577/450 M-H is about to come to life.

**K. Funk** · December 04, 2004, 14:33

After about a year of accumulating what is needed to load up some 577/450 Martini Henry rounds, I am about to finish up my first 20 rounds. Between dies, press adapter, shell holder, kapoch wadding, bullet mold, bullets (thanks Deltaten) filtering raw beeswax and mixing with olive oil for lube, and last but not least, wads, I am finally ready to dump powder. I almost lost my mind trying to prime those $5 a piece cases. Shell holder would not fit in the hand held primer. Bench priming tool was broke beyond repair. I resorting to un-jamming the priming attachment that goes on the Rock Chucker. I had never used it and spent primers had fallen into the pivot area and she was jammed tight. Pried them all out and she worked like a champ. So, I have 20 primed and belled cases and 20 hand lubed .465" 480gr bullets ready to go. First load will be 40 gr 3031 topped with kapoch wadding and a felt wad between it and the bullet base. I am hesitant to use black powder just yet, as I basically hate it as a propellant. Me and it don't get along. So it looks like I will be toting the BSA Mk II to the Frozen Nutz shoot in January to light off the old girl for the first time in 100+ years.

krf

Deltaten · December 04, 2004, 17:14

Outstanding!

Can't wait to see 'er belch smoke, fire 'n lead once again

Best,
Paul

**BUFF** · December 04, 2004, 23:40

Congratulations to you, Mr. Funk! Quite an achievement!

Handloading can be far more than just a way to get cheaper ammunition. Sometimes you can bring some cool old guns back to life.

justashooter · December 07, 2004, 11:00

somebody remind me to bring the plasma.

capman · December 08, 2004, 22:13

I am envious! I sold my Snyder and M-H and miss both now. Don't be afraid of black powder with that 577-450 case. A case full of 2F or 1F with a wad and your bullet on top (no air space) will shoot well. Just give 3 slow breaths down the barrel between shots to keep the fouling soft. Nice thing about this setup is you do not need to resize to reload. Just reprime, fill with black powder, place the wad, then the bullet.

Good luck.

cap

Opie · December 09, 2004, 10:00

Would Pyrodex work? Is that an alternate to Black Powder?

capman · December 09, 2004, 16:11

I have never used Pyrodex except in muzzle loaders. It is much harder to ignite than black powder, and I believe the pressures are higher. I can not suggest using Pyrodex, my experience is with black powder.

cap

John Culver · December 09, 2004, 16:46

Can you post some pics of the rounds? I've never seen these before.

**K. Funk** · December 09, 2004, 16:47

Some of the guys on the M-H boards use 777, but I agree Pyrodex is a gamble. I also have some Clearshot I wanna try. I loaded all 20 rds last week, and they look terrific. They feel like they weigh a pound each. They dwarf a .45-70 round. I may fire one or two off just to see how they go. I don't know if I can wait till Nutz III!!

krf

owlcreekok · December 10, 2004, 07:37

Howzabout a bit more talk on the lube you whumped up? Simplistically speaking, how did you work it? What is the recipe wax-oil ratio? Temperature? I must be nutz, brewing ammo is same fun as shooting it to me! Especially when ya do it "outside the box"!

Queenie · December 10, 2004, 11:14

Here's two recipies I've found.

5 parts beeswax, 4 parts Crisco, 1 part Canola oil. You can vary the oil/Crisco ratio to get a softer consistency.

50/50 beeswax and olive oil... I haven't tried this one.

Melt the beeswax first in a double boiler or other low heat apparatus (no flames, Beeswax is flammable). Mix in the other ingredients. For pan lubing you stand your bullets up in a shallow flat bottomed pan and pour the lube in, filling up to cover the last grease groove on the bullets. After it hardens enough to handle you can pop out the lube "cake" and push the bullets out from the base. Softer lubes can be finger lubed by working the lube into the grooves using your fingers.

Queenie · December 10, 2004, 11:43

Here's a quick scan of one of the 577/.450 MH cartridges I loaded up next to a 7.62 Nato round. The case for the MH is one of those made from the Magtech 24ga. brass shotshell cases. I tried to resize the scan to near "lifesize". Its pretty close.

John Culver · December 10, 2004, 12:51

DANG! That thing is huge, thak you for the pic.

December 04, 2004, 14:33	#1
K. Funk Real Life Metallurgist Gold Contributor FALaholic #: 38 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Myerstown, PA Posts: 3,941	577/450 M-H is about to come to life. After about a year of accumulating what is needed to load up some 577/450 Martini Henry rounds, I am about to finish up my first 20 rounds. Between dies, press adapter, shell holder, kapoch wadding, bullet mold, bullets (thanks Deltaten) filtering raw beeswax and mixing with olive oil for lube, and last but not least, wads, I am finally ready to dump powder. I almost lost my mind trying to prime those $5 a piece cases. Shell holder would not fit in the hand held primer. Bench priming tool was broke beyond repair. I resorting to un-jamming the priming attachment that goes on the Rock Chucker. I had never used it and spent primers had fallen into the pivot area and she was jammed tight. Pried them all out and she worked like a champ. So, I have 20 primed and belled cases and 20 hand lubed .465" 480gr bullets ready to go. First load will be 40 gr 3031 topped with kapoch wadding and a felt wad between it and the bullet base. I am hesitant to use black powder just yet, as I basically hate it as a propellant. Me and it don't get along. So it looks like I will be toting the BSA Mk II to the Frozen Nutz shoot in January to light off the old girl for the first time in 100+ years. krf __________________ The Mason-Dixon FAL Association wants YOU!! Ask me for details. You never know what's going on inside the mind of a crazy man!! Check out username kandainv on Gunbroker; always some neat stuff!! FYB!!!!

