Roundball Mold Source

[Regular Joe]

I'm looking for a .542 mold. Looks like I'll have to have one made. What's a good source? Thanks!

[docone31]

If you take a Lee, .54 cal, then smear Clover on the casting, with a sheetrock screw in the sprue, and rotate it, then, you might get there pretty quickly.
Might try it, who knows?

[mooman76]

The Lee RB moulds for me come out a couple thousandth large anyway. You might try one and see.

[StolzerandSons]

Jeff Tanner
http://www.jt-bullet-moulds.co.uk/
He's as good as it gets for custom round ball molds and his quality and service are second to none.

[oldracer]

I agree with the Lee mold as my .490 mold makes .495 diameter pure lead balls. I called them about it and they sent me one a tad smaller that makes .490 size ones, for no cost.

[mooman76]

A touch of tin will make the ball come out a little larger without adding much hardness at all.

[indian joe]

get a piece of five thou shim steel and fit it between the cavity faces of your 535 mold - dont have to fit it neat to the ball cavities - just fix it so it holds the two halves apart - this worked great for me with an oddsized pistol and a pedersoli mold ---- before that I would try fat patches on the undersize ball - you can get linen upholstery material that measures 20+ thou compared to ticking at 12 to 15 thou - if the rifling is deep (lots of ball guns are) thick patch material should work ok. If its a proper round ball barrel (1: 66 to 1:72 twist) - lots of stuff you can try that should work - dont need a mallet to get a load down for starters !

[Regular Joe]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I may try to tweak my .535 a little. I already use a 20+ thou patch. Green Mountain recommends a .542 ball for target shooting with their .54 cal barrel. I going to play around a little. That's part of the fun of my black powder addiction!!

[rfd]

indian joe's got the ticket if the ball size is that important, just beagle that mould out a tad. i'd rather just go to a thicker, well lubed patch cloth.

[copdills]

alot of good information here I didn't know about the Lee molds coming out a little larger

[rfd]

some do, some don't - as i've noted with no less than 16 lee ball moulds.

[mooman76]

All mine come out bigger for me but I don't shoot pure lead. It is soft but not quite pure.

[rfd]

All mine come out bigger for me but I don't shoot pure lead. It is soft but not quite pure.

and therein lies the reason for a larger ball.

[indian joe]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I may try to tweak my .535 a little. I already use a 20+ thou patch. Green Mountain recommends a .542 ball for target shooting with their .54 cal barrel. I going to play around a little. That's part of the fun of my black powder addiction!!

Hmmph I read that post and I was gonna be madder than a cut snake if you wuz right - I bought a Green Mountain 54 barrel fer a project years ago (yeah some of my projects take a while) just tried it now - thank the powers that be - it takes a Hornady 530 ball on a ticking patch quite firm - same ball on calico will be where I start and it will load slick and quick but firm enough to shoot - this is a Green Mountain 54 round ball barrel 1:72 twist (I believe) - sounds like they put some computer nerd kid in charge long enough fer him to stuff things up - either that OR you need to re assess your measurements some ? r u sure aboot that 542 measure? nobody (commercial) makes a mold that size - its got to be custom?

[indian joe]

indian joe's got the ticket if the ball size is that important, just beagle that mould out a tad. i'd rather just go to a thicker, well lubed patch cloth.

me too !!

[Regular Joe]

Hmmph I read that post and I was gonna be madder than a cut snake if you wuz right - I bought a Green Mountain 54 barrel fer a project years ago (yeah some of my projects take a while) just tried it now - thank the powers that be - it takes a Hornady 530 ball on a ticking patch quite firm - same ball on calico will be where I start and it will load slick and quick but firm enough to shoot - this is a Green Mountain 54 round ball barrel 1:72 twist (I believe) - sounds like they put some computer nerd kid in charge long enough fer him to stuff things up - either that OR you need to re assess your measurements some ? r u sure aboot that 542 measure? nobody (commercial) makes a mold that size - its got to be custom?

Their load data chart they sent me says to use a .535 for hunting and a .542 for target. I confirmed this with a phone call to them. Thought it might be a typo too. I mostly shoot target. I haven't shot my .54 GM yet. I will try the .535 first and see how it performs with my tight patches. I just thought about trying a .542 to see if it works better. I need all the help I can get!

