Loading Data for the 50/95WCF

[buckheart]

Got 50 rounds of brass and dies from Buffalo Arms. Great looking stuff although there is a slight shoulder to it which I don't see in any of the pictures of 50/95. I guess this will fire form to the chamber dimension once I start shooting it.
Also picked up 50 rounds of 50/90 sharps. I can see that of course you have to trim it to length but am wondering how the difference in base  size will effect things. Will it matter that the 50/90 Sharps brass is .036 bigger than the base dimension of the 50/95? I am figureing that this will effect feeding and ejection. Any one have any experience re-forming cases from the Sharps to the 50/95 Exp.?

Just for knowledge sake here they are.

[ndnchf]

That's a pretty big difference in base diameter. I've never used 50-90 brass, so can't comment on how it will work. Are you expecting the. 50-95 sizing die to swage down the base to the proper dimension?

[buckheart]

That's a pretty big difference in base diameter. I've never used 50-90 brass, so can't comment on how it will work. Are you expecting the. 50-95 sizing die to swage down the base to the proper dimension?

Thinking that I might have to turn the base diameter down somehow. Don't have a mill or a metal lathe. Not really sure how exacting I can be with some kind of jury rig in my drill press.

[ndnchf]

I've turned down bases on other cartridge conversion projects, but I have a lathe. It would be difficult to do a good job of it without one. In this case, since ready to use Jamison 50-95 brass is available, I don't think it's worth all the effort to try to make it from something else. If for some reason you can't get the jamison brass, I have some extra I can spare.

[buckheart]

Thanks Ndnchf for your generous offer. I have some proper Jamison brass but almost 40 years in the trades has made me some one who likes to tinker with things. Making up some properly demensioned brass would be a project that I might be able to pull off.
Went to a gun show this weekend and spoke to one of the regular vendors from New Hampshire who thinks he might have some Bertram brass kicking around some where.

Thanks again for your offer.

[buckheart]

So I got a call yesterday from my local gun store telling me that my 1876 had arrived. Closed up shop early and went to pick it up. It had a cracked stock. Right on the bottom point of the crescent but plate you could see a dent in the metal that sent a crack up both sides of the lower part of the stock following the grain. Very disappointing. Interesting thing about the dent in the but plate that caused the crack was that the dent it self was finished over with blueing. It made me wonder if someone realized the damage and tried to make it passable by applying some touch up blueing.

Also, these guys have bullets from the Lyman 515139 mold mentioned in this thread. They will size them to your preference and apply lube for smokeless or black. Going to get some on order.

http://www.montanabulletworks.com/BB_50_caliber.html

[ndnchf]

Wow - that's a shame. I assume you did not accept it and will get another? If so, you might want to wait on the bullets until you have a rifle in hand and slug the bore. They do vary some. I live about an hour away from Taylors & Co. When I bought mine 5+ years ago, I drove over there and picked mine out from their stock. I hope you get it resolved soon.

[buckheart]

No I did not accept it. Hope it doesn't take too long to get a replacement. The order for this one was placed in the beginning of July.

[buckheart]

Well the replacement 50/95 came in yesterday an I'm actually glad I had to wait for a new one. The wood on this one has some real nice figure in the butt stock. The color case colors are not a vivid as some I've seen here which leads me to believe that they may now be using a chemical treatment as opposed to the real deal. It's still pretty though.
Heading to the reloading room to make up some trail boss loads for tomorrow.

[ndnchf]

Pictures man pictures! You are teasing us . Glad your patience paid off. Have fun and let us know how it goes.

[buckheart]

Put 20 rounds through the new 1876 today. 16grs. of Trail Boss under a .514 350gr. bullet from Buffalo Arms. After a minor adjustment I was able to keep all of my shots on a paper plate at 50 yards. More of a pattern than a group . Of course there was virtually no recoil with these cream puff loads. I need to get some 5744 and take it up a notch. I also see some people use 4198.
The sights leave a bit to be desired, especially the front sight. 60 year old eyes don't get along too well with tiny black front sight blades. I forgot my Merit Aperture sight too. That thing really helps.

here's some pictures. She has some nice figure.

