WW's for modern muzzleloader?

[kyle623]

I have a CVA optima. should I use ww's or pure led to cast boolits for it?

[docone31]

I have run WWs through my front stuffer. That was before I knew they were not pure.
Did ok.
Never tried them in a cap and ball pistol yet. I bet they are a little tighter to load.

[frontier gander]

its best to use soft lead. WW would be very hard to get down the bore unless you resized the bullet to use as a slip fit type.

[Hanshi]

I posted almost the same question a while back but it was concerning using WW in a smoothbore. I've never used anything other than pure lead in ML rifles & pistols but suspect WW might work in a pinch especially if you cast with a slightly undersized mold. I base this on the advice I received that WW works fine in smoothbores. Almost certainly a thinner patch would be called for.

[hamour]

If you are casting minie balls or some form of elongated bullet, then pure lead is required to get proper performance.

If you are casting roundballs, then the WW will work well, but you have to use a slightly smaller patch. The WW balls are slightly larger in diameter than pure lead balls from the same mould.

The Brits used hard lead balls in their big bore dangerous game rifles to get penetration. The pure lead balls will give good expansion.

Have fun

[GrizzLeeBear]

"WW's for modern muzzleloader?"

Are you using them in a sabot? Then the WW will work just fine.

If using them as patched roundballs, then an undersized mold and/or thinner patch will be needed to load them, as the others have stated..

[masscaster]

Using WW's for .300 - .323 Buckshot is good, other than that my preference is atleast 95% soft lead for all Muzzeloading applications, especially BP hunting.
Save the WW's for cartridge loads...........:roll:
:castmine:

[jack19512]

I have also asked this question in the past. My own experience was that I didn't seem to get as good accuracy with the WW's as I did with the pure lead. I also didn't have any trouble loading them when using the WW's as some seem to.

[kyle623]

next question, if i use a hollw base minball style, do i need to use a wad or anything other than lube the boolit?

[Maven]

kyle623, You lube the hollow base on Minie's as well, but you don't use a wad of any sort with them. I did this myself a few weeks ago and the Minie atop a cardboard wad (writing tablet cardboard) landed high and far out of group. Also, you want to watch your powder charges so you don't blow the skirting around the hollow base. Once that happens, accuracy degrades. Start with 40grs. (volume) FFg and work up until accuracy declines. When using conicals, it's also a good idea to damp swab the bore between shots to keep the fouling in check and eliminate the need to pound the projectile down bore.

[kyle623]

thanks, I have a cva sidelock i have been thinking about casting for.

[masscaster]

Using card or wading behind a Minie would definitely defeat the design of the Boolitt.
The hollow base was designed to be an expansion gas trap, filling the base with gas and pressing the base tightly againt the bore to improve accuracy and help prevent gas venting or blow by.
Kyle, i'm here in Illinois, Pekin to be exact, and cast almost daily. I have several different styles and weights of .58 Minie if this is the caliber your going to use them in. PM me if your interested.
Jeff @ Forefather's Casting

[kyle623]

thanks for the offer masscaster, but both my smoke poles are .50 cal. gues I'm gonna have to find a mold now. now someone said to start at 45gr, but i sue pellets at 50 gr cva says i can go to 100 on the sidelock and 150 on the optima. gonna mainly use the minballs in the sidelock.

[Maven]

kyle623, I don't know whether you intend to use the Minie in your CVA Optima or in your sidelock rifle, not that it matters. What does matter is the twist rate of your bbl. and the diameter of its bore. E.g., some bbls. with twist rates slower than 1:48 stabilize conical bullets very well, but mine don't. However, my 1:48 and faster twists (My Knight Bighorn is 1:28.) shot conicals exceptionally well IF they were large enough to fit the bore. In other words, not all conicals (Maxi-Balls Maxi-Hunters, Minie Balls, Lee REALs) fit all bores equally well, but Lyman and Thompson/Center Maxi-Ball's (cast from Lyman & T/C molds) have always worked well for me. That means 5 shots touching @ 50 yds. from a 1:48 twist T/C .45cal. Cherokee and Hawken and a .50cal. 1:28 twist Knight Bighorn. The Lee REAL's were just as accurate in the Hawken, but the .50cal. versions were too small for the Knight. Lastly, I purchased a .50cal. Lee Improved Minie from one of our members for the Knight, but haven't got the gilt-edge accuracy from it as I did with the Maxi-Balls. Btw, the Maxi-Hunters were miserable performers as well (too short a bearing surface?). Hope this helps, but your mileage may vary!

[kyle623]

I was thinking of trying the lee molds since thats what i use for all my other casting.

[Freebore]

With a proper combination of pure lead round ball/patch you should get a tight fit (if right dimensions are used)with land impression formed into the ball. With wheel weight you would probably need a mallet to get the patch/bullet started into the bore and would most likely tear the patch in the process. Pure lead is the way to go.

[Jim]

My personal hypothesis is: The more "patch" there is between the bullet & the barrel, the harder you can make the bullet. Reverse that by saying if there's nothing to seperate the bullet from the barrel, the bullet needs to be pure lead. If you're using a sabot, you can shoot depleted uranium/tungsten bullets.

[waksupi]

My personal hypothesis is: The more "patch" there is between the bullet & the barrel, the harder you can make the bullet. Reverse that by saying if there's nothing to seperate the bullet from the barrel, the bullet needs to be pure lead. If you're using a sabot, you can shoot depleted uranium/tungsten bullets.

I'm with Jim. I used patched wheel weight round balls in my fowler last weekend to win the world smoothbore championship. Never considered depleted uranium......

[45 2.1]

I'm with Jim. I used patched wheel weight round balls in my fowler last weekend to win the world smoothbore championship. Never considered depleted uranium......

But, you keep them in the freezer until your ready to use them while in the soft as cast state, I believe. There not normal WW hardness so to speak. Have or do you use them at normal WW hardness?

[Hanshi]

I also asked some other experienced prb shooters the question you posted about ww in rifles. Some said they'd used ww for years in various rifles with fine results. The balls will be a bit larger so either a thinner patch or smaller mold might be needed. It seems to be common to use ww in smoothbores or so I am told. That will be my choice when my fowler is ready. I will still use soft lead in rifles for hunting but may try ww on the range. After talking with others I don't see why it can't work at least to some extent.

[waksupi]

But, you keep them in the freezer until your ready to use them while in the soft as cast state, I believe. There not normal WW hardness so to speak. Have or do you use them at normal WW hardness?


Nope, not in the freezer, never have found a need to for patched round ball. These were cast at least a year ago, and have set in a coffee can since. Just plain ol' AC WW's.
For a BPCR, yes, freeze them, this is a good idea if you only have a harder alloy. I haven't seriously shot that aspect for some years, so don't worry about it.

[Freebore]

A steel ball bearing is Ok in a smoothbore, as long as it is undersized to the bore diameter. My point was for a patched round ball in a rifled gun. Soft lead needs a good patch and land engraving into it, the projectile..