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Forums10
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Mar 28th, 2026
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 875 Likes: 139
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 875 Likes: 139 |
Hello all, Its a Jones underlever black powder express double rifle. Can you tell the caliber of this double rifle by these barrel markings? Is it a 450 bpe or a 500 bpe?  . . .
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,073 Likes: 841
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,073 Likes: 841 |
If 40 is the bore diameter, then a 40 bore is .488" in diameter.
I think I'd just slug the bore and do a chamber cast with Cerrosafe to be certain.
The NRA has proven itself unreliable and corrupt.
Period.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 875 Likes: 139
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 875 Likes: 139 |
Hello keith,
Thanks for the reply.
I'm not in possession of the rifle so I can't do a chamber cast. I'm just trying to determine what caliber it might be. Seems like .488 would be oversize for a 45 cal., and undersized for a 50 cal.
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,073 Likes: 841
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,073 Likes: 841 |
I don't know what diameter bullets are used in the .500 BPE rifles. .006" deep grooves in a .488" bore would put you right at .500" for groove diameter.
But the groove diameter of my .450 BPE rifle is right at .458", and I'm going to try to alter a .452" caliber mold to drop a .452" diameter bullet of about 300 grains that I can paper patch to groove diameter.
EDIT: I see references to either .510" or .512" diameter bullets for .500 BPE. I'm stumped too.
The NRA has proven itself unreliable and corrupt.
Period.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 948 Likes: 2
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 948 Likes: 2 |
As noted above, this would likely be a .500 BPE rifle
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 875 Likes: 139
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 875 Likes: 139 |
I don't know what diameter bullets are used in the .500 BPE rifles. .006" deep grooves in a .488" bore would put you right at .500" for groove diameter.
But the groove diameter of my .450 BPE rifle is right at .458", and I'm going to try to alter a .452" caliber mold to drop a .452" diameter bullet of about 300 grains that I can paper patch to groove diameter.
EDIT: I see references to either .510" or .512" diameter bullets for .500 BPE. I'm stumped too. Hello Keith, Thanks for the reply. When the British marked the "gauge" like this one .. "40" ... was that intended to be the "bore" dia. or the "groove" dia.
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 605 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 605 Likes: 1 |
Bore diameter; based on the size of the plug gauge that the barrel would accept; rifling, of course, is deeper/larger diamter. If Henry rifled, it could be quite a bit deeper.
My .500#2 BPE is proofed at 39
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 12,743
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 12,743 |
Cadet is correct, it's bore diameter. Also, keep in mind this does not indicate an "Exact" bore diameter. It meant that at time of proof the bore would accept a 40 gauge plug of .488" diameter but would not accept a 39 gauge plug of .492" diameter. The actual diameter of bore could have been anywhere in between.
The difference between your bore marked 40 & cadets marked 39 may be no more than a couple of thousandths. Even if they were both to exact size it would only be .004" difference.
Miller/TN
I Didn't Say Everything I Said, Yogi Berra
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 875 Likes: 139
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 875 Likes: 139 |
Cadet is correct, it's bore diameter. Also, keep in mind this does not indicate an "Exact" bore diameter. It meant that at time of proof the bore would accept a 40 gauge plug of .488" diameter but would not accept a 39 gauge plug of .492" diameter. The actual diameter of bore could have been anywhere in between.
The difference between your bore marked 40 & cadets marked 39 may be no more than a couple of thousandths. Even if they were both to exact size it would only be .004" difference. Hello 2-piper, Hello cadet, Thanks for the reply. So its possible that a .510 dia 50 cal bullet would still be a correct fit to function in a barrel stamped "40"? That could account for .011" deep engraving of a bullet. I suppose that would be OK for paper-patch lead bullets, but seems like it would be a little much if using Woodleigh jacketed 50 cal bpe bullets.
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