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There were four FOUR different cartridges called the 43 Spanish. there was a .433 43 Spanish, a . 439 Spanish often called the 11.15 , the 43 Spanish reformado, which used a peculiar bell shaped case and brass coated .454 bullet. Also a carbine length shortened cartridge for .433 saddle ring carbine...

reading this thread warms the cockles of my heart. I have a Hepburn with pistol grip that has an original bore in 40-50 straight, that is still in exceptional shape. it needs sights and a falling block spring, but otherwise has good potential. I have dies and a mold for a 320 grain bullet, which isn...

234 years ago, an illegal militia group of farmers and country folk got word that the state government sent troops to seize their illegal cache of weapons. They faced off against the troops at Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775. "By the rude bridge that arched the flood, T...

I have several rifles in 43 spanish. two or three have very good bores. I have shot in 100 yd matches with the Modelo Argentine, and had fairly good results for me and the rather course original sights. I was keeping 5 shot groups in 1.75 inches, when the wind and light and fortunes were with me. Th...

Most short lever Martinis were round .465 to .468. Shooting a soft alloy will allow the bullet to obturate, or swell up into the rifling. Try paper patching some .458 45-70 bullets up to size for the Martini, it is easier than finding a .468 mold.

slugging the bore is really a tough task for a Martini Henry. They have a double choked bore. From the chamber for the first five or six inches, the bore squeezes down a few thouandths of an inch, and then through the last few inches toward the muzzle, the bore squeezes down again. If you shoot a bu...

I had a scholarship shooting 22 gallery stuff in college. The jerks at the athletic budget office cut our ammo budget to crap one year and we ended up buying the cheapest standard velocity scuz the coach could rustle up. Ever hear of a brand called Cannuck? odd droplets of yellow grease on the bulle...

I had a scholarship shooting 22 gallery stuff in college. The jerks at the athletic budget office cut our ammo budget to crap one year and we ended up buying the cheapest standard velocity scuz the coach could rustle up. Ever hear of a brand called Cannuck? odd droplets of yellow grease on the bulle...

I swab the bore between after every shot. Takes little time and does far more for accuracy than measuring down to the fraction of a grain of powder. Consistency is the key to any shooting, reloading included. Same level of fouling in the bore, every shot, same amount of powder, same weight bullet, Y...

nearly every gun design has advantages and disadvantages. This is true for rollers and sharps as well. A slam fire is a relative improbability for a sharps. Also for the Highwall and Hepburn. Most of the disadvantages of whatever design arises from lack of maintenance. I have and shoot several diffe...

I can't even find a 375166 in my Ideal Catelogue, there is a 375167 at 275 grains with a rounded tip similar to the 475125 tip. There was a really cool sharp pointed adjustable mold that made everything from 116 grain bullets to 267 grain bullets the No 37585 Ideal was sold to Marlin in 1910. There ...

I can't even find a 375166 in my Ideal Catelogue, there is a 375167 at 275 grains with a rounded tip similar to the 475125 tip. There was a really cool sharp pointed adjustable mold that made everything from 116 grain bullets to 267 grain bullets the No 37585 Ideal was sold to Marlin in 1910. There ...

Like the 45-70, the 38-55 can be loaded up and down for different purposes. commercial loads are anemic because idiots will shoot them in rusty old weak actioned lever guns. In a Modern gun with good strong components, it can easily be loaded to equal the ballistics of the .375 Win. or even better. ...

Martinis are a job to make them work and the chambers were early and sloppy. The later ones from the 1880's can shoot quite well. I've seen MOA groups shot by a fella nick named Reb, here in PA. His only modification was a new muzzle crown. Given a proper chamber, worked up load and good muzzle crow...

One of the most accurate, mass produced rifles of black powder days, was the Martini Henry manufactured at Enfield for her majesty's troops. Alexander Henry had a double choked bore, a choke in front of the chamber and one just before the muzzle. The rifling was a series of twisiting curves. Even th...