[Regular Joe]

Joe, if you PM me your email address, I'll send you GM's load data chart they sent to me. Joe

[59sharps]

i'm looking for a .542 mold. Looks like i'll have to have one made. What's a good source? Thanks!
moose mold. Great people to work with.

[indian joe]

Joe, if you PM me your email address, I'll send you GM's load data chart they sent to me. Joe

Joe - howsabout posting it here where everbody can see ?
My GM barl is 20 years old (been sittin in a closet corner waiting for me to wear out two CVA 54's)..... GM musta bored em bigger of late - no I didnt measure mine and its plugged so I cant slug it (I bet I did that when I got it tho) ... I just took a Hornady ball and a ticking patch and tapped im partway down wid me knife handle - "man that gonna be tight - lets try a calico one - yup that about right for starters " .....I dont like tight loading ... if ya gotta use a mallet to get a ball started - somethin wrong! .. GM rifling is generous depth so ya dont want a tiny little thin patch - my barl I reckon would need a very large mallet to get a 542 ball down it with anything more than a really thin patch. I will be pissed if that is what it takes to make it shoot! Have shot old CVA barrels (1985 to 1990vintage) all my ML career and they are easy to load. If GM cant make that mark then I have got a very expensive tomato stake/ fence dropper.

[Buzzard II]

moose mold. Great people to work with.

X2 on the Moose mold. They are a sutler on the n-ssa.org site. They have made molds for me and I'm happy with them.
Bob
1st NJ Light Arty

[Regular Joe]

Joe - howsabout posting it here where everbody can see ?
My GM barl is 20 years old (been sittin in a closet corner waiting for me to wear out two CVA 54's)..... GM musta bored em bigger of late - no I didnt measure mine and its plugged so I cant slug it (I bet I did that when I got it tho) ... I just took a Hornady ball and a ticking patch and tapped im partway down wid me knife handle - "man that gonna be tight - lets try a calico one - yup that about right for starters " .....I dont like tight loading ... if ya gotta use a mallet to get a ball started - somethin wrong! .. GM rifling is generous depth so ya dont want a tiny little thin patch - my barl I reckon would need a very large mallet to get a 542 ball down it with anything more than a really thin patch. I will be pissed if that is what it takes to make it shoot! Have shot old CVA barrels (1985 to 1990vintage) all my ML career and they are easy to load. If GM cant make that mark then I have got a very expensive tomato stake/ fence dropper.
Ok, here is the loading data GM sent me. 213280
I will say I use .500 balls in my .50 cal and .451 in my .45 and they are really easy to load.

[indian joe]

Ok, here is the loading data GM sent me. 213280
I will say I use .500 balls in my .50 cal and .451 in my .45 and they are really easy to load.

Joe
Thanks for posting that - has me wondering now if the GM boys have drifted their specs a bit over the years? - like I said that 54 barrel of mine is 20years old - I tried a 530 hornady ball and ticking patch (18thou) - that would be a stiff load for my money - would hate to have to batter a 542 ball down that tube with that same patch - had a 50 cal GM and used a 495 and ticking - MIGHT have got a 50 ball down it wid a big hammer ? Have a CVA 50 that still will not take a 50 ball on any kind of patch - CVA likes a calico patch (rifling is a bit shallower than some I think) but will shoot ticking ok too. Have had six 1980's vintage CVA barrels and they out shot fellers with the best custom tubes that money could buy - some of this has me kinda puzzled ?

[Regular Joe]

When I got my .50 cal GM, I used .490 and it didn't group too well. A shooting buddy told me I needed to use .495. I emailed GM and got their load data I posted. Made a huge difference. So, I tried .500 to see if was even better, still easy to load using only my hand with ticking. Can't tell any difference in grouping between the two, most likely due to the shooter's lack of ability! I now mostly use .495 since they are easier to find here in West Georgia. I have the .54 on order and I was just trying to have some balls ready when it ships. I can find some .530 locally. I want to start pouring my own so I may order a mold. Thanks for your comments. By the way, what is calico patch?

[indian joe]

When I got my .50 cal GM, I used .490 and it didn't group too well. A shooting buddy told me I needed to use .495. I emailed GM and got their load data I posted. Made a huge difference. So, I tried .500 to see if was even better, still easy to load using only my hand with ticking. Can't tell any difference in grouping between the two, most likely due to the shooter's lack of ability! I now mostly use .495 since they are easier to find here in West Georgia. I have the .54 on order and I was just trying to have some balls ready when it ships. I can find some .530 locally. I want to start pouring my own so I may order a mold. Thanks for your comments. By the way, what is calico patch?

