Gallager

I just won auction for the ERMA repro gallager carbine. Found one gallager thread on here:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...3-Gallagher-54

Mixed feelings about not having an original but this is much more affordable and of course in much better condition. I get the impression this carbine is always hindered by the reputation is obtained when it was first produced in C.W. The author of that thread seems to have shot it with great success. I wonder how many persons who give up on this repro have worked with the alloy and bullet size to get it shooting. I'd rather not have to have it relined, but I will if it needs it.
My bid was 900. I think next will be an original Burnside.

The only bad aspect I've noticed is that the thin-walled cartridges that hold a decent amount of powder seem to swell and stick in the breech, putting the gun out of action until the case is removed. Cases are expensive, so removing them without damage is sometimes tricky. The cases with thicker bases and less capacity do not have this problem.

I resized my thin wall cases and loaded them up, but haven't tried them out yet.

I can see no point whatsoever in relining the already perfectly good bore. Get a custom mould that fits cartridge and bore and have at it!

I had my recently acquired Erma relined to .50 cal by Bob Hoyt and couldn't be more pleased. Very, very accurate. Some guys have elected to have the chamber redone to accept Smith cases but Bob convinced me to stay with the Gallagher case. I roll them on a case lube pad and have had no problems with extraction. I use the Lee .518 360 gr Smith/Maynard bullet sized .517. The mould is custom made for Lodgewood Mfg. 30 gr of Swiss 3F and compressed cornmeal filler shot one big hole at 25 yds.

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Originally Posted by varsity07840

I had my recently acquired Erma relined to .50 cal by Bob Hoyt and couldn't be more pleased. Very, very accurate. Some guys have elected to have the chamber redone to accept Smith cases but Bob convinced me to stay with the Gallagher case. I roll them on a case lube pad and have had no problems with extraction. I use the Lee .518 360 gr Smith/Maynard bullet sized .517. The mould is custom made for Lodgewood Mfg. 30 gr of Swiss 3F and compressed cornmeal filler shot one big hole at 25 yds.

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You not by any chance the guy recently posted in Facebook group about Bob Hoyt? I hear he does a lot of them for N-SSAers.

Also, what was your primary motivation for the reilne job? We're you unable to get it to shoot accurately?

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Originally Posted by DrDucati

You not by any chance the guy recently posted in Facebook group about Bob Hoyt? I hear he does a lot of them for N-SSAers.

Also, what was your primary motivation for the reilne job? We're you unable to get it to shoot accurately?

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I haven't posted about Bob on Facebook but he has done a number of jobs for me over the years and I've never been disappointed.
I was looking for a percussion carbine other than a Sharps(I have a percussion Sharps rifle) and the Erma came along at a very good price. I was considering a repro Smith, but they can have their own issues. My intent from the start was to give it to Bob for a .50 cal reline without messing with it in its original form. Besides being in the wrong caliber, the very fast twist and multi groove rifling have caused headaches for a lot of guys who shoot them. There is also a problem with finding a mould that works well with the brass case. The .54 bullet has to have a narrower heel to fit a case that was intended for a .50 cal bullet. Rapine made one that worked great but some guys have issues with the one currently available from Moose. I gave the carbine to Bob at the Fall Nationals and talked to a number of shooters including Charlie Hahn who said the reline
and Gallagher cases was the way to go. By the way, the Erma is a very well made gun with a solid feel to often missing from other carbines. I'm not knocking the Smith but I'm glad I went with the Gallagher.

I rather the gallager be the correct caliber and work with cases available so I like the idea of relining. My Smith, Evans, and Spencer are originals. Next on my list is to get a Burnside.

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Originally Posted by DrDucati

I rather the gallager be the correct caliber and work with cases available so I like the idea of relining. My Smith, Evans, and Spencer are originals. Next on my list is to get a Burnside.

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I was considering an original Burnside. I do have an original 1863 Sharps carbine converted to .50-70 with a pristine 3 groove barrel. I would assume that the Spencer and Evans are time consuming endeavors.

The Spencer is fun. Easy cartridge reloading. I bought the centerfire breech block from buffalo arms and was easy to swap out. At first I could only do single shots and they weren't feeding. I soon realized the follower screw (centerfire compatible repro follower) protruded and was catching in the stock. Filed it down a little, problem solved.

For the Evans, just waiting on the ch4d die set and I'll be good to go.

And still no pictures?

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Originally Posted by leftiye

And still no pictures?

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Ahhhh, good point. I will have to remedy that soon.

Attachment 193608EvansAttachment 193610Smith
Attachment 193609Spencer

You can't have any idea how envious those make me feel! Nice guns!

I've added an original Burnside to the collection, it's on its way actually. And Gallager shipped to Bob Hoyt to work his magic.

Attachment 195240 Burnside