Swedish Rolling Block question.

[Pay Dirt Norvelle]

I know someone in the Barracks probably knows about the Swedish Rolling Block.  I am looking into buying one and was told that .50-70 ammo will work in the for fire forming.  Is that correct or will I have to go with 348 ammo?  I have found the 12.7X44 unloaded cases, but they are expensive.!   

[tyrel cody]

Don't think the .50-70 will work. http://dutchman.rebooty.com/12744r.html

.348 Winchester works fine. I have also been able to cut down .50 Alaskan cases for my 2 Swedish Rolling blocks, but this doesn't work for every rifle. Buffalo Arms has some 12.7x44R Norwegian cases for $1.48 apiece if you don't want to fire form.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I use .50-70 cases, slightly shortened in my Swede rollers. Pick a .514 to .518 (the largest that will chamber in a loaded case.) cast bullet about 350 grains but carrying more lube than the .514139 that I load. Some say shortening cases is not required, but I'll wager that the gun will tell you. The original factory bullet was a Minie design intended for the Wrede percussion musket, and I might try the Lyman .54 Minie mould that I once picked up but haven't tried yet!

I have a Husqvarna cape gun in 12.7 x 44 by 16 gauge. The .50-70 cases are too tight at the web to chamber. For this beauty I use cases based on the .348.

I have only loaded black or pyrodex. I supose smokeless in judicious amounts would work, but the barrels on the m67 roller were made for the Wrede percussion rifled musket of 1860. The rolling block action was used to convert the 1860 musket.

[Cap'n Redneck]

The Dutchman states: "Don't ask me why the original rimfire case is 42mm long and the civilian centerfire case is 44mm long.
I don't know!"

Well, I do know; originally both the Swedish and Norwegian military rifles chambered the 42mm. cartridge.  After a few years the Norwegian Army decided to switch to a slightly longer and heavier bullet.  In order to retain the same powder charge they lengthened the chambers and the brass cases by 2mm.  The Swedish Army however did not adopt the new bullet and longer cartridge.

That's why most original milspec Swedish Rolling Blocks have 42mm chambers, while most all Norwegian military Rolling Blocks and most civilian/sporterized Scandinavian Rolling Blocks have 44mm chambers.

I have had .50-70 Starline brass converted to fit a sporterized center-fire Swedish Rolling Block with a 42mm chamber.
It involved cutting and trimming the length in order to fit the chamber.
I had to have the diameter of the rim reduced in a lathe in order to chamber.
Finally I had to run the cases all the way up into a .56-50 Spencer sizing-die in order to reduce the web-diameter sufficiently to allow the cases to chamber.  The Spencer-die is tighter than the corresponding .50-70 die, but you still will need to ram them all the way into the die without using the shellholder, and then use a wooden dowel and mallet to knock the sized cases out of the die. It's a lot of hassle.

I recommend instead using the .50 Alaskan cases by Starline, which in most guns only need to be cut to the correct length in order to chamber.