Mle 1874 - M80 11 x 59 mm Gras

[DuncaninFrance]

Was able to buy this last week at a very advantageous price. €300 / $325
Built in 1877, serial No. 2222
All in very good order, no cracks and a very good bore.

Then bought an H&C reloading kit

Got my head round the instructions and as I always do, I made a dummy round to use as a 'master'
Very easy to make with the H&C kit and fit's perfectly. I would say that the reloading kit is idiotproof - famous last words .............

[Niner]

Good to see a gun post for a change. Certainly not a rifle that many have an example of in their collection. Glad you posted about it. I'd like to read a report on how it shoots targets over a normal range distance.

That reloading assortment probably wasn't cheap or real easy to find. One thing about the instructions that would cause me a twinge of anxiety is the use of the hammer to seat the bullet in the case. I guess there are no regular loading press kits.

[DuncaninFrance]

The kit is actually very simple. (It cost 155€ / $170)

H&C make a lot of kits for hard to find calibres https://www.hc-collection.com/?PGFLngID=1.
Lee don't have any dies for this.

The only part that concerned me was positioning the primer in the pocket but I use a piece of wood between the primer and the hammer and that has worked fine in the past.
Because these are machined cases they won't fit any LEE priming kit.

Seating the bullet is done in such a way as to set it just right every time

I now have to work out the sights and ranges that they are set at. Chassepot to Famas by Ian McCullum seems a good place to start!

[Niner]

Driving in primer with mallet seems hard on the primer. No doubt all of the steps are safe and well thought out in the loading process though.

[DuncaninFrance]

Just found this bayonette on Naturabuy at 75€ / $82. Should be here next week.
Manufactured in 1881 at St.Etienne but unfortunatly no scbbard.