.450 No. 2 BP

[rookhawk]

Next step was to meet the barrel maker next door.... to reveal the secret of the ".450 No.2 Express B. Plomb" stamping on the rifled barrel.

It was and kept clear, that the chamber is a .450 Nitro Express 3 1/4".

The barrel dimensions where meassured carefully and the result was, that the barrel is extremely tight.

The land/groove dimension should be 11,43mm/11,61mm, but they are 11,07mm/11,45mm!!!

No problems with pure lead bullets or paper patched bullets.

... but a regular nitro load with a jacketed bullet could easily damage the gun!

To avoid this in future, the barrel will get a new standard 11,43/11,61mm profile.....so .458 dia. bullets/loads can be fired.


HWL

Looks great, HWL!

There are a few gunseller’s tricks you can use to seal, lacquer, and enhance the color case hardened action.

Tony Galazan sells a kit now too: https://connecticutshotgun.co/case-color-enhancement-kit/

It will enhance the case colors by about 15-20% and more importantly, it will laquer the action so you don’t wear off any color.

Really impressed, congrats on a great gun!

 

[rookhawk]

@HWL great idea with the .458” / 11.61mm approach. I’d suggest you consider Barnes bullets so you can shoot the lowest pressures. Also, have you considered leaching oil from the head of the stock and having a gunsmith epoxy or further support the internal stock inletting to reduce a chance of splitting in the future?

 

[HWL]

@HWL. Also, have you considered leaching oil from the head of the stock and having a gunsmith epoxy or further support the internal stock inletting to reduce a chance of splitting in the future?

My gunsmith told me, the stock is as solid as any other big game double.

But not to risc a brocken gun, I think, I will feed the old lady (born in 1931!)with mild loads only.


HWL

 

[rookhawk]

My gunsmith told me, the stock is as solid as any other big game double.

But not to risc a brocken gun, I think, I will feed the old lady (born in 1931!)with mild loads only.


HWL

I think your gun is great. With all due respect, I think your Smith is wrong though. I see cracks at the head of the stock at both sides and a hairline to one top overhorn too. There is 1-2mm of shrinkback at the head and 1-2mm of staining from oil leeching into the open grain of the wood. Tending to this now is cheap, less than 100 euros/dollars. Unresolved, one shot could blow the stock leaving you with a worthless gun.

She’s too beautiful not to protect for another century of use.

Just my opinion.

 

[HWL]

Gun back from the gunsmith now,..... shotgun and rifle barrels are conform to CIP regulations for the 12/70mm shotgun and .450 NE 3 1/4", all nitro proof.

Nontheless, I start carefully with reloading.

350 gr Woodleigh Soft Point Round Nose with a Nitro for Black Powder load.

Loaded with Trail Boss, QL says 497 m/s, 1631fps / 2804 Joule, 2068 ft.-lbs at the muzzle


HWL

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Gun back from the gunsmith now,..... shotgun and rifle barrels are conform to CIP regulations for the 12/70mm shotgun and .450 NE 3 1/4", all nitro proof.

Nontheless, I start carefully with reloading.

350 gr Woodleigh Soft Point Round Nose with a Nitro for Black Powder load.

Loaded with Trail Boss, QL says 497 m/s, 1631fps / 2804 Joule, 2068 ft.-lbs at the muzzle


HWL

HWL, excellent, I believe you will definitely able to shoot some game next year on the Black powder hunt...

 

[HWL]

HWL, excellent, I believe you will definitely able to shoot some game next year on the Black powder hunt...

Asked my wife, if it is ok to hunt the cape buffalo with the black powder load.

She said, when your testament is ok for me, you can hunt everything….




HWL

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Then get your testament in order< there are buffaloes to hunt

 

[rookhawk]

Why not put a bit of money into shoring up the internals of the stock and then shoot the full .450 NE load?

there are a few 480gr loads that call for RL-19 powder. Those will be the mildest recoiling loads that achieve the 2150fps regulating velocity. (Rather than 4831 or 4350 loads)

don’t hunt buff with a neutered load!

