Reloaded 577/450 ammo

beal53

Years in the past when I was actually shooting my Martini ,cal 577/450 I saw an ad in a Shotgun News for reloaded 577/450 from a fella in Illinois.Does anyone know of anyone that is reloading rounds for this old girl ?
The guy said that he used 577 Nitro Express brass and a mixture of black powder and modern powder with a cornmeal filler.I,d love to start shooting this beauty again if I can get reloadable ammo.Thanks guys,Bill

Billy J Jones

jonk

I admit to being ignorant of this cartridge, this gun, and reloading for it, but in general, isn't it a bad idea to mix powders?

"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf

beal53

Yes Joink,,,as a rule it is a bad idea to mix powders,but this is,nt the first time I,ve heard of this concoction.I do appreciate your Q and input. When and if I find out something I,ll send the info your way.If for nothing else to relieve your concerns,,,Thanks Pardner,,,Bill

Billy J Jones

Iconoclast

Jon & Bill, in years past, I've seen several references to such duplex loads. This would have been articles published in the first half of the last century (& no, I'm not *that* ancient despite what my teenage children seem to think) - old mags I accumulated. I never did anything along this line as it seemed to be one of those approaches which could go awry w/o warning. But many very reputable writers / shooters did go this route & describe their experiences in print.

Bill, There are very few firearms one cannot scrounge / create ammo for . . . if the entry price is not an obstacle. For the 577/450, Bertram brass is available in this caliber. I checked two possible sources: RCBS @ $99/20 & Old West Scrounger @ $139/20, illustrative of why OWS should always be the source of very last resort. Likely some work on your part could reveal even lower prices elsewhere. Dies are of course available from RCBS. Bullets can be had from a variety of sources and undoubtedly you can use a variety of moulds to cast your own. If you watch the auction listings in the various sites, you will find original packets of semi-modern rounds, Kynoch and Dominion in particular, for prices on the order of $10/round and up. Bear in mind that the Kynoch will be Berdan primed and the Dominion Boxer. I didn't research loading data, but I would bet a large sum of money that there are some smokeless loads out there.

Good luck & have fun!




Edited by - Iconoclast on 08/09/2002 10:10:47

beal53

Thanks guys,,,you've been a great help

Billy J Jones

davem3

Duplex loads were not a mixture of powders but rather a few grains of the then new "smokeless" powder in the bottom of the case and the blackpowder charge on top. The most common powder used was DuPont Bulk Shotgun - a coarse,yellow powder. The smokeless burned up (or blew out) a lot of the fouling and left the barrel cleaner after the shot. Bulk Shotgun was dropped years ago and 4759 is used today in duplex loads. It does work and I have shot hundreds of them in my 500 BPE British double rifle and in various 45/70's.

davem3

Ross

There are several forums on the Martini. Search bbritishmilitaria for the EZ boards. (Yes, the double b is correct.)
Many use the CBC 24 ga brass shells to form .577 Snider and its offspring .577/450. (Once you have cases, it is not usually necessary to have the very expensive dies.) Coyot? on that site offers supplies and instructions. (Mom's Old Guns)
The $140.00 dies are about the least expensive around that I know of, but they are not suitable for forming basic brass without the form set. (CH/4D)
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross