1889 BP bolt gun.
- Thread starter BerdanSS
- Start date
stubbicatt
New member
I wonder where one would find brass to make the case, or whether there is such brass available? Would one paper patch these bullets?
As far as I know, the cases are same as modern 7.5 Swiss, only loaded with black powder. I also believe that one could get by using reduced loads of smokeless powder (such as 4895), as the steel in the Schmidts was of decent quality. I definitely think anyone is well advised NOT to use modern Swiss ammo, however.
A parallel example is the original 1888 British Lee-Metford rifle; Originally chambered for a black powder .303 round, it made the transition to Cordite successfully as far as handling the pressure was concerned. It was the Metford rifling being quickly eroded by Cordite that prompted the switch to Enfield type rifling. The rebarreled guns served well into the 20th century with no real problems handing smokeless powder.
Metford and long Lee-Enfield shooters today generally handload their ammo to Mark VI levels, originally intended for the long Lees such as the early Mk Is and IIs, and the first SMLE, the No. 1, Mk I.
Some decades back, I occasionally shot my Lee-Metford with reduced 4895 powder loads and had no problems other than lousy accuracy due the completely trashed Metford rifling.
Given that the general quality of the 1889 Schmidt-Rubins and British Lees are comparable, I wouldn't see any problem with loading reduced smokeless powder loads for it.
As always, YMMV.
A parallel example is the original 1888 British Lee-Metford rifle; Originally chambered for a black powder .303 round, it made the transition to Cordite successfully as far as handling the pressure was concerned. It was the Metford rifling being quickly eroded by Cordite that prompted the switch to Enfield type rifling. The rebarreled guns served well into the 20th century with no real problems handing smokeless powder.
Metford and long Lee-Enfield shooters today generally handload their ammo to Mark VI levels, originally intended for the long Lees such as the early Mk Is and IIs, and the first SMLE, the No. 1, Mk I.
Some decades back, I occasionally shot my Lee-Metford with reduced 4895 powder loads and had no problems other than lousy accuracy due the completely trashed Metford rifling.
Given that the general quality of the 1889 Schmidt-Rubins and British Lees are comparable, I wouldn't see any problem with loading reduced smokeless powder loads for it.
As always, YMMV.
Trum4n1208
New member
Of course, these pop up after I've already put money down on two other guns. Oh well. Maybe one'll pop up again another time.
mapsjanhere
New member
Plenty of BP bolt action around, 1870 Russian Berdan, 1871 German Mauser, 1874 French Gras etc.
FWIW, the Model 1889 was one of the rifles tested (and rejected) in the U.S. trials that resulted in adoption of the Model 1892 Krag-Jorgensen. For those who think the Krag started the idea of a magazine cut-off, the Swiss rifle has one (as did the late Spencers). The Model 1889 cut-off works by lowering the magazine so the bolt doesn't pick up a round.
Jim
Jim