[ndnchf]

That's great looking wood! I added a Riflesmith tang sight to help with my aging eyes. It's an exact reproduction of the original factory tang sight. It works great, really helped my sight picture. I had mine out a couple weeks ago. My load was 78gr by weight of Goex 3F over a Lyman 515139 bullet. It shoots pretty good. But I'll tell ya - it creates it's own thunder and lightening! Every head on the firing line turned to see what it was. A slip on recoil pad is a welcome friend.

[dusty texian]

That is a very nice looking rifle there Buckheart! I like that wood. Fill them cases up with some Bp. and feel what that old 50 can really do. ,,,DT

[DTS]

Thanks for this thread, guys. Just this morning, the transport truck dropped off my new Uberti .50/95. Along with it, I received 40 rounds of loaded Bu.Arms ammo made from .50/90 brass as well as 200 B.A. 510" and .512" bullets. I did not know of the groove size deal, but no problem. This afternoon, I pulled all of the bullets anyway, dumped the 80gr. of what looks like 2f Swiss or perhaps 2f GOEX Ctg. or Enysford - very shiny hard angular BP grains. I loaded them up with some IMR4895 and IMR4198 soft-ball loads with the .512" bullets. With must the calipers, it appears to have a .512" groove diameter, but perhaps tomorrow I'll slug it properly & find it's .513" or .514".

One the subject of moulds, I have an old #515141 Lyman mould. Some books call it a 422gr., others 450gr. as with the Lee mould for the same bullet that I also have. I drilled out the nose of the Lyman mould some time ago and installed a plug making it cast a shorter nosed 420gr. bullet in quite soft alloy, perhaps 30:1. This bullet shoots very well indeed in my original .50/70 Sharps 1859 carbine barrel.(on an Italian action I finished) As original at 450gr., it started opening up at 100yards and were keyholing at 200, due probably to the original barrel's 42" twist. since shortening the bullet, they shoot amazingly well, holding 2 1/2" at 100 meters with the original carbine sights- off bags, of course.

The barrel, still marked 1859, was chambered for a long .50/70 case, actually 1.9", under Army contract in 1867. It would have been called a model 1868, I assume.  Good bore, 3 groove.

That's all beside the point, I am now looking forward to shooting some of those bullets. I also have another 60 Jamison cases coming. I also need to start casting & experimenting as I want to use it the end of this month for Whitetails up North.

Thanks again for the thread and suggested loads.

DTS

[King Medallion]

And the picture's of the new rifle are where? I can't see them!  Must be waiting to take them with downed deer perhaps?

[dusty texian]

Didnt think you would let that slide! KM,,,,,DT

[ndnchf]

I see this over and over. BACO selling undersized and very expensive loaded ammunition with no cautions about slugging these 1876 Ubertis for groove size first. Most of the Uberti 76s I've heard about slug 513"-514". With the slow twist these barrels have, i'd suggest keep bullet weight under 350gr for best performance.

[DTS]

I received 40 rounds of loaded ammo with the rifle - apparently unfired.  they were loaded with .509" 300gr. bluff nosed bullets that lacked enough of an ogive to chamber.  I pulled them all and threw them into the junk bin.  I loaded the cases with the .512" 300gr. bluff osed Buffalo Arms Co. bullets I also received. I have not too much hope for them to work but they will serve to Fire Form the shortened .50/90 brass they were loaded in. I slugged the bore and it is .5125" evenly in all grooves. they may or may not shoot well enough.

I went over to bro's and collected a whack of the 434gr. #515141 bullets (WW alloy) I gave him some time ago, to try in his Sharps.  It did not like them, but since they measure .515", I'll try them in my M76 - after I shorten the noses that is - a fairly quick job in the lathe. Might be easier just to cast some new ones in my shortened mould.

[DTS]

And the picture's of the new rifle are where? I can't see them!  Must be waiting to take them with downed deer perhaps?

The only picture I have and it's my bro's .45/60. LOL- I haven't figured out how to upload pictures from my camera into my new computer  it is balking and won't download the disk I have, so he'll have to photo it for me, then mail them to me.

[ndnchf]

If those 512" diameter bullets aren't too hard, they may work ok in your rifle. Having a 5125" groove size, they should bump up a little, so long as they are loaded with black powder.