 

[flatwater bill]

Your firearm has received a lot of interest here. Thanks for posting. You have been given a lot of opinion, some good information, and some less so. Despite any proofing, many of these old Belgian guns were not noted for their strength. The recommendations for light shotgun loads is a good one. Your choice of TrailBoss is a perfect one. Good shooting.....FWB

 

[HWL]

Why not put a bit of money into shoring up the internals of the stock and then shoot the full .450 NE load?

There are a few 480gr loads that call for RL-19 powder. Those will be the mildest recoiling loads that achieve the 2150fps regulating velocity. (Rather than 4831 or 4350 loads)

don’t hunt buff with a neutered load!

The stock is not the problem I fear....should anything go wrong, I can make a new one.

What I fear is, that a full 480 gr nito load could wreck the action.... and a piece of history.

And because there is no second barrel, there is nothing to regulate!...not even a sight,...there is no rear sight!

Because, Buff is not seriously on the list....

Light nitro loads, as Red Leg recommended, for the shotgun barrels and Nitro for Black Powder loads for the rifled barrel give me a good feeling.

I also will try a black powder/lead bullet load for the "1885 Black Powder Hunt", May 202o in RSA.

A Kudu or an Wildebeest would be great.

Wednesday, I will try the Trail Boss load at the range .


HWL

 

[Gert Odendaal]

The stock is not the problem I fear....should anything go wrong, I can make a new one.

What I fear is, that a full 480 gr nito load could wreck the action.... and a piece of history.

And because there is no second barrel, there is nothing to regulate!...not even a sight,...there is no rear sight!

Because, Buff is not seriously on the list....

Light nitro loads, as Red Leg recommended, for the shotgun barrels and Nitro for Black Powder loads for the rifled barrel give me a good feeling.

I also will try a black powder/lead bullet load for the "1885 Black Powder Hunt", May 202o in RSA.

A Kudu or an Wildebeest would be great.

Wednesday, I will try the Trail Boss load at the range .


HWL

HWL, I think a Sable will be more suitable for you< let me hunt the kudu cows

 

[HWL]

Back from the range....shooting the 1 oz shotgun loads was fun, virtually no recoil from the 3,9 kg gun....

I immediately thought about using slugs!

Than I fired 10 rounds of my handmade 350 gr Woodleigh, Soft Point Round Nose, "NitroforBlackPowder" load at 50 m...... from the bench....size of a soup plate!

Zeroed well, but I did not felt good with this kind of "pattern"

Even though.......without a rear sight.


HWL

 

[Huvius]

B. Plomb literally means lead bullet.
B. Blindee is the mark for jacketed bullets.
These Drillings have notoriously thin barrels for the rifle to keep the forward weight as low as possible.
How have you done with this gun?

 

[grand veneur]

Balle blindée means FMJ bullet.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

Thread resurrection seems to have occurred here, lovely old drilling, I noticed that Bruce had posted in this thread, he’s no longer around, gone to the hunting ground in the sky,sad thing
gumpy

 

[fourfive8]

Don’t know why, but I’ll always remember Quigley telling the gunsmith/store owner Grimmelman in the coastal village of Meeka Tonga that he can load some rounds for his 45 2 7/8 Sharps by substituting the normal paper patched bullets with “450 #2 British musket lead”.

 

[HWL]

These Drillings have notoriously thin barrels for the rifle to keep the forward weight as low as possible.
How have you done with this gun?

This gun has seen Africa not yet....
Hope I can participate Gert Odendaals venerable "Black powder 1885 Jacht expiditie" next spring in South Africa.
Have brocken some clay pigeons and shot a fox while hunting boars at a cornfield.
Because of the black powder smoke, my hunting buddies ask me if I need a fire extinguisher...

HWL