Redneck snider cartridges?

Cool idea. Thus you can shoot your Snider without owning a reloading press or dies...
not sure how many shots you'd get out of your hulls. (probably 1)

Here it is being shot.

[youtube]U0EiV9CD7Mw&feature=relmfu[/youtube]
 
28 guage is too small in diameter and can split or leak which would be unpleasant in the MkI or IIs which do not positively lock the breech. Use 24 guage brass.
 
I've done something similar with 24 guage plastic hulls but 28's are way too undersize. mkI and mkII Sniders without the latch will blow open if gas vents around the case and gets under the breechblock. This was an issue IIRC with the wrapped brass 577 cases.
 
I've used 24g brass with no problem.
I'm sure 28g is cheaper to use but the cost/benifit ratio may change if you get blowback.
He does say to wrap in newspaper and so must be aware of the potential problems.
 
I was doing this five years ago with Fiocchi 24 gauge plastic hulls and smokeless powder. I even used wads as a sabot for a 0.540" bullet. Great fun.

I posted the results on the "British Militaria Forums" but that website is as modern as a Snider, and the posts have been achived I think. You can look here as well: http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=135&

As the plastic hulls are only good for at most 12K psi, if you go above that, you'll only get one use - it's the thin brass base that's the weak point. I used Magtech brass 24 gauge shotshell as well.
 
Andy, do you think the 28g plastic hulls splitting pose a problem?

24 gauge never did for me, and I don't know why it would, but 28 gauge is too small. Like I said, the brass base gives first, and gives plenty of warning that pressure is reaching 12K psi, by flowing into the extractor groove.
 
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Lol I don't know what to gather from this with some of you saying it will damage your gun or excluding Mk 3's blow open the breech block, and some of you saying it should be fine.
 
Andy says he has used 28g with no problem and I have no reason not to believe him.

Most have used 24g brass with no problem. They are close to the correct size, fire form well and last for ages, so for me they are the way to go.

Like everything in loading, your milage may vary.
 
Lol fair enough Pete. I've been playing around with the idea of picking up a snider, but I don't want to shell out a couple hundred bucks to fire it as I am on a limited budget, so I was just looking around for ideas. When I saw this I figured i'd ask some people who know more about them then me what they thought :p
 
I think you'll find Andy may have been mistaken as he used 24 guage hulls. I have a bag full of new fiocci 24 guage hulls that work great in my sniders but I'd never try 28's. It's like saying you can shoot 7.62x39 in a 308. Sure it'll go bang but it's really gonna fu*k things up.....
 
After re-reading It, I think your right Tac. I guess you gotta pay to play :p That's ok I think I'll just pay more attention to my Pinfire instead lol
 
Andy says he has used 28g with no problem and I have no reason not to believe him.

Most have used 24g brass with no problem. They are close to the correct size, fire form well and last for ages, so for me they are the way to go.

Like everything in loading, your milage may vary.

I misread. I never used 28 gauge, only 24 gauge.
 
Lol fair enough Pete. I've been playing around with the idea of picking up a snider, but I don't want to shell out a couple hundred bucks to fire it as I am on a limited budget, so I was just looking around for ideas. When I saw this I figured i'd ask some people who know more about them then me what they thought :p

If you stick to black powder and only use the shells in one rifle you can use them indefinately without needing to resize. Just find or make some hand tools for loading.

This cuts the price way down and is easy to do with big bores that you aren't going to shoot hundreds of rounds a day. Even seen people shoot all day with just a couple brass reloading at the range.
 
We tried the 28-bore solution here about 20 years ago and dropped it like a hot rock. Everything worked just fine..... apart from the odd split casing....... and then, one fine afternoon, one of the guys had a semi-automatic Snider on his hands: thing opened on firing, great huge clouds of smoke AND FLAME out of the back end of the action, breechblock flipped open and SLAMMED back, case ejected madly across the landscape.

Never did that one again.

24-bore is entirely different: it is perfect for the job, well within the parameters for original ammo. Fiocchi makes 24 in composite brass/plastic casing, Magtech makes drawn brass ones for ninety cents apiece. Cabela's is supposed to import it; they list it in their US catalogues, so it should be available here: $22.50 a box of 25.

But PLEASE stay away from the 28-gauge; it is no solution but, rather, a serious problem waiting for its chance to happen.
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