Special Restrictions Apply Not available for export outside the U.S.A.
Cartridge case, .43 Spanish Remington Rolling Block, unprimed brass, correct caliber headstamp, use large rifle primer. BE AWARE: Not all .43 Spanish chambers are alike. These cases are made to a .521" head diameter, dimensioned from a period Spanish print. These seem to fit the majority of guns we encounter. If you have a Argentine Modello Rolling Block, these cartridges may not fit. Surveys of antique Remington Rolling Block Rifles indicates that Remington cut .43 Spanish chambers to headspace correctly with up to .090" thick rims, despite early period publications indicating thinner rims. Our cases are made with thick rims to fit antique rifles correctly. The .43 Spanish case is an early bottleneck cartridge. Unlike the three die sets required for straight case cartridges, only two loading dies are required. We prefer to use a third die to expand the neck.
We recommend our shell holder designed for .43 Spanish cases with a 0.090" rim. #SHELL-HOLDER-43-SPANISH
Often confused with the similar .43 Spanish Reformado cartridge, these cartridges do not interchange.
Remington Rolling Block Rifles made in Ilion, New York (so marked on the tang) can be found chambered for .43 Spanish (11.15 x 58R) cartridge or for other similar cartridges including the .43 Egyptian, 11mm Danish, .44-77 and other lesser known cartridge designs.
The .43 Spanish (11.15 x 58R) uses a .439" diameter lead bullet.
The .44-77 Remington (aka .44-77 Sharps) uses a .446" diameter lead bullet.
The .43 Spanish Reformado is similar, but original cartridges use a .451" diameter brass jacketed bullet.
The .43 Egyptian uses a .439" bullet, but the rim and head diameter are much larger.
Rolling Block Rifles made in Scandinavian countries, under Remington license, may be rimfire, centerfire, or may have both styles of firing pins. Many variations of European cartridge chamberings exist.
Some antique Remington Rolling Block Rifles in .43 Spanish were re-imported and the importer reamed the chamber to accept a .43 Columbine or other similar military cartridge, since military surplus ammo remained unsold. Others were reamed at the head end, to allow a .348 WCF brass case to chamber. It was popular to fire-form an empty .348 WCF case in a .43 Spanish chamber, after turning the head. Although a bit too short, they worked well.
Not sure which chamber you have? We recommend using our #CERROSAFE low temperature Bismuth alloy, to make a chamber cast. It melts at the temperature of hot water. The work is easy, safe, and will instantly reveal which chamber you have. We note that the dimensions to those shown in Cartridges of the World, shows a smaller head diameter. If you fire the smaller head diameter brass in a larger chamber it will rupture the cartridge case. Cerrosafe can also be used to measure bore and groove diameter, remove stuck cases after head separation, and many other uses.
The .43 Spanish cartridge is essentially identical to the .44-77 except the .43 Spanish uses a .439" bullet, while the .44-77 uses a .446" bullet. Many antique rifles have slightly oversize bores. Use a soft lead bullets which will expand to fit the bore, but may cause lead fouling. Or use a slightly oversize bullet to fill the grooves correctly, for best accuracy. We offer a variety of bullet molds and loading tools.
#CASE-43-SPANISH is our exact copy of the original antique unfired cartridges in our collection. No SAAMI standards exist for this caliber, but a print from the ammunition manufacturer, ELY BROTHERS, LONDON, has survived. The cartridges in our collection have very slightly larger dimensions than those on the print, which may have been specified smaller intentionally, to allow easy chambering in any brand of gun. Our cases are 2-1/4" (2.25") nominal length, with .090" rim thickness, .633" rim diameter, Case mouth thickness is about .008". These cases chamber perfectly in our antique rifles, but your experience may vary. Same day refund if returned, unfired, unmodified, unmolested. If it does not chamber in your rifle, you may have one of many different similar chamberings. Don't force it!
#LEE-DIE-43-SPANISH two die set includes the Lee shell holder, which will NOT accept our new No. CASE-43-SPANISH. The recent research by Dave Gullo, Buffalo Arms, confirms that .090" rim thickness is correct, found on every original antique Remington we have inspected.
#LEE-DIE-45-EX die body for neck expander, has 7/8 - 14 threads. Sold separately, and very useful.
#DIE-43-COMPRESS black powder compression die. Never compress smokeless or artificial black powder substitutes. You can safely compress GOEx, Schuetzen or Swiss brand real black powder. We use our #WAD-450-B thin white card. Tip it into the case mouth to start it, then seat it squarely on the powder using the #LEE-DIE-45-EX die body with #DIE-43-COMPRESS die stem inserted. Compress the card over the powder only as needed to allow the lead bullet to touch the card, when seated to correct depth for easy chambering.
#DIE-439-EXP expander die fits our #LEE-DIE-45-EX die body. This die expands the case mouth to .439", and slightly flares the end about .001" to allow the cast bullet to start easily. The Lyman .439" bullet is a finger press fit, but use the Lee seating die to assure that each bullet is seated to the same depth, exactly.
#SHELL-HOLDER-43-SPANISH is required to reload these cases, and should fit most reloading presses.
#LEE-439-280-6C bullet mold is ideal for the .43 Spanish, and often used for the .43 Mauser, .43 Egyptian, and other similar cartridges that require a .439" bullet. Bullet weight is 381 grains.
#LEE-HANDLE bullet mold handles are required.
#ITEM-10-LEAD one bag of 10 one pound ingots of soft lead. Purchased from a bullet maker's estate sale, these are obviously soft lead, but exact content is unknown to us, probably 99% lead or better.
#LYMAN-HI-439 sizing die (also called an H & I die) is useful, if you use a #LYMAN-LUBER bullet lubricating press. It is common practice to apply the #LUBE-SPG with fingers, and omit the sizing operation. As-cast bullets are often the most accurate, perhaps because they fill the grooves more easily.
#LUBE-SPG black powder bullet lubricant has won more NRA events than any other brand, yet it costs no more.
#LYMAN-CASE-PAD is a large cloth covered felt pad, in a hinged plastic box. New to reloading? Use this simple pad to apply a tiny amount of #LYMAN-CASE-LUBE to the brass case. Turn the mouth into the pad to apply a tiny bit of lubricant inside the case mouth. Never force dry brass into a steel sizing die!
#RAMROD-C-36-10 stainless cleaning rod is our best choice, 36" working length (actually longer when you add the #JB-44-10 brass cleaning jag) with brass muzzle protector - rod guide, and hardwood handle.
#OX-CLEAN-58-C cotton flannel cleaning patches, bag of 100 pieces.
#JB-PASTE removes lead fouling. Every antique Remington Rolling Block Rifle that we have examined had 100 years of accumulated lead fouling in the bore. Removing that fouling restores the bore to best possible accuracy. Apply this JB Bore Paste to a cotton flannel patch, over our brass cleaning jag. Scrub the bore, full length, several times. Black patches are removing lead. Gray patches are clean.
#BOOK-SPG does not mention the .43 Spanish, but the loads for the .44-77 Sharps & Remington are ideal.
