54 cal Gallagher question

[George Gompf]

Need some advice on a 54 cal Gallagher.

What ballpark diameter is a 54 cal Gallagher carbine? I know there are a vast range of diameters and every one shoots a different size. There also the differences between reproduction and original and all the lined barrels. With all that in mind, what is the general opinion of the diameter of a Gallagher projectile in 54 nominal caliber?

George
FEC, Deep South Region

[Jim Wimbish, 10395]

George,

The originals were 50 caliber, not 54. Approximately 5,000 of the were rechambered to shoot the 56-52 Spencer cartridge. The Erma Gallagher used a larger diameter 54 caliber bullet because they were using existing barrels in a slightly larger caliber. Most relined Erma's are 50 caliber. The brass that I used with my relined Erma worked very nicely with a .515" bullet. To shoot in the original Erma chambering you had to use the special 54 caliber heeled bullet made by Rapine. I also have an original percussion Gallagher and confirmed that it is 50 caliber.

Jim

[George Gompf]

Thanks for the response. I have looked at a Rapine bullet and it is reduced size on the base with a large band at the midpoint above the grease ring. Is this a requirement for seating in the Gallagher case? I had thought the Gallagher case was similar to the Smith and just straight cylindrical ID. The original bullets I have reviewed in “Civil War Projectiles” are not any different than the Smith or Maynard bullet.

The bullet is listed as a .540 diameter but that is a nominal diameter I suspect. I have an oversized Maynard mold I want to open up the diameter to use in a Gallagher and want the projectile to be large enough to suit the application. I can make it .540 but don’t want to cut a .540 and find it should have been .535.

Thanks
George

[Jim Wimbish, 10395]

George,

If you are trying to shoot an Erma with the original rifling, the bore is larger than in an original. That is why the bullet is stepped down to fit in the case. This is called a heeled bullet and it is used when the bullet needs to be larger than the case mouth. In an original Gallagher the bullet would fit in the case just like a Smith or Maynard. The oversize bore in the Erma forces you to use a heeled bullet to get a bullet that has a large enough diameter to work with the larger bore. Hope this makes sense. This is why many shooters choose to have the Gallagher relined. The other reason for relining is the extremely fast twist rate which requires you to use hard lead. I had my Erma relined, but I have since sold the gun so I can't give you any more details. The heeled bullet made with hard lead was a pain to reload and I never could get it to shoot worth a darn at 100 yards. At that point I relined it and it shot fine. However, I would choose to shoot a Maynard, Smith, or Sharps before I used a Gallagher in competition.

Jim

[George Gompf]

Jim,
Thanks for the help. Your explanation that the base of the bullet was rebated ended any questions I had of altering a Maynard mold. The lack of comments from other individuals indicates to me there is not much interest in the 54 Gallagher and it is not worth the effort to make the mold. I am sure my time can be better spent on some other futile pursuit.

Thanks
George

[C.Harris]

I have a maxi ball mold modified for the Erma Gallagher. If you would be interested in it let me know.

[George Gompf]

Thanks, but I was trying to salvage a mold I have and am not interested in purchasing a mold. My machinist made an offset the wrong direction and I was trying to see if I could recut the mold to 54 and salvage the block. I get some slight interest in a 54 Gallagher every now and then. However, after learning more about the 54 Gallagher, I think I will stick with the Maynard/Smith molds and use the errant block for a 58 of some kind. Otherwise, it is chalk one up to learning to pay attention to the g-codes.

Thanks
George