Rolling block.

[Iroquois]

I have an old rolling block rifle that is hard to find brass for. I believe it's Danish / 11.7 x 56r... I can make brass but it would be cheaper and easier to just use 45-70 brass. Is there someone who can reline just the chamber, and not the whole barrel? Any ideas are appreciated.

 

[Creedmoor]

This is the little that I know,
First Priority is a chamber cast to be absolutely sure what cartridge you have.
With that you can easily figure out what cartridge it is. Way back there were many many folks out there doing conversions on rifles like that.
Ive seen brass formed for 11.7 x 56r from 45-70 and I want to say also with 348 Win, 45 Basic and 43 Spanish brass.
If it is 11.7 x 56r you might find some at places like Petersons, Quality Brass, Buffalo Brass and other brass and black powder suppliers.

Lets see what @Leadeye says.

But seriously order yourself some Cerrosafe and do a chamber cast before you buy anything that you might, Think it is.

What county do you live in?

 

[Iroquois]

This is the little that I know,
First Priority is a chamber cast to be absolutely sure what cartridge you have.
With that you can easily figure out what cartridge it is. Way back there were many many folks out there doing conversions on rifles like that.
Ive seen brass formed for 11.7 x 56r from 45-70 and I want to say also with 348 Win, 45 Basic and 43 Spanish brass.
If it is 11.7 x 56r you might find some at places like Petersons, Quality Brass, Buffalo Brass and other brass and black powder suppliers.

Lets see what @Leadeye says.

But seriously order yourself some Cerrosafe and do a chamber cast before you buy anything that you might, Think it is.

What county do you live in?

I'm in NW Indiana. I have a pretty good idea what it is. There are arsenal markings on it. There is an alignment mark on the barrel/receiver ... And the extractor face has two holes in it, meaning that it was converted from rimfire to center-fire. All those clues indicate that it's a 11.7x56. I inherited this from my Dad, and he had Harry McGowan ( McGowan Rifle Barrels) check it for safety. They used a 45-70 round for a test round, and we've used 45-70 brass in it ever since. The brass cracks 1/2 inch from the rim after several uses... I know that the chamber dimensions at that point don't support the brass. I can make proper brass from 43 Spanish but it requires lathe work and it's expensive to buy. It would be simpler and cheaper to use 45-70 in a proper chamber.

 

[Creedmoor]

I'm in NW Indiana. I have a pretty good idea what it is. There are arsenal markings on it. There is an alignment mark on the barrel/receiver ... And the extractor face has two holes in it, meaning that it was converted from rimfire to center-fire. All those clues indicate that it's a 11.7x56. I inherited this from my Dad, and he had Harry McGowan ( McGowan Rifle Barrels) check it for safety. They used a 45-70 round for a test round, and we've used 45-70 brass in it ever since. The brass cracks 1/2 inch from the rim after several uses... I know that the chamber dimensions at that point don't support the brass. I can make proper brass from 43 Spanish but it requires lathe work and it's expensive to buy. It would be simpler and cheaper to use 45-70 in a proper chamber.

Good Luck.

 

[Leadeye]

Can't add to the advice Creedmoor gave you. Best of luck with it.

 

[Leo]

I had a rolling block in .43 Egyptian that I was unwilling to fight the reloading game with, especially since the barrel looked like old sewer pipe anyway.

Not wanting a round that would stress that old action, I had a barrel turned and chambers for .44 SPL. It was an easy fit, and made a fun shooter that I never worried about metallurgical failure.

 

[Iroquois]

I had a rolling block in .43 Egyptian that I was unwilling to fight the reloading game with, especially since the barrel looked like old sewer pipe anyway.

Not wanting a round that would stress that old action, I had a barrel turned and chambers for .44 SPL. It was an easy fit, and made a fun shooter that I never worried about metallurgical failure.

I always load for trapdoor pressures, and over the counter 45-70 loads should be safe in any rolling block. The bore in this is exceptionally good (for a gun builtin 1875) with deep rifling and a few small pits. I've shot side by side with a Pedersoli sharps, shared my ammo, and had nearly identical groups..... I don't want to change the bore , just the chamber.

 

[Iroquois]

I had a rolling block in .43 Egyptian that I was unwilling to fight the reloading game with, especially since the barrel looked like old sewer pipe anyway.

Not wanting a round that would stress that old action, I had a barrel turned and chambers for .44 SPL. It was an easy fit, and made a fun shooter that I never worried about metallurgical failure.

Who did your barrel work?

 

[Leo]

Who did your barrel work?

Gary Growe, Columbus, Indiana My buddy had one done also, pretty sure he used Penrod on Manchester.

 

[SSE]

I do not think you will be able to sleeve just the chamber. If you are interested in altering some 45-70 brass so it will not split you can by swageing the inside of the 45-70 brass by pressing a rod into the case to increase the base dia. so that it is closer to the chamber of the 11.7 then you will be able to get like 10 or more reloads per case. It is not hard to do and you can do it yourself once you have the rod of the correct size.

 

[jcj54]

As a gunsmith I will not nor do I know any gunsmith who will bush a chamber due to liability.

 

[Iroquois]

As a gunsmith I will not nor do I know any gunsmith who will bush a chamber due to liability.

Ok. Thanks for that. It was a legitimate question, and that was an honest answer.

 

[Slow Hand]

It is possible. I’ve read of guys doing it. Heck, I know personally an old freind who did it to a 20mm Lahti. I’ve shot that rifle! I’m not a professional machini or gunsmith but it I should be a fairly straightforward deal of boring the chamber section out machini a bushing and putting the two together then rechambering the bushing With the proper chamber and leade.

 

[Slow Hand]

@amafrank might be able to give some advice on this.

 

[Squirt239]

Mic the depth
Bore oversized chamber to smooth out any divots in the current chamber
Press fit and seat chamber "slug" and silver solder or green loctite
Rechamber slug.

Biggest thing is getting the slug to sit at the right depth.