December 04, 2004, 17:14	#2
Deltaten Registered FALaholic #: 124 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Lancaster, PA USA Posts: 8,500	Outstanding! Can't wait to see 'er belch smoke, fire 'n lead once again Best, Paul __________________ All or Nothing! Senator McCarthy was right! and as always......FYB!

December 04, 2004, 23:40	#3
BUFF Old Fart Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 789 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 7,141	Congratulations to you, Mr. Funk! Quite an achievement! Handloading can be far more than just a way to get cheaper ammunition. Sometimes you can bring some cool old guns back to life. __________________ BUFF

December 07, 2004, 11:00	#4
justashooter Registered FALaholic #: 5967 Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: york, pa. Posts: 4,503	somebody remind me to bring the plasma. __________________ If the concept of heading on down to the local Home Depot and transforming $100 worth of random pipe bits into a killing machine doesn’t appeal to you, you’re a frikkin' pansy. Also, you’re probably sane and will live significantly longer than I will. Nonetheless you disgust me, and I take comfort in the knowledge that your obituary will be nowhere near as humorous as mine. The next time I hear "THE RANGE IS NOW HOT", it just wont be the same. Max tried another question. "What sort of people live about here?" "In THAT direction," the Jin said, waving its right paw round, "lives a Han: And in THAT direction," waving the other paw, "lives a Ming Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad." "But I don't want to go among mad people," Max remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Jin: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Max. "You must be," said the Jin, "or you wouldn't have come here."

December 09, 2004, 16:46	#8
John Culver Registered FALaholic #: 6035 Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 8,619	Can you post some pics of the rounds? I've never seen these before. __________________ The speculative line of demarcation, where obedience ought to end and resistance must begin, is faint, obscure, and not easily definable. --Burke. ---------------------- The CPU Shack - CPU History and Microprocessor Collection.

December 08, 2004, 22:13	#5
capman Registered FALaholic #: 5083 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 330	I am envious! I sold my Snyder and M-H and miss both now. Don't be afraid of black powder with that 577-450 case. A case full of 2F or 1F with a wad and your bullet on top (no air space) will shoot well. Just give 3 slow breaths down the barrel between shots to keep the fouling soft. Nice thing about this setup is you do not need to resize to reload. Just reprime, fill with black powder, place the wad, then the bullet. Good luck. cap

December 09, 2004, 10:00	#6
Opie Registered FALaholic #: 11730 Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Drewsey, OR Posts: 2,075	Would Pyrodex work? Is that an alternate to Black Powder?

December 09, 2004, 16:11	#7
capman Registered FALaholic #: 5083 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 330	I have never used Pyrodex except in muzzle loaders. It is much harder to ignite than black powder, and I believe the pressures are higher. I can not suggest using Pyrodex, my experience is with black powder. cap

December 09, 2004, 16:47	#9
K. Funk Real Life Metallurgist Gold Contributor FALaholic #: 38 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Myerstown, PA Posts: 3,941	Some of the guys on the M-H boards use 777, but I agree Pyrodex is a gamble. I also have some Clearshot I wanna try. I loaded all 20 rds last week, and they look terrific. They feel like they weigh a pound each. They dwarf a .45-70 round. I may fire one or two off just to see how they go. I don't know if I can wait till Nutz III!! krf __________________ The Mason-Dixon FAL Association wants YOU!! Ask me for details. You never know what's going on inside the mind of a crazy man!! Check out username kandainv on Gunbroker; always some neat stuff!! FYB!!!!

December 10, 2004, 07:37	#10
owlcreekok Registered FALaholic #: 15323 Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tejas Posts: 9,331	Howzabout a bit more talk on the lube you whumped up? Simplistically speaking, how did you work it? What is the recipe wax-oil ratio? Temperature? I must be nutz, brewing ammo is same fun as shooting it to me! Especially when ya do it "outside the box"! __________________ "It is necessary for the welfare of the nation that men's lives be based on the principles of the Bible. No man, educated or uneducated, can afford to be ignorant of the Bible." - Theodore Roosevelt - (1858-1919) 26th President of the United States FOUNDER- Free ggiilliiee Foundation hehe

December 10, 2004, 11:14	#11
Queenie Registered FALaholic #: 5544 Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,025	Here's two recipies I've found. 5 parts beeswax, 4 parts Crisco, 1 part Canola oil. You can vary the oil/Crisco ratio to get a softer consistency. 50/50 beeswax and olive oil... I haven't tried this one. Melt the beeswax first in a double boiler or other low heat apparatus (no flames, Beeswax is flammable). Mix in the other ingredients. For pan lubing you stand your bullets up in a shallow flat bottomed pan and pour the lube in, filling up to cover the last grease groove on the bullets. After it hardens enough to handle you can pop out the lube "cake" and push the bullets out from the base. Softer lubes can be finger lubed by working the lube into the grooves using your fingers.

December 10, 2004, 11:43	#12
Queenie Registered FALaholic #: 5544 Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,025	Here's a quick scan of one of the 577/.450 MH cartridges I loaded up next to a 7.62 Nato round. The case for the MH is one of those made from the Magtech 24ga. brass shotshell cases. I tried to resize the scan to near "lifesize". Its pretty close.

December 10, 2004, 12:51	#13
John Culver Registered FALaholic #: 6035 Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 8,619	DANG! That thing is huge, thak you for the pic. __________________ The speculative line of demarcation, where obedience ought to end and resistance must begin, is faint, obscure, and not easily definable. --Burke. ---------------------- The CPU Shack - CPU History and Microprocessor Collection.

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