Anyone loading 12.7x44R?

Killer Kanuck

Killer Kanuck

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Figured I'd ask this here just in case some of you don't venture into the reloading section. ;)

My roller from TradeEx arrived this morning, so my next step is looking for dies and components. I'm just wondering what equipment/loads you guys are using, or any tips or tricks this particular cartridge may need.
 
http://www.rebooty.com/~dutchman/12744r.html seems like it is going to work well and easily for ya, what a great rifle and a very usable round. It is hard to believe that tradex is'nt sold out of those already, they are going to be a "remember when" item to be sure.

As for advice/2 cents worth: If you can, buy new manufactured brass and spend you energy/time on load development not on brass forming. Please post your results on shooting this rifle.
 
I was thinking about buying the proper brass - Buffalo Arms has them for $26 for 20 - anyone know if they ship to Canada? They have 50-70 dies too so it would make for 1 stop shopping.

I'll take some pics of the rifle tonight. It was one that they had marked as fair (but it was full wood and only $350, so I said what the hell - I was thinking of maybe converting it), but I'm impressed. And for a "moderately pitted" bore, the rifling seems quite good (and surpisingly deep).
 
Good info there Andy. I have a buddy that into muzzle loaders so hopefully he'll have some soft 50cal lead so I can slug the bore. And I think I have some H4198 in my tinkle trunk somewhere.
I haven't handled many rolling blocks before, and I was kind of surprised how light they are.
 
I have recently obtained two Swedish rollers in 12.7X44R. I've been making loads for them using slightly modified Starline 50-70 brass. I ordered 12.7X44R from Buffalo, but they arrived as formed .348 brass. The rim was smaller and rounded. Not as good as my own made from 50-70, so I sent them back. one of my guns would not eject the brass well.
The guns have been a hoot to shoot!
One of mine is a sporting rifle, built that way by Husqvarna, the other is a military gun that has been sporterized. They have chambers that are different from one another and I keep the loads/brass seperate and treat them as slightly different calibers.
I have been loading with FFg black powder, and would reccomend it. It has been powerful and accurate. I use 50-70 Lyman dies. I ordered 12.7X44 dies (and paid twice as much). They were returned with the brass, as not suitable.
I'm just learning BPC reloading, but even my first attempts are satisfactory, showing group potontial greater than the open barrel sights can produce.
This has been a most enjoyable project and I wish you success w/ yours.
 
Have a gun smith run a 50-70 reamer into the gun then you don't have to modify the brass doesn't take much
 
Andy said:
Please don't do that unless it's a sporter. :redface:
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Won't have to :D I have a single piece of 50-70 brass, and if it was a couple hairs shorter the block would close on it. Looks like I got one of the ones with the larger chambers. Looks like "case trimmer" just got added to my buy list.

Like I said, she ain't the prettiest, but I was just looking for a rolling block to mess around with, and the price was right.
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Here it is with a piece of 50-70 brass
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It'll almost close, but not quite
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It needs a good cleaning, and I'll probably have a few minor dimples in the steel, but that won't stop it from going bang.

One thing I will have to remedy - what's the best way to unstick a firing pin? :(
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That 50-70 case is probably not bottomed out in the chamber. The chamber length is only slightly different than the 12.7X55R. A 50-70 is a bit tight in some chambers around the base, such was the case with my sporting rifle. The rim is also a bit large. You can check the rim by turning the case around backwards and trying to fit the rim into the breech.
The firing pin can be loosened with some penetraing oil, but you really need to dismantle the retaining screw and fireing pin. A stuck pin is quite dangerous in a rolling block.
 
Smokepole said:
That 50-70 case is probably not bottomed out in the chamber. The chamber length is only slightly different than the 12.7X55R. A 50-70 is a bit tight in some chambers around the base, such was the case with my sporting rifle. The rim is also a bit large. You can check the rim by turning the case around backwards and trying to fit the rim into the breech.
The firing pin can be loosened with some penetraing oil, but you really need to dismantle the retaining screw and fireing pin. A stuck pin is quite dangerous in a rolling block.
Click to expand...

The voice of experience - I wouldn't celebrate yet.

You will need to clean the chamber fully and then take a chamber cast, OR, full-length size that brass, reduce the rim diameter to 0.625" or so, and then try again. If it won't go, then trim its length a bit and see if that allows it to chamber more (and so on). If the 50/70 turns out to fit, "Track of the Wolf" sells Starline 50/70 brass, otherwise it's the 348 Win route for you, and 348 can be tough to find.

As for the firing pin, mine was seized and had to be removed and thoroughly cleaned, buffed and lubed so that it moved easily by finger. Otherwise (as warned), a stuck pin can set off a primer when the round is chambered, and that would be unpleasant.

P.S. The rear sight is not in its original location.
 
Anything to be wary of when taking one of these down? Any springs/pins that tend to go flying?
I noticed that the rear sight is a bit close to the receiver, but the barrel has the same serial number as the receiver and there aren't any other holes in the barrel (or were they brazed on?).
 
12x44r

have one of those . use 348 brass trimmed to 1.75 inches. check bore, mine uses Thomson center maxi hunter slugs 60 grains pyrodex P powder thru a drop tube with SPG lube and a milk carton wad. About a three inch group at 100 yards with original sights.
 
The rear sight close to the receiver usually indicates a barrel salvaged from an earlier model rifle. The three digit serial # is also normal, as the Swedes would start over @ #1 each year, hence the date on the receiver.
BTW mine is also a '69 with a three digit ser#. There were at least three factories building these though.
Looks like yours may have a crown over 'C' above the date? If so it was made at the famous Carl Gustave factory.
 
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Andy said:
Please don't do that unless it's a sporter. :redface:
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Relax it's not like were talking about a 10000.00 rifle and the more people that alter them the more valuable the un altered become to collectors if you want to keep it as a collectors piece then don't change it but if you want to shoot or change it why not good actions to re barrel:evil: also if you get one with a rusty or pitted chamber a 50-70 reamer will sometimes clean this up .
 
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Smokepole said:
The rear sight close to the receiver usually indicates a barrel salvaged from an earlier model rifle.
Click to expand...

From what I've been reading it appears that's the case. The lack of bayonet lug, rear sight close to the receiver (6mm away), and brass buttplate all point to a conversion of a chamber-loader rifle.
 
I've been getting a little help identifying which model this is on some swedish gun boards. Appears to be a 1864-68 model - a conversion of a muzzleloader or chamber loader to a cartridge firearm. Kind of like the original trapdoors - the stock and barrel are from the original muzzle loader, and attached to a new receiver. The barrel is marked 1866 on the bottom (would be hidden by the wood) which was one of the last years they made the chamber loaders. Looks like I was trying to get a plain jane shooter and ended up with a weird variant.
 
Hi Killer,

I picked up one of these late summer and have being having a great time with it. Take the time to do a chamber cast, before getting brass. I did my chamber with candle wax melted in a can set in a pot of water, a patch shoved in to block the barrel, and "Pam" cooking spray as a release agent. Took less than 10 minute. Unfortunately I did this after I laboriously made 40 cases from 348. Looks like my chamber will take about a 1.9 inch long cartridge rather than the 1.45 mine are cut to. Arghh. BTW 348 brass is (was?) available at wholesale sports when I ordered it a couple of months ago. I can safely say getting my swedish rolling block going has been one of my funnest shooting activities (and all shooting activities are fun!)

Cheers,
Scott
 
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