Shiloh Rifle Forums

I forgot to mention the greater danger of actually winning an argument.

Just because you were right does not in any way mean that you won.

No one outside Spain itself ever adopted the Reformado cartridge.

Most of the Mexican RBs purchased from Remington itself were in some form of .50 caliber, mostly .50-70. Mexico probably purchased more RBs from Whitney than Remington surprisingly. Most RBs were also purchased thru Schuyler Hartley and Graham. This included 2900 or so rifles from Whitney in 43 Spanish, the only ones known. If you have a Remington made RB rifle in .43 Spanish, it is probably not Mexican. A LOT of RBs came back from Cuba after the SAW, wonder if that may have been the "War". A lot of old timers from that era called anything from anywhere in Latin America "Mexican".

Mexico did assemble a handful of RBs in their own facilitys, these have been found in both .50-70 and .43 spanish, though very rare and very rough. Mexican RBs are literally "All over the place" in caliber and construction. A number of states and local police forces also ordered RBs in a number of calibers, though usually carbines, usually in .50-70.

Most famous are the 1000 carbines with dual purpose breechblocks, to fire both the .50-70 and the .50 Spencer rimfire. Whitney also made a few of these.

Mexico was probably the largest purchaser of the last generation 7mm RBs, some 14000. These got used HARD. These would have been the most common seen during the incursion years.


From George Laymans "Remington Rolling Block Military Rifles of the World".

Reading this prompts me to pull out a Remington RB I got in a trade years ago. It is in good nick for its age and I wondered if it has been worked over.
Its in a 50 cal of some sort but what had me puzzled was the breech block has been converted from rimfire to centrefire.
I have seen this on Swedish RB,s in 12mm but not on a Remington branded one. Its a 3 bander also. I dont want to hijack this thread , but should I put up piks here or start a new one?
Keith

There seems to be all sorts of factory configurations/alterations in various models of these guns that don't fit the norm. I have that saddle ring carbine factory chambered and barreled in standard three groove 43 Spanish. The groove diameter is .446 which is supposed to be the groove diameter of the Mauser cartridge not the Spanish which I think is .339.
It shoots great with the larger diameter bullets in the Spanish chamber and Mauser groove diameter.

I mean .439 not .339.