Springfield 1871 RB - would love to shoot it, but should I?

[lizking531]

I recently acquired a Springfield 1871 RB (1872 model year - w/ the half cock setup). I'll put up some pics soon, but had a couple questions -

This is an heirloom from my fiance's family, so I'm doing my research twice & before doing anything.

The gun seems to be in great working order - action is great, bore looks really clean, everything seems to be in great working order. The outer metal shows slight signs of wear, insides looks great. The gun looks as though if it had been fired, it wasn't used much.

What steps should be taken before chambering a cartridge? - or should I resist the urge & keep it as a collectible?

On the same note, I am not prepared to do any reloading, so for those of you that don't always reload, where do you get .50-70 rounds? I looked at Buffalo Arms & Ten-X, besides the large price difference, the bullets are either 425 or 500 grain. The original govt ammo was a 450 grain bullet, correct? As I'm not very familiar with black powder, I'd hate to f-up such a cool gun by putting a hot round in it, so I've been looking for as close to original spec as I can find.

I've never owned a collectible gun - the closest I've came is my dad's Remington Nylon 66 (which, for better or worse, I still squirrel hunt with).

Thanks in advance for any info! I haven't even shot it yet, but have been daydreaming endlessly about flipping up the sights, hearing that bang & watching the smoke fade -

[marlinman93]

Using a 425 gr. bullet wont hurt if the load is a correct level blackpowder load. Of course the action and headspacing should be checked by a competent gunsmith prior to firing it with correct ammo.
Not sure what prices those listed sell ammo for, but GAD Custom Loading sells them also. $35 for 20 rounds.
http://www.gadcustomcartridges.com/#obsolete

[lizking531]

Great! Thanks for the link - that's much cheaper than Ten-X.

[stanforth]

If the round you choose is the same as original factory ammo you, and your gun, should be safe.
The round was intended to be shot in a trapdoor Springfiels rifle and they were nowhere near as strong an action as the Rolling Block.
The only thing I feel inclined to warn you about is that shooting a Rolling Block is adictive.
Good luck.