RB #1 Sporter ....No Tang Markings? Please Advise

[oldremguy]

Hello Yellowhouse,

If you are looking for brass, you should try Buffalo Arms.
They have 43 Spanish cases 20($41.00) and 44-77 SBN cases 20($42.00).
Just got some 44-90 SBN cases from them and they were made from .348 Winchester cases.
Best of luck in getting the gun shooting.

Have a good day,
Matt

[JimMill]

Yellowhouse

The 348's work fine in my rifle. I bought some of the RMC brass just to have some with the correct head stamp.

Jim

[marlinman93]

Too late now, but there are several cheap options for brass, bullets, and dies for the .44-77 SBN. I did a lot of searching when I started and found that C&H4D dies were pretty reasonable, at about $150 when I checked. But I ended up buying Lee .43 Spanish dies for about $22, and they work great as I don't full length resize and for neck sizing they're perfect.
For bullets I also went with a Lee hollowbase bullet in .445" for a minie bullet, in 290 gr.. It's perfect, shoots well, and cost a whopping $20 NIB! For brass I use .43 Spanish also, and found about 60 cases and loaded ammo at a local gun show for under $30 for all of it.
The rims of the .43 Spanish are slightly larger, but in my gun they fit perfectly with no trimming. The old RB shoots under 2" at 100 yds with a 70 gr. charge of ffg Goex, and that's plenty good enough for hunting or plinking for me!

[Yellowhouse]

I got the RCBS dies used so no great expense over the Ch4D there. Got the spanish brass today and awaiting bullets. Need to go ahead and order a mold!! Any longer and I'm going to patch some .429 lead bullets for 44 mag and make a 44-77 express load

All said and done, maybe we need to start a 44-77 forum over on Greybeard or for #1 Sporters anyway.

Thanks for all the help fellas and I'll keep you posted.

[marlinman93]

All said and done, maybe we need to start a 44-77 forum over on Greybeard or for #1 Sporters anyway.

Thanks, but no thanks! I'd just as soon not spend much time at that site.

[Yellowhouse]

Haven't spent much time over there so don't know.

I do know that this one is good as any and better than most.

[marlinman93]

I used to be a moderator over there but quit, and I wont comment beyond that.

[Yellowhouse]

Another note: Roy is much more informed than I ever will be. His is a plausible explanation for sure to the anomaly related to markings on my rifle barrel. However, I read a passage in Vol 2 of the Encyclopedia of Buffalo Hunters under T. E. Jackson, I believe, where a Sharps was sent back to the factory to be rebarreled to 40-70 SS. When returned the new barrel was serial numbered to the gun. Perhaps Remington performed the same service....I'd like to think so. Anyway, it will likely remain an unsolved mystery.

Also, I was surprised at the numbers of barrels that were ordered by merchants at Ft. Griffin to replace or upgrade Sharps. Evidently a lot of frontier gunsmithing going on.