Rolling Block ammo,etc. Perspectives please

[glindes]

Folks: I've been pondering whether or how to shoot father's RB rifle and carbine. Both are alleged ly chambered for a single live round I have that my dial claipers and poor eyes say is 43 Mauser. Neither has manufacturer marks (not anymore...) the rifle has some fragments of a patent date on the tang... My two trys at chamber casts were not useful... I found a half-full (12 of 20) box of 43 Mauser cartridges w/385 gr lead rn bullet, yesterday at a local shop. Made by Dominion; C-I-L. Besides the shoulder being a hair different from the original, they measure identically and fit (rb closes). What's the "poop" on DOMINION? 'Still in Canada? Blackpowder? I scanned the box and saved it in .pdf format; can I insert it in this posting? Besides Buffalo Arms and Old Western Scrounger are there other sources for loaded 43 Mauser (11.15 X 60R)...that have it in stock? Thanks, Geoff in DE

[randy langford]

The Remington Rolling block was never chambered in the 43 Mauser it was however chambered in the 43 Spanish not the same round. The Spanish uses a smaller dia. bullet .439 while the 43 Mauser uses a .446 dia. bullet the Spanish overall length is shorter too so please proceed with caution just because the block will close doesn't mean its safe. For what it worth I have two Mausers chambered in that round and have three boxes of it good stuff but alas I don't believe the are still around oh and I have a Remington Rolling Block chambered in 7mm Mauser fun gun to shoot! Dominion isn't black powder it is smokeless looks just like Trailboss to me .

[mhb]

is that they are long gone.
It is true that the .43 Mauser cartridge is not likely the correct one for your RBs.
The Dominion .43 Mauser ammo was loaded with smokeless powder and non-corrosive primers (should say so on the box), BUT... the primers in the stuff I shot were mercuric, and the heads blew off the cases on the first or second shot - be warned!

mhb - Mike

[free1954]

also chambered in 43 egyptian.

[randy langford]

also chambered in 43 egyptian.

Thanks I forgot about that one.

[joem]

I shoot a RB in 11.75 Danish. It took several or quite a few tries to get a chamber cast and longer to figure out how to make brass and get a set of dies. I reload with Trail Boss powder but my brass doesn't last that long.

[snakehunter]

is that they are long gone.
It is true that the .43 Mauser cartridge is not likely the correct one for your RBs.
The Dominion .43 Mauser ammo was loaded with smokeless powder and non-corrosive primers (should say so on the box), BUT... the primers in the stuff I shot were mercuric, and the heads blew off the cases on the first or second shot - be warned!

mhb - Mike

Same thing happened to me with a 7x57 Rem rolling block I had many years ago.

[joem]

"... the primers in the stuff I shot were mercuric,".

Since I reload my ammo I don't worry about corrosive primers.

[JimF]

"... the primers in the stuff I shot were mercuric,".

Since I reload my ammo I don't worry about corrosive primers.

Uhh, Joem. . . .

Mercuric primers and corrosive primers are two different "breed of cats"!

Mercury attacks the brass case . . . EVEN if you wash them thoroughly! Mercury imbeds itself into the brass upon discharge.

Corrosive primers have a "salt" (potassium clorate) base that attacks the barrel (unless it's cleaned pronto).

American ammo hasn't had mercuric primers since about 1898.

Potassium clorate primers went out in 1953 (there were some FA-produced match cartridges in 1955-56 containing the corrosive, FA70 primer).

Winchester also made some corrosive-primed 30-06 match ammo in the early to mid 1950's. --Jim

[jaie5070]

Most likely a .43 spanish but there is also the .43 reformado. I think it has a slightly larger bullet.
john