Joe
LEE makes a 535 mold - Double Cavity 90456 - that would be middle of the road fit - I like their round ball molds - no sprue to bother with - I tumble all my round ball in a canvas bag with a pinch of graphite in it - rounds off any imperfections and keeps em shiney for ages. Just do it by hand - dont take long at all.

Calico is what they USED TO make bed sheeting out of in the old days - white cotton unbleached calico - what I have measures 12 - 13 thou - the pillow ticking I have at present is 19 thou - denium would likely be 23 - 25 thou?

Those old CVA barrels shoot really well with a good fit ball and a calico patch - but I think the CVA rifling is a little shallower than GM - maybe 8 thou versus 12 ? .... I had really good luck with those barrels .. so easy to load ... they were not pernickity at all . Had a CVA pennsylvania rifle that I converted to flint that was brilliant --- won some stuff with that one! -- but I thought a bit better rifle and I could beat those couple of blokes in front of me - so like an idjit I sold it - got a 50 cal rifle a guy built on a GM barrel, L&R Durrs Egg lock, Davis trigger - could not get that thing to perform near as well - ended up shooting a little 45 I built for a mate of mine - cheap Belgian barrel - cheap spanish lock - its ok - the biggest drawback is a 45 with 1:48 twist - so 75 yards is about its limit. I know the guy that has my CVA - we get on real well - he wont sell it back no matter what - worse than that he cant shoot the thing!!. Cant shoot a flinter but he thinks one day he will - same feller takes some catching with a capgun or shotgun. The GM gun sat in my cabinet for years till I unloaded it to a bloke in our club last year - he used to build nice flinters and was struggling $$ wise to get going again so I sold it to him cheap as a parts gun.

[Regular Joe]

Yes, I asked my wife about calico. I should have known. I have tried several types of patches and I think the thick ticking you get at JoAnn's works the best in my rifles. I should have also told y'all the GM barrels I have are drop-ins for Thompson Center Hawkins that GM made until 2008, I think. But, they do have their own stock. I don't like switching back and forth. They clean up so much easier than the T/C barrels. They are longer and heavier and change the feel of the rifle.

[Edward]

When I got my .50 cal GM, I used .490 and it didn't group too well. A shooting buddy told me I needed to use .495. I emailed GM and got their load data I posted. Made a huge difference. So, I tried .500 to see if was even better, still easy to load using only my hand with ticking. Can't tell any difference in grouping between the two, most likely due to the shooter's lack of ability! I now mostly use .495 since they are easier to find here in West Georgia. I have the .54 on order and I was just trying to have some balls ready when it ships. I can find some .530 locally. I want to start pouring my own so I may order a mold. Thanks for your comments. By the way, what is calico patch? I just got a quantity of patch material from JoAnn"s , a 11oz denim ,and a 100% linen both measure 0.11 and work great even with a heavy charge under a .62 cal RB/Ed

[725]

+1 for Jeff Tanner. I have several and they are very round and constructed to extremely close tolerances. If I needed another, he would be the first I'd turn to.

[Nit Wit]

RJ:
I would check Jeff Tanner and Larry Callahan, two good ones!
Nit Wit

[dsayer]

I'm just a newbie to casting and haven't measured the RBs from my Lee mold but it does seem to load just a tad harder than the Hornady 535 balls I used to buy. I guess I would also try a thicker patch like pillow ticking before buying a custom mold. You know, unless you really NEED a new toy. ;)

[jtaylor1960]

The Track of The Wolf sells hand cast .543 round balls.

[dsayer]

Maybe this is a stupid question and sorry if it's off topic for the thread, but why would GM recommend different sized balls for hunting vs. target? Isn't the overall goal the same in both cases? Hit where you're aiming...

[indian joe]

Maybe this is a stupid question and sorry if it's off topic for the thread, but why would GM recommend different sized balls for hunting vs. target? Isn't the overall goal the same in both cases? Hit where you're aiming...

The target load they recommend would (I believe) be just too big of a PITA out in the field - you might want to make a second shot sometime inside a quarter hour!
several things come to mind --- most target shooting done "wet" ie load fresh - shoot - load again - the round is shot within a couple of minutes of ramming it home - so the target guy can use a wet patch (I do) makes it easier to ram down a tight combination.