New to MZL loading, Do i need to lube A min i ball ?

[BACKTOSHOOTING]

Only been muzzle loading for a few weeks and only with round balls.

Elk season has been open for 3 weeks now and I have not been at ease with the 175gn round ball so i picked up a Lee mini ball mold that cast .500 and 378gn for more of an impact.

So my question is do I need to lube them and also size them ?

Useing 110 gn of 2ff in a traditions 50 cal.

Thanks in advance, Steve

[triggerhappy243]

any bare naked lead boolit must have a lube. it is what prevents lead from sticking to the bore, also makes loading it a breeze. mini-balls are designed to shoot as cast........ unless you want to try paper patch. Just a note, I have a friend who used to hunt elk with a 50 cal. T/C hawken rifle. All he ever used was patched round ball. SHOT PLACEMENT MATTERS.

[Geezer in NH]

Make ULTRA sure the mini cannot move off the powder. Some will slide out when you lower eh muzzle. A mini that has moved 10 inches will cause serious problems.

[mooman76]

What the others said. The Lee minie is usually pretty tight though. Tighter than it should be. It should ne .001-.002 under bore size. The lube doesn't need to be elaborate. You can use what you use for patches(as long as it isn't spit). Crisco can be used, just wipe a little on. Make sure you get out and practice and make sure they shoot good.

[OnHoPr]

You are probably flooding with data and opinion being a newb to the mzldr. Bottom line the PRB is a KILLER with in its realm. If the range starts getting a little fur, the wind is starting to kick up, and the (maybe larger) game animal is only providing you with a half **** raking shot the second from the last day of season then one of the conical style boolits will give you a bit better edge when you might only get a tag every 4 years. At this time if you are in a expedited mode put whatever lube you got on it and go to the range. Different lubes may provide a bit more accuracy if you have testing time, powders as well, and loading technique. Depending on cal and twist will make a big difference. That should be mentioned in your post. Maybe play with powder weights the 70 to 80 gr range, maybe mid 60's, but if the gun shoots accurate with more, go for it.

[jaegerstutzen]

Back tom OnHo has some valid points. Your rifle may not shoot well with minies regardless of load if it does not like the rate of twist, Minie should be sized one or two thousands under land size, unless you mould throws them that way to begin with. I think your max powder charge will be determined by when the skirt of the minie starts to blow out. I use 45 gr FF behind a 510 gr. 58 cal minie sized to .577. An accurate load which is what I am looking for. My rate of twist is 1/48. Good luck and let us know how this works out, Jaeger.

[BACKTOSHOOTING]

Thanks for all the info,
I have some bens red to lube with but no sizer yet. How do you lube a mini in the sizer with a conacal base without damaging it ? Nose first ?

I think the twist is 1-68 but not sure, I will check for that tonight.

And how do you check for a blown out base on a fired one ?

I see i have a lot to learn on these, Steve

[Buckshot Bill]

You don't size them...generally.

[OnHoPr]

Duh, 175 gr ball, must be a 50 cal. Just smear it on in the grooves. If you want if you have time, you can put them in a lube cake and push them out or make a cutter. Don't size them unless you want to PP them, let the bore engrave the boolit from start to seat. If it is a 1 - 66 keep the charges on the lower side to start to see if you can get some form of group. The PBR might be the one to go with, though or a ballet. Just for the heck of it while you are scrambling around before you go to the range, sometimes conicals shoot better with a wad under them whether what form for your gun (??). You may want to try a 1 or 2 to 8 or 9 WW to Pb in the mini just for the heck of it, but don't let it get much harder or you won't be able to start it. If it is a 1:48 or faster you should be fine. I have heard of the Lee short REALs doing half way decent in the slow twist. The hollow base should help.

[bedbugbilly]

BP requires a BP lube . . . different that what is used with smokeless cartridge. The purpose of BP lube is to keep the fouling soft. For rifled musket minie balls - i.e. 58 cal. Lyman/Ideal 575-213 - a dab of Crisco in the base works great and has been used by many for years - that's all I used for shooting N-SSA.

You, evidently, are talking a .50 cal? Are you referring to a REAL design? Regardless . . . use a BP lube and not something intended for smokeless cartridge. There are lots of favorite formulas out there . . if you don't want to fool with it . . . get som SPG lube. It's used for both front stuffing as well as BP cartridges . . .again . . .to keep the fouling soft. Your bore won't lead - you aren't pushing them that fast - but you might find that without a good BP lube, once you've fired, you fouling might get a wee bit hard. And as far as lube being used to keep a barrel from leading . . a patched ball, if loaded in the correct size to bore measurement with he correct patch does not even touch the bore. A lubed patch, whether it be spit or grease, keeps the fouling soft for the next time you ram a patched ball home.