Lee Improved Minie, 350 gr .500"

[soldierbilly1]

It certainly seems like everyone likes the PRB's and the Maxiballs in the 50 cal ML's.

Just for fun, I bought the Lee mold for the Improv'd Mini. My Deerstalker shoots the Maxi's pretty well using BP, but, you know how it is, we are always looking for better.

I poured a few and they look great, actually, pretty imposing. The skirt is cool, BTW, what is or was improved on this guy? Is this a thick or thin skirt? Any recommendation as to a starting load?

I wanted to try this boolit as I wanted something that I could load quickly in the woods without much fuss. I don't like bangin boolits down the barrel.

Did I make a mistake?

If it stops snowing, I will go the range and let you all know how she worked.
thanks for the help!
Billy boy

[krag35]

I recently bought a Lee Improved Minne for my T/C Renegade in 58 cal. I hope to cast some up and try it out soon. It does not like any of the Lyman variations, nor the Lee target or traditional designs. Keep us informed.

[mooman76]

I tried the Lee improved minie in 50 cal. You will probably still have to pound it down the barrel. Unless your barrel is a little larger or you size the minie down a tad. The first one went down not too bad but after a fouling shot it would go down pretty tight. It didn't shoot that great for me either but not real bad either. Good enough for minute of deer.

I shot the .575 Lee minie, not the improved but the copy of an original in my Investarms 58 Hawken and it loaded and shot well. Nothing to brag about but good enough for deer which is what I got it for anyway. Elk or Deer.

[fouronesix]

I've tried a couple of the Lee Improved Miniés in 48" and 72" twist guns. The design looks good but for whatever reason they don't shoot very well- for me. They have what looks like medium skirt thickness so should expand well under pressure and be able to handle reasonable charges- maybe 1 gr per caliber plus a little more.

You'll find out soon enough whether or not you need to use a short starter. The best bet is to cast of very soft to nearly pure lead, use soft lube and start with maybe 40-50 grs of FF or FFF BP. You may need to swab between shots if fouling causes problems with ramming the bullet down to the powder.

If the Lee Improved shoots well in your gun but is a little unhandy for loading- might be worth it to get a .498-9" push through type sizer for easier loading.

Another problem is there aren't many sources or options for 50 cal Minié molds. The only other readily available mold is the Adjustable RCBS.

[Maven]

Didn't work for me either in a 1:20 twist bbl. as the LIM's diameter was too small for my bbl. Paper patching helped, but it wasn't nearly as accurate as a T/C .50cal. Maxi-Ball or a .490" patched RB @ 50 yd. Btw, filling the hollow base with lube, as some have recommended, markedly shift the LIM's impact.