Many Belgian made revolver have a bore diameter of .44 to .442. The brass which fits those also varies, some can use a standard .455 Webley, others need the rim trimmed down etc. I don't think the cylinder has been reamed. I also don't think it is a .450 Adams, maybe one of the European calibers. That's why you have to measure everything. I would try to put everything together first so you know if it is complete and works. I have taken several of those apart and assembled again. I was tempted to buy it when you had it listed but that would be a gamble. Not that I would not be able to put it together but you never know if it works until you have it assembled.
Belgian Bulldog update and "Where to find .450 Adams Revolver ammo??"
- Thread starter CobraGT
- Start date
I'm going to try to reassemble it this weekend, if I have time. So are you saying that a barrel around .44 to .442 could actually be correct for a cylinder that fits .455 brass?
That's what I said. Doesn't mean it was made for the .455. You can check out this site: https://cartridge-corner.com/revolver.htm
Well, my caliper is supposed to be here tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have some more accurate measurements then...
Yes, it wasn't originally designed around 455 brass, that is just what happens to fit that we have available today. - dan
Well, it appears that I may be able to use .450 ammo in the bulldog after all - I used my fancy new calipers to measure the muzzle diameters of several antiques I was able to lay my hands on over the weekend...
Webley RIC in .455 --------------- 11mm / .43
French 1873 in .455/.45ACP ---- 11.2mm / .44
Western Bulldog .44 Russian --- 10.5mm / .41
English Bulldog with the cylinder that fits .455.... 11mm / .43 (which is exactly the same as the .455 RIC)
So it looks like the Bulldog could probably safely fire the .450 ammo I was originally inquiring about... or (as the bullets are the same diameter) downloaded .455, as the full-power .455 I have may be a bit much for it.
I'm going to reassemble it sometime soon and give it a try, once I get some .450 ammo
(and thanks to the guy on here who offered to provide me with a few rounds to try it out - I'll definitely take you up on that offer!!)
Thanks to everyone for all of the information.
Webley RIC in .455 --------------- 11mm / .43
French 1873 in .455/.45ACP ---- 11.2mm / .44
Western Bulldog .44 Russian --- 10.5mm / .41
English Bulldog with the cylinder that fits .455.... 11mm / .43 (which is exactly the same as the .455 RIC)
So it looks like the Bulldog could probably safely fire the .450 ammo I was originally inquiring about... or (as the bullets are the same diameter) downloaded .455, as the full-power .455 I have may be a bit much for it.
I'm going to reassemble it sometime soon and give it a try, once I get some .450 ammo
(and thanks to the guy on here who offered to provide me with a few rounds to try it out - I'll definitely take you up on that offer!!)Thanks to everyone for all of the information.
Well, it appears that I may be able to use .450 ammo in the bulldog after all - I used my fancy new calipers to measure the muzzle diameters of several antiques I was able to lay my hands on over the weekend...
Webley RIC in .455 --------------- 11mm / .43
French 1873 in .455/.45ACP ---- 11.2mm / .44
Western Bulldog .44 Russian --- 10.5mm / .41
English Bulldog with the cylinder that fits .455.... 11mm / .43 (which is exactly the same as the .455 RIC)
So it looks like the Bulldog could probably safely fire the .450 ammo I was originally inquiring about... or (as the bullets are the same diameter) downloaded .455, as the full-power .455 I have may be a bit much for it.
I'm going to reassemble it sometime soon and give it a try, once I get some .450 ammo
Thanks to everyone for all of the information.
I said on here before that they will squeeze through. I still prefer to use pure lead bullets.
Did you end up trying it out? I have a belgian ric clone that has very similar dimensionsWell, it appears that I may be able to use .450 ammo in the bulldog after all - I used my fancy new calipers to measure the muzzle diameters of several antiques I was able to lay my hands on over the weekend...
Webley RIC in .455 --------------- 11mm / .43
French 1873 in .455/.45ACP ---- 11.2mm / .44
Western Bulldog .44 Russian --- 10.5mm / .41
English Bulldog with the cylinder that fits .455.... 11mm / .43 (which is exactly the same as the .455 RIC)
So it looks like the Bulldog could probably safely fire the .450 ammo I was originally inquiring about... or (as the bullets are the same diameter) downloaded .455, as the full-power .455 I have may be a bit much for it.
