Cap&ball revolver round balls in a rifle?

[Otony]

This idea came up many years ago, before I was ever online, or even before ALGORE invented the internet. Back then I seem to recall that there were some .47 or .48 (?) caliber barrels around that made it possible to use the round balls from a cap & ball revolver? Doing a search for such a barrel via Google and Bing has produced very little help.

The basic idea is that I would like to take the same round balls that I fire in my cap & ball revolvers and patch these to use in a muzzleloading rifle. We are talking either .451 or .454 balls, which when patched would require a barrel cut to fit. I think that would be around a .48, but am not sure as to the exact size (little brain power), nor am I sure as to whether or not such is currently available or not.

Am I barking up the wrong tree here, or is such a barrel available? Or am I even making sense?

[DIRT Farmer]

Some of load to bore size or slightly under so the range in my idea would be 0.005 over ball size. Some of the custom makers most likely make you a barrel, but the expense would be a consideration. Many years ago Dixie Gun Works carried some differant size smouth bores, The one I tried to rifle was a .43.

[stubshaft]

The barrel would have to be an off caliber like a 48 for 454, or a 39 for 375 balls. I use a 457 in my ROA and can load these in my 45/70.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

I have a flint rifle with a custom barrel and a bore of 4585 and can use both .451 and .454 RB in it. A little alloy also varies the ball diameter a little. I have come to use the .451 lead ball as the best overall. It has .006 deep grooves.

I also use a .451 ball in a GRRW barreled rifle, but it is very tight loading, for a range rod only, and requires a good WHACK ! to start.

Further, after checking the bore/groove on a new Uberti Remington C & B , I had the cylinder holes reamed to seal when using a .457 RB . This was neccesary for decent accuracy as the holes were grossly undersized from the barrel.

These are the kinds of things to consider if you want to do more than just pull the trigger. BvT

[northmn]

They used to make a couple of 38 cal rifles to cash in on that idea using 36 C&B ball. Why they do not make a 46 cal barrel I have no idea as I imagine some would prefer it. There were a few attempts at 48 cals but they kind of fizzled. They took ball larger than C&B size and were an attempt to give someone a intermediate betweent he 45 and 50. Not really needed.

DP

[mooman76]

You can take a oversized ball (like maybe 457 in a 45)and cram it down the barrel without a patch but it will take a mallet to start it. I believe they used to do it that way some time ago before they figured out the patch and ball works better. I read an article on it but accuracy suffered some.

[Good Cheer]

Bobby Hoyt has .46, .47 and .48 listed in his reamer diameters.

[Otony]

Bobby Hoyt has .46, .47 and .48 listed in his reamer diameters.

BINGO! We have a winner!

Thank you sir, I will contact him soon. Should have thought of him to begin with, it has been a long time since I last spoke to him.

[Old Ironsights]

Lee REAL bullets (.45 ) work just fine in both ROAs, some 1858s (Uberti) and all .45 muzzlestuffers (H&R comes to mind because I had one). No patch required.