doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Double Rifles, Paradox Guns & Gauge Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Arietta SXS Cal.??????

I have obtained a beautiful Arietta 28 gauge SXS with a bulged barrel. I intend to remove the bulge. and use it for the basis of a double rifle By making custom inner barrels. And I do realize the regulating problem. Would any of you have knowledge of these guns And could possibly suggest a cal based on it being in 28 gauge sized receiver etc. Please bear in mind I know very little about shotguns.so any help appreciated. Whitey
PS you may email me also at. whanson@plainstel.com

I would also consider a cape gun conversion, leaving the good 28g barrel as is.
With kind regards,
Jani

I would be pretty careful about doing this. Recent article in DGJ highlighted that whilst a double shotgun action and double rifle actions look very similar, a double rifle action is working to much higher pressures and will thus have much thicker sidewalls, longer water table etc. My advice would be to get the bulge sorted and to then enjoy it as a 28 bore shotgun.

Thanks I do understand the pressure situation and the regulating problems. The pressure situation is why. I am hunting for suggestions. As I know nothing about This Brand I was hoping to find someone who had knowledge of the Arietta.
Further as I am not a bird hunter leaving it a shotgun does not interest me. BUT as a conversion project. I am very interested.Whitey

450 3&1/4" BPE.....perfect for anything in North America and a classic round with components readily available.
Steve

Arietta make good quality shotguns and are on a par with AYA, which again are nice good reliable and long lasting shotguns.

IMO the 28 ga frame is too small for the 450 BPE. Minimum of a 16 ga donor.

If you were to say a NE .450 I might agree(but think 20ga to be more proper in scale), but a bpe .450 should be just fine.

Would a 32-40 work in the 28 ga. Whitey

sure it would....and it would be nice too!

Whitey,

With 32-40 you will get good sectional density. You can keep the psi below 20,000. It sounds like a good choice. The cape gun idea is very sound. It would make a nice combination.

Some of the "early" Spanish guns had a reputation for soft parts. I do not know if Arrieta shared this fault. The current Arrieta's are very nice guns.

Pete

Also consider the 38-55.

Pete it is a late model. All engraved with a cased action etc. the previous guy paid 5 grand for it new and except for the bulge it is still like new.Beautiful gun. So I would like to do something real nice and practical. Whitey

Not sure if you plan to cut the barrels off to make a mono block or just insert liners.(mono block will give the best result) but in any case your biggest problem will be the small ID on a 28ga barrel, the largest dia. at the chamber that you have to work with will be about 5/8". 22 hornet would be cool, at most 30-30 size case.

I believe I would contact Arrietta to ask these questions. Don't you recon Arrietta would have better knowledge of the subject than the members of this board?

Aside from that, let me say that most Continental double rifles chambered up to 9.3x74R are built on frames the same size as a 28ga. shotty. Notice I say "the same size" because they use frames originally intended for rifles and not shottys. The practice of converting a shotty to a rifle is questionable at best.

Here are a couple photos of my Francotte SLE chambered in 9x57R. It's built on a 28ga. size frame.






Curl

CptCurt beautiful rifle. And I have been told bu some.That some manufactures use the same basic actions for rifles as are used in the DR's Withe exception of firing pins etc. And of course considering the Cal.And what ever I end up with will not be a high pressure cal.

The problem is not the size of your action, the barrels on your nice looking Francotte are not built on a monoblock they are either braised together with the underlugs or made with chopper lumps.
When you use the shotgun barrels for a mono block you must turn down the rifle barrels small enough to fit inside the mono block (same thing if you are putting inserts in the shotgun tubes).
The wall thickness of the barrel or liner is very thin after you chamber the barrel.

Dales,

I acknowledge what you say.

I am neither an engineer nor a gunsmith. I do not advocate conversions of shotguns and will be quick to point out dangers, both physical and legal.

I was simply pointing out that the 28ga. size frame is prevalent in Continental DR's.

I will also point out that there is a lot of discussion of using shoe lump barrels for DR conversions if you follow NitroExpress forums. Monoblock is not the only technique.

But your point is well taken and stands as another caution concerning the safety of these conversions. I make this statement not to disagree but to make clear I'm not endorsing the use of this man's Arrietta for such a conversion.

Best,
Curl

P.S. The Francotte has dovetail lumps.

A followup:

There currently is a discussion of the relatively new 6x70R cartridge on NitroExpress.



I know nothing of this cartridge and first learned of it on that thread

http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=150032&an=0&page=0#Post150032

This might be a candidate. Again, I'm not advocating for a conversion. My advice still is to get Arrietta's opinion.

Curl

Fellows I appreciate any information even negative. But let's be real.Nobody is proposing building 300 Mag on a 28 ga frame.But I am sure there is lots of Cal that fall withing the pressure range of a aporate shotgun frame.Even if it is 22LR. If you should come up with a cal I like and need a heaver action I have those also 28,20,16 and 12 gauge. So I have donors.
And not to be argumentative but to those who have sent me private emails telling me it is a crime to do this to a 5 grand gun with a bulged barrel. That I should have it repaired no matter the cost and leave it a shotgun. Or telling me to use a cheap shotgun I do appericate the advice on how to spend my money but in the end it is my money.Smile Whitey email whanson@plainstel.com

Thanks again for all the information and advice. And have decided I want a 32-40 and sa I have a 20 ga SKB and a 16 ga Robust I will use one of those and save the Arietta for maybe a 22LR. But thanks again Whitey

Blimey, .450NE in a 28 guage, you are way out of court INMHO !! I'll never pull the trigger on that one.
best, Mike

Mike I don't think I said anything about a 450NE. I did say maybe a 32-40. Whitey

Whitey, on my first trip to this forum I see you are at it again with a tricky project. My take on your proposal is that a 32-40 on a 28 ga. Arrieta frame is perfectly feasible if you keep the pressures at BP levels - be aware that the US ammo manufacturers some years back had hot smokeless loads for .32-40 that were right on the heels of the .32 Winchester Special and .30-30, you would not want to use the equivalent of those. I think they are still in some of the loading manuals. But IMO after you spend a lot of time/and/or/$$$ you are going to end up with a gun that is less much less valuable than if you repaired it as a shotgun. Even if you sent it back to Spain for new barrels. No matter how well the work is done the market will consider it a bit of an abortion. I have seen several shotgun conversions at gun shows in the last few years and they don't sell for anything near what has gone into them

Whitey, on my first trip to this forum I see you are at it again with a tricky project. My take on your proposal is that a 32-40 on a 28 ga. Arrieta frame is perfectly feasible if you keep the pressures at BP levels - be aware that the US ammo manufacturers some years back had hot smokeless loads for .32-40 that were right on the heels of the .32 Winchester Special and .30-30, you would not want to use the equivalent of those. I think they are still in some of the loading manuals. But IMO after you spend a lot of time/and/or/$$$ you are going to end up with a gun that is less much less valuable than if you repaired it as a shotgun. Even if you sent it back to Spain for new barrels. No matter how well the work is done the market will consider it a bit of an abortion. I have seen several shotgun conversions at gun shows in the last few years and they don't sell for anything near what has gone into them

Mike thanks again. And I have decided to go to a heavier frame 20 or 16 gauge for the 32-40. And save the Arrieta for a different project. As I have no use for shotgun to hunt with. I will convert it to something later maybe even a 22LR. And at 73 I am not worried about what it's worth just the fun of doing something interesting. But again Mike thanks Whitey