First off, hello. I've been lurking for a long time, and I've come to believe most of what I read here. I have this DR that needs to go hunting. It's been a safe queen for too long. It's BP proofed (1874) and I have zero experience loading the stuff. The bbls are pretty tough on the outside, but the bores are clean and the Henrys rifling is very good. The rifle uses 444 Marlin cases (it came with a few dozen, along with a bag of hard cast lubed bullets that sure look like .43 to me. Other than the rim size the 444 cases are dimensionally very close to the chamber. However, as near as I can mic it, the bore is .41 between lands. So can someone please help me get started feeding this lovely gun? Do I need .41 bullets, or do I need to resize the ones I got? (I hope I don't need to Paper patch.) Never having reloaded rifle ammo (only shot) I know I will need a press and die set to get going, but I'm hoping the learning curve won't be too steep. Please excuse my complete ignorance, but I sure would like to see this rifle belching smoke again. Thanks!

What brand if any? Is it British Proofed? Have you gotten a chamber castings? Have you slugged the barrels? Have you mike'd the rim and base diameters?
We need more informaton.

Previous owner slugged the bbls and I have the casts, but with 7 lands/grooves, I don't have the equip to get a precise measurement. The chamber is .560 at rim, .471 base, .459 neck, and the chamber 2.225 long. The gun is a Boss.

How would one know if that thing is safe to shoot or not? I have an old muzzleloading double barreled hammer shotgun that is about 410 bore that I wouldn't mind shooting but don't know if it would be safe or not.

quote:

but with 7 lands/grooves, I don't have the equip to get a precise measurement.

This is an interesting problem..... I wonder could hot wax be shapped between two of the slug grooves to allow sufficiently accurate measurement with a dial caliper. Use a birthday cake candle drip some hot wax and shape it by hand?

For some help on a fantastic old rifle like your Boss, I would steer you to: www.NitroExpress.com.

There are many more BP and vintage single and double rifle shooters and reloaders there compared to here.

Great bunch of guys generally too.

BTW, here or there on NE there was a thread about to determine bore and groove diameters of odd grooved/lands rifles not long ago. Try a search here and there.

JPK

quote:

Originally posted by JPK:
For some help on a fantastic old rifle like your Boss, I would steer you to: www.NitroExpress.com.

There are many more BP and vintage single and double rifle shooters and reloaders there compared to here.

Great bunch of guys generally too.

BTW, here or there on NE there was a thread about to determine bore and groove diameters of odd grooved/lands rifles not long ago. Try a search here and there.

JPK

Thanks, I registered there too, but haven't been approved yet. Maybe you can put in a good word for me.

For measuring the Hernry odd numbered lands and grooves you'll need a good caliper. Then with little tension roll the slug. It'll be close enough. You can try to find someone with a fancy measurment stand that hold on 2 points and measures off the third. If that makes sense...

I'm assuming that this is a straight walled cartridge. Any sort of a neck showing?

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Brooks:
For measuring the Hernry odd numbered lands and grooves you'll need a good caliper. Then with little tension roll the slug. It'll be close enough. You can try to find someone with a fancy measurment stand that hold on 2 points and measures off the third. If that makes sense...

Measuring it that way I come up with .429. That would explain the .430 bullets that came with the gun. But isn't that a groove diameter? I though I should be loading a land dia. bullet?

And yes, it is straight walled with a slight taper from .471 to .459 at the neck. Thank you for your help!

Are you measureing the chamber casting above the case showing the rifleing? Keep in mind that the Brits used to use a taper bore, it gets tighter at the muzzle. But that isn't what matters now.

edit; I sent you a pm.

I went to nitro express website and it is THE SAME.

THE SAME people, with the SAME handle, posting the SAME threads. SAME chit chat. Even the SAME photos! Ground hog day - deja-vu all over again!

http://forums.accuratereloadin...541037721#1541037721

This is a link to a link.... CIP standards are on line and cover some of the old ctgs. Not all, but this is another lead.

You can get 44 lubricated wads from any gun shop. Black powder is pretty forgiving. I think I would just give it a shot - or two.

Kcrowley

please start with ignoring 4bore as that advice might get you into a heap of trouble.

info@bossguns.com

is the contact information for the makers of your rifle, start asking them about the rifle and what they have about it in the books.

after that make a chamber cast, and slug the bore, since it is a henry rifled gun it may very well be a lot tigther at the mussel end.

Boss & Co did not make all that many rifles so yours is quite rare, and from the pictures look like it is still in pretty good condition.

Please establish the caliber first, i can assure you, it is not a 444 marlin

best regards

peter

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after that make a chamber cast, and slug the bore

I though he did this already. How many do we need?

For my own edification (no sarcasm intended) which advise of mine is in error? I think my method on measuring the 7 groove slug (from the already slugged bbl) will give within 1-2 thousand, which is plenty close to aid in identity of the ctg. And pretty darn good for a dial caliper in the hands of a non-machinist.

Now if records are available, that is for sure the best way to start. Great advise! And another example of how well this forum works.

4bore

sorry i needed to put this at the end of my sentence light hearted banter for my part.

this might have been a bit off "Black powder is pretty forgiving. i think i would just give it a shot - or two"

but your advice on measuring is really good.

best

peter

quote:

this might have been a bit off "Black powder is pretty forgiving. i think i would just give it a shot - or two"

This may go back to my brainwashing at hands of dixie gun works catalog years ago. I wont repeat that now, if I even remember .... massive overloads and attempts to blow up guns x number of balls and x times the recommended charge. Not something one would want to do on an older gun. And ramming a ball down the muzzle is in itself a limiting factor that you dont have with a ctg gun.

The most righteous action of all...back action hammer rifle.

congratulations on this wonderful rifle, you have a treasure.

I had to slug a bore on a German gun and it was .356. Previous owner shot .358 because "it was close enough". I think that's crazy.

Start safe, be careful and in time you'll be dropping all kinds of animals.

Best of luck and please keep us posted.