Anyone Cast 54 cal Miniẻ?

[piwo]

Both Lee and Lyman make one, and from what I can tell they are a bit different. I'd like to try a few before splurging on a mold that may or may not work for my slow barrel twist.

If you cast for them, I'll gladly pay for shipping for a few to sample...

I see they make a .533 and a .540.. Either or both.. Just would like to try a few....

[mr mom]

ive got the mold for the lee .54 300 gr. real bullet. and i also have a .54 lyman maxi hunter bullet mold . it makes a 435 gr. bullet.... if you would like to try a few let me know .......

[Michael in NH]

Another mould you might consider is the .54 Improved Pickett, from Northeast Trade Co. The 2-cavity mould casts .540 and the 6-cavity gang mould casts .539. It's a compression design, so no core pin. Fast to cast, and very accurate in my 8-groove repro Mississippi rifle. Depending on what kind of rifle you're shooting, you might like it.

Northeast Trade Co. also does a .54 minie (Gardner), and Rapine does a .534 minie that I've been pretty happy with.

[obssd1958]

piwo,

Send me a PM with your address, and I'll send you some "projectiles" to try out. I have both of the Lee .54 cal REALs - 300 and 380 gr. I also have a T/C Maxi Ball mold for .54. Haven't poured any in it yet, so I don't know what the weight is, but I'd be happy to send you some to experiment with!!:Fire:

The 380gr worked for me!:-D

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m9/obssd1958/shooting/100_3559.jpg

Don

[piwo]

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions fella’s.

I have REAL in 300 grain (haven’t shot it yet), but none of the other. I’m not confident I will get good results out of the solid base bullets, but as with everything with these firearms, you never know till you try, which is at the heart of my request. Here’s the reason for my trepidations:

I re-slugged the barrel of my .54 Flint (1-66 Colerain barrel) and the results were disappointing in the least. I found that it’s practically “chocked”: The first two inches of barrel are tight as can be, and the other 41 inches of barrel it just slides down as simple as you please. This does not sound like a prescription for accuracy. The tightest dimension in my barrel (the only thing you can actually get slugging the barrel) has .54 land to land, and some varying groove to groove measurements, that go anywhere from .565 - .575. Since that’s the “tightest” measurement, I shudder to think how much barrel needs to be filled out at the back end, and then get squeezed hard in the last two inches. Unless the taper is perfect of course, it will tend to send a projectile on an erratic trajectory. I hoped that a card wad and felt wad might help seal the gasses some as the widest measurement from my 300gr. REAL measures .556. The darn things may shoot fine, but everything says they won’t (which is why they probably will). This is why I hold out some hope that the minie might work for me since it at least has the opportunity to seal. We’ll see I suppose.

I found the North East Trading Co web site, but couldn’t find any way to look at their molds or accessories. Rapine remains an option, but ain’t they damn proud of their molds! My application will be strictly for hunting, so I am going to limit my search for conicals for that application as I did see a minie that was for “target” purposes. Would that Improved Picket be more a target or hunting round?

I’ll pop you fellas a PM and if you’re interested in sharing, I’ll drop some shipping money in the mail. The maxi hunter is one I definately want to try, as well as those 380 REAL's.

Any other hollow base minie casters out there?? Anyone tried paper patching a minie? I ran across this website which discusses it, and has a video clip of the guy wrapping his patch. Others have asked about this before, but not for hollow base boolits..

http://members.shaw.ca/bobschewe/

obss1958, nicely done! THat's one serious pill with great result!:mrgreen:

[Buckshot]

..............I'll bet those slugs will work great in your 'Choked' barrel! I have a P58 Naval Pattern 58 cal Enfield. It has progressive depth grooves and I was really concerned about how it would shoot the Lee REAL. At the muzzle the grooves are .005" deep and at the breech they're .013" deep. As you know it's a flat base slug and my concern was if it would upset into the 5 deep grooves (the bore is a steady .580") as that's actually .606" groove to groove. No worries! Even with a light 40.0/3Fg target load they shoot extremely well.

.......................Buckshot

[Michael in NH]

Piwo,

PM me your address, and I'll send you some of everything I have. I just got the .54 Gardner, and I've been looking for an excuse to cast some up.

Michael

[mr mom]

i'll make a few up today for you .... nothing else to do , the kids say there is some kind of game on and my shows arnt on????

