Another Dumb Question

[mtmeredith]

I am starting to cast for .50 and .54 black powder. The melting stuff is almost all here and I'll get started melting scrap soon. I was looking at minnie/maxie balls and perhaps getting a resizer/luber. I can't find a top punch larger than .50 which suggests that resizing for the larger black powder bullets isn't normally done. Why? Do smokless powder rounds require tighter specs than black powder? Does one normally lube a minnie ball with the MK I finger?

Thanks

[montana_charlie]

I am starting to cast for .50 and .54 black powder. I was looking at minnie/maxie balls and perhaps getting a resizer/luber.
Minnie balls are slightly undersize when they drop from the mould. They are designed to obturate the bore instantly when hit by the pressure wave of the black powder burning.

Maxi-balls are at bore diameter except for the slightly larger leading driving band, which gets engraved upon insertion into the barrel.
When fired, the entire bullet shortens and fattens to engage the rifling over the entire length.
To run this bullet through a sizing die would upset the delicately balanced dimensions.

Lubrisizers are not used for muzzleloader bullets because those bullets are typically 'greased' ... not 'lubed'.
That is ... they are smeared with a lubricant of Crisco-like consistency, not a semi-solid like the beeswax-based bullet lubes used in cartridge arms.


Do smokless powder rounds require tighter specs than black powder?
Because a given smokless powder may build pressure gradually, some gas cutting can occur before pressure rises enough to make a bullet obturate the bore. Therefore, bullets fired with smokless powder need to be at least equal to, and preferably bigger than, groove diameter prior to being fired.

CM

[MBTcustom]

Montana said it pretty well. I would also add, that in order to achieve this "obturating" action on the mini, and the engraving action on the Maxi, it is necessary to use pure, or almost pure, soft lead. I can tell ya that its a real bear to get a Maxi-ball down the bore if its cast out of WW material!

[mtmeredith]

Thanks Guys,

This helps a lot. I have a local guy who salvages lead shielding from radilogical medical stuff. Its as pure as it gets.