Burt Blade
Member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2004
- Messages
- 477
I recently read an article (somewhere in the great cyber-swamp of the Internet) describing manufacturing replacement rimfire cartridges for use in relics such as the Henry lever-action rifle or Colt open-top (1872) revolver in the original .44 Henry rimfire cartridge. The basic method is:
Locate a modern centerfire cartridge of simiar dimensions, to use as a foundation.
Deprime and clean.
Solder a plug in the primer pocket.
Ssand the case head flat.
Trim to length, shave the rim down, etc, so it is dimensionally correct for the desired antique cartridge
Bore an off-center countersunk hole in the plugged case head, such that a .22 blank fits in place with a portion of the rim at the outside edge of the modified cartridge.
Press-fit the blank as a primer. (Might need an adhesive to hold it.)
(carefully) Load powder, seat the bullet, and crimp.
Place the assembled "rimfire" round in the chamber of the weapon, positioned so that the rimfire hammer will strike the .22 blank rim, firing it and igniting the main charge.
This works fairly well for a revolver, but limits repeating rifles to single-loaded rounds placed directly in the chamber.
And it does work. Considering the value of unfired antique rimfire cartridges in shootable condition, all the work listed above is cost-effective if you really want to shoot your antique.
Locate a modern centerfire cartridge of simiar dimensions, to use as a foundation.
Deprime and clean.
Solder a plug in the primer pocket.
Ssand the case head flat.
Trim to length, shave the rim down, etc, so it is dimensionally correct for the desired antique cartridge
Bore an off-center countersunk hole in the plugged case head, such that a .22 blank fits in place with a portion of the rim at the outside edge of the modified cartridge.
Press-fit the blank as a primer. (Might need an adhesive to hold it.)
(carefully) Load powder, seat the bullet, and crimp.
Place the assembled "rimfire" round in the chamber of the weapon, positioned so that the rimfire hammer will strike the .22 blank rim, firing it and igniting the main charge.
This works fairly well for a revolver, but limits repeating rifles to single-loaded rounds placed directly in the chamber.
And it does work. Considering the value of unfired antique rimfire cartridges in shootable condition, all the work listed above is cost-effective if you really want to shoot your antique.