Erma gallagher carbine question?

[militiaman1835]

Saw an Erma gallagher carbine for sale at $500. Are these good guns? When were they made? Jim Hensley

[S.Sullivan]

Jim,
A PM is on the way to you.
Steve Sullivan

[J Weber 4114V]

They were made in the 70s. The story goes they were made from German 12.7MM MG barrels
I met that German guy at a skirmish I was director of some dozen + years ago.And I
asked him about it.He confermed they were Luffwaffa NOS found in a wharehouse.He got two carbines
barrels out of each MG one.Said they made 2,200 of them.
The twist is real fast about 1 in 8".I found you needed real hard lead to keep from striping.I used WW
with lino added.Some claimed RB worked OK.The Brass cartridges are real sturdy and will last forever.
But the heel dia is critical to press fit in case mouth.
Ingition can be a pain.Got to keep vent passage clean,use a new cone and the hotest cap you can find.
Most guys just have them relined to a slower twist.There are some options that the SAC will allow.
They are well made,Look good and the fastest loading carbine I have ever shot.That 500 price is a good
one if you want to do the work.

[danajhanson]

As a past owner/operator of a Gallager, I have one word for you...RUN!!

All that Mr. Weber says is correct. They are indeed well made guns and very unique, However, I did not have a very good experience with this carbine.

I had mine relined by Hoyt to shoot the Smith style bullet. Some days it would group great, the next time at the range I could not hit the broad side...

The issue with ignition was also a bit frustrating. CCI caps were about all I was able to get to work consistently.

Be sure the brass you buy fits the gun. I found that 10% or so of a given lot of brass would get stuck in the breech and or barrel.

I did sell my Gallager and to tell you the truth some days I regret it. With more concentrated work it probably would have done o.k. for me, but it would have taken a lot of "range time" to get it up and going.

DJH

[Richard Hill]

I got one last year. I've heard the machine gun barrel story, too. The new bore is .54 caliber.

Driving a tight, oiled patch down the bore with a marked cleaning rod shows that the rifling makes one full turn in the 21.25" rifled portion of the barrel. This is still a fast twist.

I had to drill out the flash hole in the brass cases to get it to go off reliably.

I had to shorten the (replaced?) nipple to get the hammer to hit it square. This will also reduce gas leakage, as will the paper "dot" I glue over the hole in the brass case. The "dot" acts as a gasket, and works good.

I tried the Rapine Gallagher bullet with HARD lead, lubed with MCM, with 25-30 grains 3F. The bore leaded VERY quickly. I am about to head out to the range to try a .540 round ball lubed with Tamarack, and light 3F charges.

[militiaman1835]

I am going to pass. If anyone wants it email me at: shooter1835@cfl.rr.com for a link to his site. I believe he had a smith repro also. Jim Hensley

[Jerry Ward]

Don't let Dana scare you away. He's trying to horde all the Gallaghers for himself.

[danajhanson]

Now Jerry, you know there are no Gallager carbines in my safe. I'm willing to admit I was not up to getting mine to shoot straight

P.S. How is that one handed musket shooting going for you?!!

Sincerely,

Spicy Chimichanga's other half

[Jerry Ward]

Shooting isn't the problem. Reloading? Haven't figured that out yet.

Not to worry though, according to the Navy Doc I will be stronger, faster and more accurate than before. He says that "Six million dollar skirmisher" may be an apt nickname and close estimate...

Regards,

Steve Austin