[larryhoosier]

…and this is what they came up with! The m1867 Belgian Albini-Braendlin rifle.

The term "sweet" doesn't even come close to describing this rifle. It all matches except the clearing rod and bayonet, but it has both! It has a pristine bore and shoots fantastically. I loaded up some 'soft" loads (18 gn IMR SR4759) using 45/70 brass and a .446" PP lead bullet (43 Mauser) , chrony'd at 1050 fps but shot to point of aim @ 50 yds. The base of 45/70 is slightly small (around .500" for 45/70, my chamber cast was .522") but extracted nicely after firing. I have read so many differing accounts of Albini chambers that shooting it was somewhat 'dicey". I have some 50/90 sharps brass which I will attempt to get a better case fit when time allows.

 

[ebeeby]

Suh-weet indeed.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[NY50/70]

Very nice. thanks for the pictures.
Certainly has been well cared for.

 

[Rick N.]

Very cool !!!! Where did you find it ?

 

[Nick]

Sweet indeed. Here is mine - with an original cartridge:

 

[Nick]

And here is another story about an American, an Austrian and a Belgian who walked into a bar together:

 

[jp]

Perhaps a rework?

I noticed that Larryhoosier's Albini has a round barrel breech where it joins the receiver; compare it to Nick's pic which shows a half octagon knoxform on the breech end. My own Albini has the round barrel and bears the commercial ELG Belgian proofs, most likely it was reworked surplus for sale to South America after having the barrel set back and rechambered in 11mm Mauser.. The first pic shows my Albini and a Terssen to illustrate the barrel differences. The second pic shows the commercial proofmarks, including a Werndl that is another surplused item rechambered in 11mm Mauser.
Both the Terssen and Werndl are extremely accurate shooters, but I have not tried the rechambered Albini since the bullet diameter is so undersized for this barrel and I am afraid of disappointment...

 

[cyten]

great looking guns guys!

Are you sure they were rechambered to .43 Mauser and not .43 Spanish? seems like a more practical cartridge in that part of the world

 

[G. A-R-West]

A continuation of a theme

A couple more Belgian and an Austrian.

The Albini-Braendlin Mle. 1853-1867. M/80 and Mousqueton de Gendarmerie Mle. 1873 are both accurate but hard on cases.

The Austrian Jagerstutzen is in rim-fire.

G and L A-R-West

 

[jp]

great looking guns guys!

Are you sure they were rechambered to .43 Mauser and not .43 Spanish? seems like a more practical cartridge in that part of the world

In my case the caliber was confirmed with chamber casts, plus 43 Spanish won't fit......tried it.
Remember that many surplus M71 and 71/84 Mausers were also sold south, so it was a common caliber in South America in the late 1800s.

You have some beautiful items, G. A-R West!!

 

[larryhoosier]

I think that jp is maybe correct! I hadn't even considered 43 Mauser but after casting the chamber I knew mine was different than what I had expected to find based upon my internet research. 43 Mauser brass chambers readily and my 45/70 cases essentially fire formed into the same! I'm glad to have access to such knowledgable fellows to lean on before my "hillbilly" gun smithing gets me into trouble! :thumbsup: I do have a question about date of manufacture. Since there is no date stamping on the metal is the stock cartouche date of 1867 meaningful?

 

[jp]

The round "CC 59" stamp on the lockplate dates your piece to 1859 when it began life as a muzzle loader. The 1867 cartouche would be the date of conversion to breechloader.... I think. 90% probability.... Since most firearms of this period were hand fitted I doubt if they mixed and matched parts if they could avoid it

 

[jp]

As a ps, I recommend this site for further info on the old black powder breechloaders:
http://www.militaryrifles.com/MAINIndx.htm

 

[cyten]

Cool to know! I had read somewhere about some SA nations that acquired mannlichers & werndls just used old stocks of .43 Spanish ammo in them

 

[DocAV]

Actually, Albini ( Italian Naval Officer) developed the Trapdoor for converting English Patt.1853/58 Italian Navy Muskets to breechloading the .577 cartridge.; The Belgians adopted the Idea for converting their Muskets to a smaller (11mm ) Cartridge, and Braendlin Armoury in Britain made some in .577 for the South Australian Colonial Govt. in 1870s (New Made). The .577 SA models were eventually sold off as surplus in the 1950s, still unfired (Most of them). A trivia point...when the BA .577 rifles arrived in SA (Adelaide) a sample was sent to the SA Govt. Railways Workshops Laboratory, for testing and analysis of the Steel. They met all specifications.

It is unknown if Braendlin Armoury made Albinis for other countries as well. The History of the Enfield Albini Conversions in the Italian Navy is little known, as in 1870, the Vetterli was adopted for the entire Kingdom of Italy; probably any Italian Albinis were then surplussed. ( Italy didn't yet have any "Colonies" in 1870.).

Doc AV

 

[G. A-R-West]

Albini-Braendlin

An extract from our work on the Albini-Braendlin regarding other countries using the system:-

France
After the defeat of the French at Sedan at the beginning of September 1870, the newly formed government, Défense Nationale replaced the Imperial regime, decided the continuation of guerre à outrance. Desperate for arms looked abroad, and in October 1870, France managed to obtain the first consignment of 762 Albini-Braendlins - the first of many. These rifles were of the ‘British type’ Albini-Braendlin, manufactured in Belgium 1870,21 using ex-muzzle-loading .577” calibre Enfield barrels from long and short rifles.

Rifles were shared between 17e army corps22; 15e military Division23 in western France, and how these arms were received by the soldiers has yet to come to light. Undoubtedly they would have been pitted against the Dreyse and efficient Bavarian M/69 (Werder) Blittzgewehre.

An example examined has a barrel length of 760 mm (possibly Pattern 1860 barrel) with 5-groove rifling and Birmingham proof marks, inscribed ‘WG’ and an overall length of 1,230 mm. Supplied with Imperial sight graduations to a maximum of 900 yards, and a bayonet bar fitted on the right side for the ‘Pattern 1860 sabre-bayonet’. The right side of the stock is stamped with the ‘Perron’ and ‘LIEGE’. The mechanical fitting of parts is mediocre, the breech is poorly made and the stock is composite, joined in front of the lock.

G and L A-R-West

 

[4ndy]

I have one of these , not shot it yet . Will be trying 50/90 , looks like they need cutting to length then fire forming