Shiloh Rifle Forums

Wow Woody, I have that exact tap tool only from B-square and now to find out I'm corresponding with the guys son who invented it is just plain neat ! That's got to be a God thing !
I use my lathe with the dies to keep them square but that deal makes them drill press friendly.

One of the reasons I like to do these projects with pictures is the input from fellow enthusiasts that keep me lined out ( I've always needed close supervision) and all the new ideas and techniques I've not yet discovered. Thank you to one and all for the interest and very useful help!
I'll post a few more until shes complete and shooting.

I use the die wrench all the time in the tail stock of my lathe, especially when making a gun screw.

Woody

Speaking of gun screw making I like to use the fatigue proof steel from Brownell's for that. It also is what I like for firing pins. Expensive but the best steel I have yet found for both purposes.

I have two buckets of automotive bolts of all sizes. Usually they are grade five or eight. Some of the best are Model T or A Ford bolts. High carbon takes a fire or chemical blue very well. For firing pins, I use various sizes of music wire available from McMaster Carr. Tough stuff. I have yet to have a repaired pin fail. (knock on wood).

Woody

I can't stand it any more. I was going to wait to get the old girl blued before shooting but I milled out a solid brass front blade tonight , got it pinned in and am going to go shoot it in the white. The blade is the basic shape to the original but I like to add a 45 degree down angle on the top back because it really makes the brass show up in bad light. It is .050 thick and is quite sturdy.

Wow, I took the gun out back this AM which is cloudy and over cast and that down angle on the brass sight blade showed up like a crow with a pop top beer can lid in it's beak! Got the idea from one of the commercial sight blades I have on the .338-280 Mauser, under the scope.

I got to thinking on this and decided that working up a good load and sighting in before bluing probably is a the right call after all because the bands will often need adjusting which means removal and replacement while getting them squared away. This would most definitely scrub up the new blue job.

Now that load work up time has come I would like to ask what is the pressure level that Springfield Trapdoor models in 45-70 should be limited to ? I would think commercial ammo levels should be safe even with jacket bullet's , no? I know lead bullet shooting which is what this rifle will be used for with black powder only is no issue but I like and use Duplex loading in the ten percent smokeless kicker charge range, for cold weather shooting. These have worked well for me for years in my other two 45-70's with no issues at all and would like to use them in this gun if feasible and safe.

Lyman reloading manuals have safe smokeless reloading data for trapdoors. I've never duplexed at trapdoor. In the day, the Govt. chambered a few in 45-90 and during the initial development of the 30-40 Krag cartridge, trapdoors were chambered and shot with them. You are on your own with duplexing Mike.

Woody

I've never had so much as a sticky case or for that matter ever worn out a single case with 10 percent Duplex loads in 45-70. Not so with the 38-70 though and I'm not sure what the sticky cases was caused by. My guess is the shoulder makes a constriction in the black powder column from the smokeless pushing on the black powder plug before enough of it's mass is converted to gas.
I sure like Duplex for cold weather shooting as no wiping is required for a whole match.
I've read that as little as 5 percent will shoot just as clean but have not tried it yet. I'm sure I will eventually try it out in the TD and let you know.

Another thing of read of and want to try is putting the kicker powder at the top of the column instead of the base which is reported to have the same effect of clean burn. Duplexing was common practice in Schutzen loading and breech seating as I understand it.
Does Canada still allow duplexing in their cartridge match shooting or did they switch when we did for mid and long range events? At one time I think I read that they allowed up to 20-25 percent smokeless loading for competition.

In my Trapdoor, I run 63 gr Goex 2f under an .030 fiber wad and a 500 gr original style bullet. LRM primer, Starline brass. It eats them like candy

Well the ole girl wants to shoot. The ten grain load of unique with 510 PJ Creedmoor shot well to the hundred yards I was testing ,to get sighted in for the Clang and Bang match this Sunday . I don't know wither or not I like the Buffington sight yet the integrations are so small. I'm thinking I may put a tang aperture on her. That front brass blade shows up real good in the flat light but could stand to be .025 wider across.
The duplex loads worked fine with no hint of pressure or sticky cases. I was able to hit an 8 inch steel circle at 100 probably 50-60 percent of the time offhand but had to shade low with the open fixed sight. The staff open was far to high in it's lowest setting. I made the blade up front higher than the original but it still could use some more height. May have to make another at some point.
The full power duplex loads were pretty stiff on recoil in this light Cadet rifle. They have to much steam for the 100 yard 8 inch steel circle as one on steel hit knocked the whole works over flat and I had to go set it back up.
Sure was fun shooting this trapdoor with the new barrel. I'm gonna like her immensly, I can tell.

One thing I should mention, I learned today from a bud I shoot with, is to remove the cleaning rod before extended periods of fire or it will split out the stock at the rod keep. Jon said that this was in the original trapdoor service manual. He said he learned of it from another trapdoor enthusiast after splitting out his stock and having to repair it.