Dave DeLaurant
Member
Back in early September there were a number of posts on the Swiss Rifle FB group from a high school student who had just acquired a Swiss Vetterli rifle and was eager to know what ammo he could shoot in it. I had never owned a Vetterli up to that point, but I could remember being a neophyte firearm enthusiast at that age and I wanted to let him down gently.
The problem he faced was that new Swiss 10.4x38R rimfire ammunition had not been manufactured in many decades. Contemporary Swiss Vetterli shooters have their rifles converted to centerfire via a relatively simple and well-tried method, often as a DIY project. I also found at least two fellows who could perform the bolt conversion with proper machine tools for a fairly nominal fee. While forming suitable centerfire brass appeared relatively easy, it was hardly a suitable project for an absolute novice.
Knowing this and having actually done it are two different things, however. I didn't find the prospect particularly daunting compared with other cartridges I've fabricated in the past and I had to admit that I was intrigued. I soon located a reasonably-priced M1878 rifle on Gunbroker; rather surprisingly, Amazon had Lee ".41 Swiss" dies in stock, for a little north of $40.
I ordered both the rifle and dies at the same time. For cases, I decided on two options: case forming a batch myself using either 8x50R Lebel or .50-110 parent brass, and ordering some ready-formed cases from a specialty dealer. With cases in hand, I could use some of my existing stock of .430" bullets to start off, though they would be too short to feed from the magazine.
Things began arriving here in October, starting with the dies and 40 x .50-110 Starline cases. There is a special form-and-trim die available from RCBS for the 10.4x38R, but Huntingtons sells this die for about the same price I paid for the rifle. I believed I could use the standard Lee resizing die for the purpose, provided I worked slowly and used plenty of lube. It turned out I was right -- it's slow work this way, but far cheaper. Here's a short video I made about it:
I also bought 20 converted 8x50R Lebel cases off Gunbroker for about $2.50 apiece. Comparing these against my own converted brass, both looked and chambered almost identically. I suppose if you only need a few unusual cases such as these, this route involves much less work than forming them yourself.
The rifle arrived here October 4th. After a detail strip, inspection and lubrication, I shipped the bolt off for conversion the following day. Cost with return postage was $65, and I had the bolt back in my hands ten days later. If you're curious how this fellow does the conversions, here's the link to his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheKoba49
My first opportunity for a quick range trip was this morning. I had loaded nine test loads using my reformed cases and 300 grain cast flat nose bullets over 10 grains of Trail Boss. The OAL proved about .1" too short to feed from the magazine, but the accuracy at 19 yards looks very promising.
Early cartridge rifles like the Swiss Vetterli are fascinating and great fun to shoot. I'm looking forward to doing a Vetterli mag dump sometime in the near future.
The problem he faced was that new Swiss 10.4x38R rimfire ammunition had not been manufactured in many decades. Contemporary Swiss Vetterli shooters have their rifles converted to centerfire via a relatively simple and well-tried method, often as a DIY project. I also found at least two fellows who could perform the bolt conversion with proper machine tools for a fairly nominal fee. While forming suitable centerfire brass appeared relatively easy, it was hardly a suitable project for an absolute novice.
Knowing this and having actually done it are two different things, however. I didn't find the prospect particularly daunting compared with other cartridges I've fabricated in the past and I had to admit that I was intrigued. I soon located a reasonably-priced M1878 rifle on Gunbroker; rather surprisingly, Amazon had Lee ".41 Swiss" dies in stock, for a little north of $40.
I ordered both the rifle and dies at the same time. For cases, I decided on two options: case forming a batch myself using either 8x50R Lebel or .50-110 parent brass, and ordering some ready-formed cases from a specialty dealer. With cases in hand, I could use some of my existing stock of .430" bullets to start off, though they would be too short to feed from the magazine.
Things began arriving here in October, starting with the dies and 40 x .50-110 Starline cases. There is a special form-and-trim die available from RCBS for the 10.4x38R, but Huntingtons sells this die for about the same price I paid for the rifle. I believed I could use the standard Lee resizing die for the purpose, provided I worked slowly and used plenty of lube. It turned out I was right -- it's slow work this way, but far cheaper. Here's a short video I made about it:
I also bought 20 converted 8x50R Lebel cases off Gunbroker for about $2.50 apiece. Comparing these against my own converted brass, both looked and chambered almost identically. I suppose if you only need a few unusual cases such as these, this route involves much less work than forming them yourself.
The rifle arrived here October 4th. After a detail strip, inspection and lubrication, I shipped the bolt off for conversion the following day. Cost with return postage was $65, and I had the bolt back in my hands ten days later. If you're curious how this fellow does the conversions, here's the link to his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheKoba49
My first opportunity for a quick range trip was this morning. I had loaded nine test loads using my reformed cases and 300 grain cast flat nose bullets over 10 grains of Trail Boss. The OAL proved about .1" too short to feed from the magazine, but the accuracy at 19 yards looks very promising.
Early cartridge rifles like the Swiss Vetterli are fascinating and great fun to shoot. I'm looking forward to doing a Vetterli mag dump sometime in the near future.
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