Bodeo M1889 load confusion

thelou · Mar 5, 2026

Well, I got my cerrosafe, and I'm back.

I'll attach a picture.

Definitely an interesting alloy. I followed advice and blocked the barrel with a cleaning patch, then poured some in. I didn't want to overfill it, as I was afraid to have it spill into other parts. That causes me not to have the full forcing cone cast. Still, I think that it's useful: the forcing cone is at least .455 (but visibly more). The rifling right after is is .428. Then it goes down to .424. Knocking out the cerrosafe was quite difficult: I ended up putting a wooden dowel in the barrel and smacking it with a rubber mallet. Several times.

As for the cylinder, that was uglier. Try as I might, I couldn't get it out. I figured that it probably had a lip on the part that would be closer to the barrel, so I heated a piece of metal and wiped off the excess cerrosafe. I still couldn't get it out. I was banging with the dowel, with no movement. I ended up having to use hot water to get it moving, so I partly damaged it. That being said, enough of it wasn't melted to get a diameter measurement that is probably reasonably accurate. It looks like those go from .470 at the head of the cartridge, to .432 on exit of the cylinder.

In other words, the restriction is at its most just after the forcing cone, at .424.

Separately, I also got the H&C kit. The bullets in there measure .431 or maybe .4315 at their widest (a driving band with a lube groove in the middle). The heel seems to be .409-.411. They're 170 gr.

Anyway, I await more advice! Thanks.

tokguy · Mar 6, 2026

We always try to be cautious with the Antiques.
I've found some wild arse dimensions doing the barrel diameter on various.
My take? Pure Lead is not even a question; PL and BP... it's pretty hard to damage a good Antique.
Got one with the drop trigger and a chipped hand... not 100 %.
But the Gilsenti is one of my strongest I'd bet.
Good luck and keep us posted.

thelou · Mar 6, 2026

This one also has a drop trigger. It stays where it should, until cocked. It's ugly cosmetically, but seems to be in very good condition otherwise.
I'm getting closer to being willing to try it

.

Thiopento · Monday at 4:36 PM

This thread is an absolute goldmine. I’ve been trying to load 10.4mm Bodeo for a while now, and sourcing proper components has been a nightmare. The tip about running a .44 Russian cartridge into a .303 British sizing die is brilliant—it essentially transforms the cartridge into a workable 10.4mm Bodeo equivalent.

I gave it a try today and wanted to share my process and results.

I started with my standard antique .44 Russian loads:

240 gr RNFP (.430”, 0.69” length, cast by Rustywood)
OAL: 1.24”
3.5 gr Unique (very mild load)

First, I ran the cartridges fully into a .303 sizing die. This required significant force. The resulting cartridges did chamber in the Bodeo cylinder, but I noticed the rounds headspace on the rim but sit slightly recessed and not flush with the cylinder face.

Interestingly, when I compared this to original Bodeo cartridges (both military and Fiocchi), they behaved similarly—the rim diameter is comparable, and they also sit slightly recessed in the cylinder.

I wanted my reloads to sit flush, so I adjusted my approach. Since a standard .44 Russian cartridge protrudes about 0.72” from the cylinder, I backed off the .303 sizing die so the case only enters the die by that same amount. With this adjustment, the cartridges now sit flush in the cylinder.

Final cartridge measurements:

OAL: 1.248”
Case mouth diameter: 0.445”

Out of curiosity, I pulled one bullet after sizing to see what happened. The die effectively formed a slight “heel” on the bullet:

Heel diameter: ~0.43”
Bullet length increased slightly from 0.69” → 0.695”

This is very interesting because it closely matches the diameter of factory Bodeo projectiles, which I also measured at ~0.43” at the heel.

Initially, I was slightly concerned because the sized bullets will just pass through the chamber throats with a gentle tap (rather than dropping freely). However, given the very mild loads and the fact that factory rounds are a similar and they are copper/brass coated, so this seems acceptable.

Overall, I’m really impressed by how simple and effective this method is for creating a functional 10.4mm Bodeo equivalent.

Next step is range testing—I’ll report back once I’ve had a chance to shoot them. I’ll start with these mild loads and work up cautiously if performance looks good.

For reference, I measured eight different Bodeo revolvers:

Chamber throats: 0.420”–0.428”
Groove diameter (muzzle): 0.420”–0.425”

Lots of process pictures;