) |
| 24/05/17 11:03 AM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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I have had real good luck with my Husqvarna Number 4 rolling block 20 gauge rifle using 42mm cases, 70 gr FFG and a .662 RB. Ball fits tight in case and chambers fine. No crimp or patch. Hitting a paper plate every time at 100 yds from a rest is OK with me.
| Longknife |
| (.333 member) |
| 24/05/17 11:44 PM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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Bigsky, I purchased a 20ga roller a few years ago in hopes of re-barreling for a bore gun. what twist did you go with?
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 25/05/17 03:21 AM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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The reason I tested the undersized patched balls, was for a cleaner shooting load that would not powder foul the rifling. Without some method of introducing lubricant with BP loads, fouling will build up.
The patch took care of this. A lubricated wad would also have worked.
| bigskybound |
| (.275 member) |
| 25/05/17 10:11 PM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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Quote:
The reason I tested the undersized patched balls, was for a cleaner shooting load that would not powder foul the rifling. Without some method of introducing lubricant with BP loads, fouling will build up.
The patch took care of this. A lubricated wad would also have worked.
@ Daryl_S: My loads have lube "cookie" inside. I put in 70-75 gr FFG followed by nitro card. Then a 3/8" fiber wad followed by a small dollop of Bore Butter. Then tap ball into case. The Bore Butter seems to keep fouling soft.
@Longknife: Not sure of twist. Told smith to put slow round ball twist and he said he would figure out best. Probably 1:66 or something of that nature.
| Ash |
| (.400 member) |
| 27/05/17 10:16 AM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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Things changed - she's moving here now so am working on getting it to Australia..! I saw it in person over Christmas and love it! Very happy with the purchase.
Keep posting rollers, I like seeing your new ones.
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 27/05/17 10:49 AM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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I found with "lube cookies" that Paul Mathews was correct in his writings concerning them in "The Paper Jacket", "40 years with the .45/70", as well as "Loading the Black Powder Cartridges", that to be fully effective, the powder flame must have access to the lube wad.
Thus, in the first book mentioned, he suggested using a wax paper disk to separate the powder from the lube when loaded into the case.
This is the method I used.
In the third book noted, he switched to "Bee Brood Foundation", a beeswax disk with hexagonal 'starts' to separate the powder from the lube disk.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=Bee+Brood...DWwSeOZY5egdpM:
I may get around to trying these, this summer.
CptCurl
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| (.450 member) |
| 28/05/17 05:37 AM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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I've been using beeswax foundation to separate the powder from my lube cookie. Good results!
Curl
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 28/05/17 11:50 AM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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TKs Curl.
| bigskybound |
| (.275 member) |
| 06/06/17 12:59 PM |
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Re: My "New" 20 Gauge Rifle Rolling Block
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I use the beeswax in my regular BPCRs as well. My load is close to an original Husqvarna 20 bore round ball case that was taken apart.