doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Nitro proof?

Is there somewhere in the USA to have a gun nitro proofed? I have a nice old 450 BPE double rifle, rotating lever lock, fluid steel barrels. A friend who was a gunsmith for Purdey looked at it, said he thought it was made around 1875. It is black powder proofed. My friend said that the barrels are solid and the action is strong and tight enough that he believes it would be safe to fire NE rounds.

These firms state they provide proof testing. The usual load would be 1 1/2X the pressure of the load you intend to use.
I have no personal experience so please let us know what you find out.
H.P. White is no longer is business and quite some time ago the cost was $400

Entropy Engineering Corporation
http://www.entropyec.com/


Chesapeake Testing
https://www.elementdefense.com/services


Dayton T. Brown
https://www.dtb.com/

Orent;


There are nitro powder for black powder cartridge loading data available for your .450 BP. A excellent resource is the book SHOOTING THE BRITISH DOUBLE RIFLE, page 219, by Graeme Wright.

Kind regards;
Stephen Howell

Why do you need it nitro proofed? Use a nitro for black load.

Ken

It's in proof for black. There is plenty of proven data for nitro for black loads. I wouldn't risk the gun and waste the time and money.

Re-proofing is a test to possible destruction.

It does not make a gun stronger, but it risks the loss of a fine gun that you own.

Even if it passed nitro proof the twist of the rifling might not be compatible with full nitro express loads.

Use recommended nitro for black loads, or have fun with black powder.

I wouldn't want to shoot NE rounds in a BPE rifle - it's about 2 lbs light in the first place. You'd take quite a beating.
I don't think I'd use NFB loads either in a gun that early (or any BPE rifle, actually) - the barrel material is fairly soft, and the risk of ringing the chambers is too high.
Reproofing is not necessary in this case, and a good way to strain an old gun beyond repair.

I agree with those who say there is no good reason to put this circa 1875 .450 BPE double rifle through the rigors of Nitro Proof.

And if you are contemplating having it reproofed to .450 Nitro Express pressures, then the answer is not jut no, but hell no! The .450 NE operates around 44,000 psi, so the proof load would generate roughly 50% over that, or 66,000 psi. The .450 BPE operates around 23,000 psi.

If it fails proof, you are left with a junk gun and the cost of reproofing. If it survives reproof at those pressures, you will be operating it at pressures and recoil levels that it was not designed to withstand.

Oh yeah, nobody mentioned that there is a good chance it won't regulate with higher velocities and heavier bullets anyway.

I started out using Nitro for Black loads of IMR 4198 with Dacron filler in my .450 BPE rifle that I believe was built in the 1930's. But after I read more and more about the risk of chamber ringing with the NFB loads, I decided to switch to Swiss Black Powder loads. I've been cleaning my flintlock rifles and black powder revolvers for years, so it is no big deal. Like failing reproof, once the chambers bulge or ring, there is no going back.

Thank you, I will begin searching for a copy

This, from the Third Edition of Graeme Wright’s book on loading for British Double Rifles may assist but NO LIABILITY ACCEPTED.