Gallagher load question

[gmkmd]

Question for you guys shooting the Erma Gallagher: has anyone tried shooting a Sharps ring-tailed bullet? It is .54 caliber, and would load like a heeled bullet in the cases. I'm going to try it when I get a chance, but was wondering if anybody else has.

The only bullets I have heard of guys using in the Erma Gallagher are the Rapine heeled bullet, or a round ball. That's of course not counting the guns that Hoyt has lined to 0.515 to shoot a Smith or Maynard bullet.

[broadarrow]

Hi gmkmd,

Follow this link http://gigama.de/kunden/henselgmbh/shop/index.htm?http://gigama.de/kunden/henselgmbh/shop/k001u010s012.htm and scroll down to the Gallagher mould this is what I use and it works really well. This has given me a really good 50-100 yard load combination.

Regards, PB

[shaffer87]

I have tried that as well as 4 other bullets in the original Erma barrel, I did find it shot well however the lead mixture was 50/50 hard and soft. I found it worked better then straight soft and hard alone. now one disadvantage of said sharps round was the fact it is the same diameter as the case and the heeled portion of the bullet is not correct for the inside diameter of the Gallager case, I used medical tape and taped them together then dipped them in the lube. now the best bullet I found to work was the one that moose molds has out it worked very well at 50 and did well at 100.

[Fauch125]

I have the moose mould Gallagher bullet, but backburnered the project when I could not consistently seat the bullets in the Gallagher cases. Did you have to modify the cases?

[gmkmd]

I had similar problems at first. I found some variability in the inside diameter of the case mouths. So some bullets would seat very easily, while some were very hard to seat and even bulged the case mouth so that they wouldn't chamber.
I found that the best thing to do was to check the internal diameter of all my cases with a plug gauge, and ream out the ones that were undersized.

[RaiderANV]

I tried 10-12 different bullets on the Erma carbines and only two stood out. A round ball and a Burnside mold Ray made. Burnside heeled base fit cases perfectly. Most all the other bullets shot good but I wanted 2" @ 50 and 4" at 100 and these two bullets were the other ones to deliver.
When I wanted groups half that size.....I used my Maynard! 😬