[Dale53]

piwo;
Actually, a choked bore is desirable. If the tight spot was at the bottom of the barrel instead of at the muzzle, you would be in terrible trouble.

Once you get the projectile past the choked muzzle, it is then easy to push it down to the powder. That is desirable.

Dale53

[Mugs]

TC lists their 54 maxi-ball at 400 grs. I tried some in my Renegade with their top listed load of 120 grs. of FFG. Not to much fun to stand behind.
Mugs

[C1PNR]

I'm with Mugs! I used to shoot my 54 Renegade with custom (steel crescent butt plate) stock with the Lyman 410 grain Minié and 120 grains of FFg.

Very accurate out to well over 100 yards, but NO JOY to touch it off!:roll: I finally backed off to 110 grains and it was still accurate, but I was also able to enjoy shooting 2 or 3 in a 20 minute period.:coffee:

[piwo]

I went to the range today besides stating in my earlier post that I would not:drinks: . The mercury climebed from 7 to the low 20's, wife went shopping, and I hit the range. It was indeed a mixed bag, but better then I might have anticipated, just as some of you have speculated. First the loading: I used a card wad and a felt wad with each loading (save for one), the felt wad being lubed. It was difficult to load those first two inches of barrel, neigh impossible without the rubber hammer. After pounding it with the rubber hammer flush to the crown, I needed the short ball starter and had to hammer it the first two inches... then, as Dale and Buckshot mention, you could push it in with your pinky finger it opened up so quick.

I shot through the chronograph as well. With 70 grains FFFg, I got 1,350 fps, and at 50 yards, it hit to the point of aim. Couple of shots, nice group, I upped it to 90 grains. This put fps to @1,500 fps and still hitting to the point of aim at 50 yards. It VERY windy, gusts over over 35mph...

So with this bolt of confidence, I moved to 100 yards at 90 grains fffg: four shots, I hit paper once:shock: The only time I hit paper it was about 4 inches below POA, and 16 inches to the right(wind direction as well). I sincerely doubt it was all wind drift, but it was disheartening...:(

Went back to 50 yards, moved to 100gr FFFg, and got 1600 fps average, with shots hitting POA. Ran out of lubed bullets before I could shoot a group and my right hand was FROZEN from the reloading. With 90 grains, I had about 5 shots that could be covered up by a medium tomato, so I had some reason to feel good. At 100, I just don't know. Maybe the wind, maybe an unstable bullet gone wild... who knows... But I'll have to go back and try another day when atmospheric conditions are conducive to experimentation.

Some PM's being sent to take you guys up on your generous offers... and the hunt continues. I think I need to tweak my lube mix as well: in the cold weather, that beeswax hardened fast after firing.. All in all, cold, windy, but pretty enjoyable.

PS: MUGS, C1PNR, I agree about the recoil I've been shooting between 130-150 grains fffg with the 54 roundball, and the recoil on that was getting to be an issue. I've got that TMJ jaw issue, and the jolt was getting me if I shot more then just a few!

[Buckshot]

...........Piwo, the difference between 50 and 100 'could' be instability showing up, but I doubt it with a 66" twist and that 300gr REAL. I would place much more credence on the possibility of the accuracy being hammered out of it (if you'll forgive me for saying so :-)). It is very important that the slug be aligned straight with the axis of the bore atop the charge. If it's tipped, then chances are excellent it will be so all the way back out at ignition.

The ramrod tip should be a close fit to the bore, and it should closely mimic the nose of the slug. This is so the slug may be seated as straight as possible. Another thing about the REAL is that the 2 lower bands are made undersized to begin with. You might just do better with a HB in your rifle. When you get some, an experiment you can also run is to try out a base plug. If you can scrounge up some golf tees they may just fit. Clip the end off and use it as a base plug.

The one enduring positive to the lowly patched round ball is that it is ALWAYS point forward! An elongated slug doesn't share that luxury. However I have seen guys beat on a RB after it's seated. Whay I don't know, unless they're trying to put a flat nose on it, HA!

.................Buckshot

[piwo]

...........Piwo, the difference between 50 and 100 'could' be instability showing up, but I doubt it with a 66" twist and that 300gr REAL. I would place much more credence on the possibility of the accuracy being hammered out of it (if you'll forgive me for saying so :-)).


LOL - that thought while pounding with a rubber hammer was formost in my head: This can't be good!:-D



The ramrod tip should be a close fit to the bore, and it should closely mimic the nose of the slug. This is so the slug may be seated as straight as possible. Another thing about the REAL is that the 2 lower bands are made undersized to begin with.

