320 Revolving Rifle “Evaluation”

[BMur]

Case reforming

See photo,
Base diameter is listed at .354. I mic'd 3 manufacturers. Rem-UMC, Peters, Winchester. All mic'd at .355.
The Revolving Rifle is .346. Which requires at least a reduction to .343 for smooth loading.
So, the difference is actually about 10-12 Thousands between actual diameter and required reduced diameter.
For this thin case in my opinion that's way too much to size down or remove metal. Sort of a 50-50 proposition. Size it down 5 and remove 5. Or the case will dimple.

I still see a safety issue with full loads. Reduced loads only is my recommendation.

Murph

 

[DWalt]

Why not just shorten a .32 Mag case and fire form it or expand it? Case diameter is only slightly less than .32-44.

 

[BMur]

32 Mag.

I think you're onto something there! That 32 Mag case can handle the pressure and be expanded to seal the chamber of the RR without any impact on head strength. That I personally would feel comfortable max loading. Anneal, expand, done!

Problem Solved. Now if I can find some cases.


Murph

 

[nicky4968]

I have often wondered: would it not be better to slug the cylinder chambers than to slug the barrel?
I have used a dowel and a pure lead bullet in the past to get the chamber size correctly. It would seem to be easier than slugging the rifled barrel.

 

[rct269]

I've slugged just one barrel in my lifetime, and it was just 6" long! It most certainly has to be easier doing a cylinder chamber throat. I'll look forward to the thoughts of those who've been there and done that with both, and have learned the why or why not.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[BMur]

Cylinder Throats vs Bore Condition

What makes the Revolving Rifle so unique is the elimination of cylinder throat dynamics as an issue with potential bullet error.

The original cartridge extends to the bitter or absolute end of each chamber. The real purpose is to eliminate the individual chamber specs and variations between them. Resulting in rifle like performance.

The Revolving Rifle accuracy does match rifle accuracy because it must if you match bore dynamics. That's the reason you slug the bore. To match your bullet selection and design. The result must be rifle accuracy.

Our problem today is the lack of case availability. So unfortunately we must make do with modified cases. Which is not an accurate test of the guns capabilities down range.

Another way that I have found to reduce revolver chamber dynamics as an issue is bullet selection. The longer the skirt or the more contact with the bore the more accurate your bullets will be down range as a general rule. It also helps to eliminate bullet wobble.

A great example is the Wadcutter. It's pretty hard to get a barrel shaped bullet to wobble. The optimum design that almost eliminates chamber dynamics is seen in photos 1&2.

These bullet designs are proven to be extremely accurate from a revolver platform down range and were the primary choice of target shooters circa 1902-1905 and beyond.

You can actually pattern shoot with these bullets at distances over 100 yards with short barrel pistols.

Murph

 

[DWalt]

I was also thinking that an 00B pellet might make a good bullet to play around with. Seat it below the case mouth and put some Crisco on top. That is what I do with my Colt 1849.

 

[BMur]

Cases reformed

I went ahead and reformed 12 cases for the shooting test.

You can see in photo 1 that the case mouth is opened significantly from the original 32-20 case to meet the minimum .323 diameter of the Revolving Rifle bore.

I also found that the minimal removal at the base is from the original .355-.354 to a modified .346. So a reduction of no less than 8 Thousandths in order to safely chamber in each of 6 chambers. Photo 2

You can also see that the 32-20 case does a pretty good job at filling the chamber within 3/16ths of the end of the throat. Photo 3.

So, after the reforming and resizing I feel confident to apply a 70% Black Powder load for the test at the 50 yard target.

They also fit very well in the cylinder and eject easily.

Murph

 

[BMur]

Reloading

Just a quick update:
I'm ready to reload the RR cases but the weather here is terrible and it has been a very long winter. I refuse to work with gun powder when it's damp. I'm not in Alaska so this project is on the back burner for now.
When the sun finally comes out I'll get back into this accuracy test of this fine historical antique revolving rifle. To be continued….

Murph

 

[JSR III]

Just finished reading this thread with great interest. I do not have a RR but have decided to get back into reloading after a 30 year hiatus. The depth of knowledge expressed in the above posts is amazing and fascinating to read.

I cannot wait to hear the results of this effort. Threads like this really make visiting the forum a joy.

Best of luck......

 

[Club Gun Fan]

I own two Revolving Rifles. Serial number one and serial number 971. I'm still waiting for 971. I plan on shooting when I get it.

 

[JSR III]

Don, we know the story behind number 1, so what about 971?????

 

[Club Gun Fan]

Because of poor sales some of the remain RR's were cut down to 7" barrels. I was hoping to get the last one made. It was sold to Jerry's Sports in PA in 1970. So I have one of the last ones made.

 

[JSR III]

So are you saying it is the last one made or is that one still out there? You could have bookends!!!!

 

[Club Gun Fan]

The last one is serial number 978. It is owned by a private collector. We recently lettered it.