Loading .500 Tranter

[JD Zincavage]

Anybody ever load this ancient cartridge?

[Sunray]

Hi. Nope, but it's also called .500 Revolver. Full name being .500-24-350. .520"(that you'd have to make) bullet weighing 350 grains with 24 grains of BP. Net search for '.500 Tranter' turns up hordes of sites.
Alleged on another forum that cases can be made out of .500 S&W. Shortening and thinning the rim apparently.
Kind of suspect most revolvers chambered in it will be too valuable to shoot.
Cartridge dimensions are at the bottom here. http://members.shaw.ca/cstein0/revolver.htm

[JD Zincavage]

I recently bought a Warant Model 1870 in that caliber, apparently carried by one C.B. Cook (later principal of a major Pittsburgh high school) while hunting buffalo out west. It apparently needs some work, but I have found a gunsmith who can fix 19th century revolvers, so I was planning to send it off, get it back in proper operating order, and shoot35551 it.

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[JD Zincavage]

Thanks for the useful information. The gunsmith has about a one year backlog, so I have plenty of time to figure out how to load it.

[Sunray]

What are the bore and cylinders like? Might be excessively expensive to fix that if they're heavily rusted.

[JD Zincavage]

I haven't actually received it yet. The revolver is in the mail.

[JD Zincavage]

It came today. The barrel has a little superficial rust, shows wear, but is not hideous. Cylinders look ok. It doesn't work, of course. Quite a large bore on this one. It really is .50 caliber.

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Any idea what "T.A. & C." stands for?

[JD Zincavage]

3557735578

Two more photos.

[Sunray]

Hi. I'm not seeing 'Warrant' anywhere. Might be one of a bazillion revolvers purchased by Brit officers. They had to buy all their kit until W.W. I. Still have to buy their sword.
Not seeing "T.A. & C." anywhere either but it's likely the name of the shop or smithy.
I wonder if the '500' is the S/N. Doesn't look exactly shootable from the picture though.

[Sunray]

Hi. I'm not seeing 'Warrant' anywhere. Might be one of a bazillion revolvers purchased by Brit officers. They had to buy all their kit until W.W. I. Still have to buy their sword.
Not seeing "T.A. & C." anywhere either but it's likely the name of the shop or smithy. Lotta Webley and Tranter revolver in that fella's back ground.
I wonder if the '500' is the S/N.

[JD Zincavage]

There is no makers's name, unless "T.A, & C." is the maker. Warnant Model 1879 is identified here:

http://criminology-museum.uoa.gr/en/museum/collections/13/exhibit/4260?fromCollectionPage=0

http://www.classifiedantiquearmsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/P1030436-1.jpg

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/492088696758882940/

I measured the bore. It is just over.500. The cylinder holds 5 rounds.

These are the only markings, a crown (looks like a British crown proof mark), "T.A. & C." and "500".

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I have not been able to find any "T.A. & C." in Boothroyd's list of British Gunmakers.

[JD Zincavage]

Oh, yes. The very old piece of paper scotch-taped to a piece of cardboard that came with the gun reads:

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"Revolver carried by Professor C.B. Cook, Principal of Allen School, Pittsburgh, for thirty years as a side arm while he was on a buffalo hunting trip during the building of R.R. through the West."

The existence of a C.B. Cook as long-time principal of the Allen School in Pittsburgh is confirmed here: http://tinyurl.com/hkmcw6g

[Sunray]

"Belgian revolver Warnant M-1870." I was searching Warrant. That makes more sense. Searching 'Warnant' turns up a great deal of info. Apparently the Warnant lads were a busy bunch. Still not a shooter though.
"...a British crown proof mark..." Belgian. I'm thinking the T.A. & C might be the American importer and the 500 the calibre vs the S/N.
It'd be one imported Stateside, probably a low cost thing given the pay scale of teachers then. Awfully decent of whoever owned it before to send that scrap of paper. Doesn't increase the value any, but does give provenance.
"...Boothroyd's list of British Gun makers..." Needs to be a list of Belgian makers. There were literally hundreds of small smithy shop operating in and around Liège, Belgium, prior to W.W. I. Most of which went out of business due to bombs and shells falling all over the place.
.500 Tranter dimensions.
Bullet diam. 0.520 - case length 0.87 - rim diam. 0.594 - neck diam. 0.520 - base diam. 0.528

[JD Zincavage]

I think you're right that T.A. & C. could be a US gun shop or sporting goods company. And I think the crown is the Liege proof mark.

C.B. Cook's financial status has to be entirely conjectural. He probably went West as a young man, before becoming an educator. At the Allen School, he created a military drill company, so he may have been serving in the military out West. If so, then he was probably an officer, being an educated man. An officer could buy his own sidearm.

I'm not sure this revolver would actually have been a cheaper choice. Compared to a Colt Peacemaker, it fires a larger cartridge with greater stopping power and has a more sophisticated and convenient loading system.

I am hoping to get it put into working order (I know an appropriate gunsmith), and shoot it.

[Sunray]

"...a cheaper choice..." More about the availability of ammo. .500 Tranter/Webley wouldn't have been common. Mind you, it's rumoured that Custer carried a .500 Tranter.
Warnant, apparently, was a fairly well known Belgian smithy. Rival of Webley.
C.B. Cook may have been a rich guy, but Colts were very high end kit in 1885. Astronomically more compared to others then.
Try Dixie Gunworks for parts. They carry a lot of unusual stuff. Having parts made will cost a fortune. I think you'll have to have a bullet mold made too. Not seeing any .520" bullets anywhere. Try talking to Montana Bullet Works about it. Worse they can do is laugh and hang up.

[JD Zincavage]

The rub is: my gunsmith has a one year waiting list. I have to mail him the revolver and a deposit and sit and wait. You're right, it will require a custom bullet mold. I was just trying to figure out how I'm going to get case rims turned (without buying my own lathe).

[JB White]

I was just trying to figure out how I'm going to get case rims turned (without buying my own lather).

For the 310 Cadet I turned the rims of 32-20's on a drill press. Snug the cases into the chuck by hand as not to crush. Use a fine file on the inside of the rim. With some patience and practice you can get very close on the first try.

[Sunray]

"...one year waiting list..." Hi. Lotta smithies have long waiting times. None or very few of 'em take on apprentices either.
The base diameter of .528" is the biggest issue. Nothing else is even close. An FL dies might do it, but the die will be cu$tom made too.
"...Snug the cases into the chuck by hand as not to crush..." Collet chuck? Mind you, it's not the machines that cost the huge pile of money. It's all the bits and pieces they need to make 'em work.

[deadin]

.
" Collet chuck? Mind you, it's not the machines that cost the huge pile of money. It's all the bits and pieces they need to make 'em work.

Amen to that!! I have a small lathe and mill and would love to go larger but the thought of replacing all of the tooling, chucks, collets, etc. is horrendous.

[bigskybound]

I once had a Bulldog style revolver in that chambering. Never messed with it enough to figure out proper case, etc. Neat piece you have there.