Well, not with this REAL. It was too tight from the very first band. The first whack it started to seat (crooked of course), and the 2nd whack it straightened itself out (actually rather amazing). But it still took another two judicious whacks with the rubber hammer to get it to seat all the way into the barrel. Then some whacks hammering in the short starter with the rubber hammer. So, lots of accuracy could be hammered out there! :(



You might just do better with a HB in your rifle. When you get some, an experiment you can also run is to try out a base plug. If you can scrounge up some golf tees they may just fit. Clip the end off and use it as a base plug.

That's exactly what I had in mind when I started the thread, but without any hard data to go on. I did like the way it shot at 50, but I certainly need more yards then that. The link I posted in a previous post on this thread showed a guy who was paper patching .533 hb minie's, also filling up the hollow base with melted wax/crisco lube. I guess he was doing exactly what you were saying, filling up the base when it hardened. Why is this desirable: I can't see how the lube would be greasing anything, but you recommend filling the cavity up as well? Tell me more! This guy also eliminates the problem I have by using a slightly undersized minie, then paper patching it to the size where it will enter the barrel without hammering. When the big bang happens, it fills out, seals, and everyone goes away happy (in theory).. I can follow his rationale after my experiences, but still intend to "try" as many different options as I can. Only need one to shoot the way I want!



I don't know, unless they're trying to put a flat nose on it, HA!


I couldn't understand that either. If you have a firearm in one hand, and are hammering on any part of it with the other, I'd think there is something "askew"....:-D

[leftiye]

I don't have any experience with a choked bore, but I have to say that it concerns me. If you can get the breech plug off, you could slug the back end (drive it in from the rear, then push it back out with a rod). Then push another slug all the way through from rear to front to get the muzzle measurement. If it is grossly bigger at the rear, you might be in for a lot of fun getting it to shoot well, (though your targets sound promising).

Patching with paper or teflon tape might well solve some of this problem, and has the added benefits of reducing leading, and reducing fouling deformation of the boolit. I do think the minie' may well be your best bet. It was designed to work in the slow 66" twist, and will upset to fill the bore/ grooves. Whether it remains straight on while obturating is another question (the tape will help there too). You may have to use one of the thin skirted minie's, and keep pressures down before this approach suceeds if the expansion required happens correctly. Early minies were made to go with 60 grs of probably FFg. Too much "blows their skirts up". Good Luck

[piwo]

I don't have any experience with a choked bore, but I have to say that it concerns me. If you can get the breech plug off, you could slug the back end (drive it in from the rear, then push it back out with a rod). Then push another slug all the way through from rear to front to get the muzzle measurement. If it is grossly bigger at the rear, you might be in for a lot of fun getting it to shoot well, (though your targets sound promising).

Patching with paper or teflon tape might well solve some of this problem, and has the added benefits of reducing leading, and reducing fouling deformation of the boolit. I do think the minie' may well be your best bet. It was designed to work in the slow 66" twist, and will upset to fill the bore/ grooves. Whether it remains straight on while obturating is another question (the tape will help there too). You may have to use one of the thin skirted minie's, and keep pressures down before this approach suceeds if the expansion required happens correctly. Early minies were made to go with 60 grs of probably FFg. Too much "blows their skirts up". Good Luck

Well, it should be an adventure. I'm going to call a barrel maker tomorrow and see if he can tell me if the narrowing dimensions of the barrel are the norm with BP (1-66) roundball barrels. It's possible it is. Heck, if it didn't do that, I'd have never got the sucker loaded even once!

I'll not take the breech plug out on this rifle as it's been there for 10 years, and lots of firing. I could be introducing issues I don't want by doing so. I'll try a few other bullets that some others have recommended, and hopefully try a few minie's. My Thought was a little different then yours on what account: I'd think a thick skirt with 100 grains of powder would be nice!

I'm wondering about lube consistency. I guess I'm not sure why lube would not work in the cold, but since mine is beeswax based with only about 35% olive oil I'm wondering about that. I read on a different thread about a guy who couldn't get his bullet stable in the cold till he switched lubes. Perhaps this might have contributed to the dismal results out at 100 yds?

I've much to learn, and mistakes to make, and like everyone else in these endeavors, feel compelled to spill their guts every time they succeed, or mess up badly

! :-D