I'm going to reassemble it sometime soon and give it a try, once I get some .450 ammo
Thanks to everyone for all of the information.
Not yet - still need to reassemble it and get some ammo.
Finally got around to putting it together - I have no idea why I put it off for so long, as it took maybe half an hour. Interesting and logical, how it all links up internally.
Thanks to member "The Frogge" who hooked me up with a box of .450 ammo to test it.
So, after putting it together, things were promising while dry-firing it and starting to check function and timing before test-firing it:
- single action worked great,
- double action worked great
....but before I got to explore anything beyond that.... SNAP! The mainspring broke. So now, I'll need to look into getting that figured out.
The cylinder also wasn't 'locking into place' clockwise in that moment before the hammer releases; it was only on a full trigger pull that the cylinder completely locked. A buddy welded a bit of material into the trigger where the little tab had been worn, and after some filing, it works!
As well, the half-#### position won't engage. I hadn't had a chance to notice this before the mainspring broke... could it be related to the broken mainsspring? Or unrelated issues?
In any case, this is her:
Attachments
Last edited:
Any suggestions from the brain trust as to how best fix the mainspring? I'm thinking I might be able to pick up a similar mainspring and dremel it to size...
And yes, I could take it to a gunsmith, but where's the fun in that??
And yes, I could take it to a gunsmith, but where's the fun in that??
Last edited:
Struggling with the latest made me recall this post.
Building reloadable 44 RF cartridges is the task this afternoon.
Interweb says .446 dia bullet, a digital caliper says the muzzle is .430 》.429.
Pretty soon someone will reiterate 'Slug the bore!'
I'm not beating a PL RB through the bbl... got to build cartridges anyhow.
Might as well slug the bore with a pinch of Giant Powder ( so to speak)... horse troughs work excellent as a bullet trap.
FYI, IMO the 44 Russian is the go to cartridge for a lot of the medium bores.
If it's not a 45ish ( the other common size)...44 Russian is a pretty common cartridge.
I think it's fit 4 - 5 different units in the day.
That's just my experience
Building reloadable 44 RF cartridges is the task this afternoon.
Interweb says .446 dia bullet, a digital caliper says the muzzle is .430 》.429.
Pretty soon someone will reiterate 'Slug the bore!'
I'm not beating a PL RB through the bbl... got to build cartridges anyhow.
Might as well slug the bore with a pinch of Giant Powder ( so to speak)... horse troughs work excellent as a bullet trap.
FYI, IMO the 44 Russian is the go to cartridge for a lot of the medium bores.
If it's not a 45ish ( the other common size)...44 Russian is a pretty common cartridge.
I think it's fit 4 - 5 different units in the day.
That's just my experience
Back in December, I measured the bores on a couple if antiques, and discovered that the bore on my little project is 11mm/.43, which is identical to the .455 RIC I measured, so I'm pretty sure it was originally .450.
The one antique in.44 Russian measured 10.5mm/.41
I think you're absolutely right - .44 Russian would probably work fine in any of the bores I measured, with the appropriate cylinder. But what do I know, I don't reload, and I'm pretty new to antiques!
Hard to say on sizing but reworking a Winchester lever spring might work- they’re flat and have hooks.
Weight or tension is adjusted by width and thickness, I found it easy to lighten.
But light file and then sand smooth, you don’t want any stress risers or it’ll break again.
It shouldn’t be that hard to duplicate as you have the old one.
Also, be cautious as some of the early Bulldogs were wrought iron…not steel.
Weight or tension is adjusted by width and thickness, I found it easy to lighten.
But light file and then sand smooth, you don’t want any stress risers or it’ll break again.
It shouldn’t be that hard to duplicate as you have the old one.
Also, be cautious as some of the early Bulldogs were wrought iron…not steel.
I have made dozens of springs out of used hacksaw blades over the years. The steel is good and already heat treated almost perfect for the use. Don’t get it too hot while you’re working with it. Your spring looks like a tricky one to make by hand but it’s possible if you have enough evenings in the shop alone and cold beers
Huh, might try that, thanks!
