Dutch Beaumont Rifle

 One of the first bolt action rifles introduced it was designed by Messercht a Dutch designer. Originally it was a single shot designed for the 11.3 X 50 cartridge. It replaced the   Dutch Snider conversion in 69 caliber, which was in service from 1867 to 1871.   The Beaumont was derived from the Chassepot needle rifle, which seemed to inspire other designs of that period as well. One unique feature was that the mainspring is located in the bolt handle rather then in the bolt body. It’s reported that it had durability problems and the bolt handle couldn’t be bent for carbine use which was considered a problem in those days. The spring looks pretty sturdy to me though I haven’t shot mine a few thousand times. The Dutch apparently copied the mainspring from the Mauser Norris rifle. The Japanese Murata Meiji 13 and 18 rifles used the same type of mainspring coming out in 1880 and 1885 respectively. The Dutch also had some rolling block rifles that they used for carbines because the spring being in the bolt handle prevented it from being bent. Such a rifle today would be a collector’s item if in original shape. The sights were set for a maximum range of 1100 paces about 825 yards. The velocity was rated at 1330 feet per second with the military round quite typical of the period. In 1878 the cartridge was changed to the 11 X 52 rated at 1425 feet per second and took a larger diameter case and a 457 diameter bullet. The maximum range for the newer round was about 1425 yards. The older guns were thus rechambered and reissued. In those days the only way to increase power was to make a larger cartridge which the Dutch did. In 1888 it was modified to take a 4 shot single stack magazine and was called the 71/88 Beaumont Vitalli. The Italian Vetterli also used that conversion in some of their later rifles.  The problem with this was it was obsolete before it was instituted. In 1888 many countries already were changing to smokeless powder and smaller calibers. It was replaced in 1895 by a Mannlicher in 6.5 X 53 rimmed, which served until WWll. Like many of those black powder guns it saw action for many years after it was obsolete. Home guards and reserve units had those in stock sometimes past WWll.

 To remove the bolt a screw has to be removed and the bolt comes right out. In that respect it’s similar to other systems of the period. Another similarity to its peers is that it’s not a one piece bolt. Putting the bolt back together is a bit tricky at least for me.

 I had an opportunity to shoot an 11 X 52 rifle that was original with the 32.7” barrel. Like most of the guns of that period it was heavy and unwieldy weighing around 9 lbs. They do have that feeling of being solid, which is one reason I like the older guns so much. Like most of the military rifles of that period it was a quality item. However I sure don’t envy the soldier who had to carry such guns with all the other gear he had to carry.

 Buffalo Arms made the brass from 50-90 cases which worked ok. Bullets used were .458 diameter and were 3 and 400 grain lead bullets.  The called for diameter is .457 so they worked fine. It’s never a bad idea to slug the bore in those old guns as some have oversize bores. For best accuracy the bullet should closely match the bore.  Accuracy at 75 yards was between 2 and 4” depending on load. It shot close to the point of impact even though the sights weren’t my favorite. I don’t know how they managed to hit anything in the heat of battle with those sights. The trigger pull is typical of rifles made during that period meaning that it’s not a target trigger. There were no malfunctions of any kind during the shooting which is pretty normal with these old guns and good ammo. The brass casing in the 1870’s was of much worse quality and most weapon failures can be attributed to the cases.  It just takes a little more effort to make the proper ammo. If the loads were tweaked a little accuracy could possibly improve though better sights would help. The shape of the rifling will also determine how well the piece will shoot. The 50-90 cases were about .025 too small at the base but due to low pressure loads I didn’t have a splitting problem. Bertram makes unformed brass but due to poor quality I lost most of them in forming and did not use them in any tests. I recommend that you stick to black powder type of loads as these guns are around 130 years old and not getting any younger. 

I was using 32 gauge brass and one completely separated at the rim. Luckily the shooter was wearing glasses or he might have suffered a serious injury.  The 32 gauge cases are not strong enough to for into rifle brass according to Mag Tec who imports them from Brazil. Too bad they would have made nice cases. I also had a rupture with a 43 Egyptian using the same cases. 

 The best policy is to use black powder or a substitute such as Pyrodex or Clean Shot as these powders don’t generate excess pressures in the old guns. Generally you just fill the case and slightly compress the powder when seating the bullet. With black powder or a substitute do not leave airspace as it may wreck the rifle. Using 4198 is ok but do not over do it as pressures will raise rapidly causing damage to the gun. Using common sense and good reloading procedures goes a long way in shooting and enjoying these old guns. I have quite a few of these centurions in my collection and have shot all of them with no problems.

 Later on I acquired my own Beaumont rifle from someone who needed some room in his gun cabinet. I eagerly helped him out with that problem. Anyway someone had shortened the barrel and stock. The front sight was gone as well as part of the rear sight. The whole gun was covered with a combination of rust and crud. The old warhorse looked liked it sat around for 50 or 75 years somewhere.  I looked at the rifle project as a challenge rather then a problem. Cursory inspection revealed that all the bolt and firing mechanism were there and the rifling was decent though there was some rust in the barrel and chamber. Date on the side of the barrel indicated that it was made in 1874 and there was no serial number below it as I saw on other specimens. The numbers on top of the receiver are lot numbers as far as I can find out. I took off the wood and started to buff it down and after awhile it started to clean up nicer then I expected. While there was a little pitting it was shallow and sparse. The bolt assembly cleaned up real nice with very little pitting or any other damage.  I used a product called Bore Paste www.uspborepaste.com and it cleaned the gun up quite well. With its power it can be used for hunting big game at short distances if you wanted to lug it around. I may very well take my carbine on a trip as it’s shorter and the sights are a little better then the original. The shorter barrel while losing a little velocity but will be handier to carry and shoot.  I have also acquired an original military that is dated 1877. It is in good shape with a good bore.

 Like all the older military rifles there is just something special about shooting them. They aren’t the fastest shooting nor the most accurate but they can very well be the most interesting to shoot. The way that some of those old rifles were designed was fascinating. You kind of wonder what was going on in their heads when they came up with the odd features incorporated on those oldies. By today’s they were clumsy and inefficient but don’t sell them short.