Dumb question but..

[sheepdog]

Ok I got a .44 single shot percussion pistol here. I have a Lee .440 RB mould. I cast a sample last night and... doesn't fit. Too big it seems. Maybe cause my alloy was WW but even if it was straight PB seems like it would have been tight. Question is should it be? Thought thats why you do a wad.

[badgeredd]

Ok I got a .44 single shot percussion pistol here. I have a Lee .440 RB mould. I cast a sample last night and... doesn't fit. Too big it seems. Maybe cause my alloy was WW but even if it was straight PB seems like it would have been tight. Question is should it be? Thought thats why you do a wad.

I'd suggest that you check your barrel for size. I have one 44 that uses .435 RB and another that needs .445. If you can find a set of pin gages someplace, you can check the land diameter and then add .010" for a guesstimate of the bore diameter (I am assuming that you have a front stuffer here). Any tool shop or machine shop in your area should have a set of pin gages and they should be willing to check the land diameter out of courtesy.

My nickels worth...

Edd

BTW................. are you meaning a wad, or a patch?

[R.M.]

The .44 single shot needs a ball in the .430" neighborhood. The .440" ball is intended for a .45 caliber gun. The .44 revolvers use .451" or .454" balls.
Revolvers use over-size balls, and single-shots use under-size balls with lubed patches.
Does this have you thoroughly confused yet????:veryconfu

[sheepdog]

The .44 single shot needs a ball in the .430" neighborhood. The .440" ball is intended for a .45 caliber gun. The .44 revolvers use .451" or .454" balls.
Revolvers use over-size balls, and single-shots use under-size balls with lubed patches.
Does this have you thoroughly confused yet????:veryconfu

So even if the pure lead ball comes out a little smaller a 440 ball will not work even if I try without a patch?

[badgeredd]

So even if the pure lead ball comes out a little smaller a 440 ball will not work even if I try without a patch?

Likely you are correct. What type handgun are you using?

Edd

Just thought of something that may help you. If you have a set of fractional inch drills, you can gently use the butt end of the drill to get an idea of what your land diameter is. a 7/16" is .437". A 27/64" is about .422". If the 7/16" won't go, you need a smaller ball for sure. AGAIN, gently use the BUTT end of the drill.

Edd

[shdwlkr]

What you need to remember in the muzzle loading world caliber has little to do with ball size needed.
I have a 36 caliber pistol that shoots .376 balls and a 36 caliber rifle that shoots .350 balls
I have a 32 caliber pistol that shoots .320 balls and a 32 caliber rifle that shoots .310-.315 balls
I have a 44 caliber Ruger Old Army that shoots .457 balls
I have a 50 caliber rifle that shoots .490-.495 balls
I have a 54 caliber rifle that shoots .530-.535 balls
If you notice none of them shoot what the caliber is it is just the way things are in the muzzle loading world. You have to be real sure that you have the right size ball for the firearm you are shooting and sometimes it requires you checking the size of the hole in the muzzle end of the firearm.
I have been shooting muzzle loaders for almost 50 years and still learn new things every year.

[sheepdog]

Likely you are correct. What type handgun are you using?

Edd

Just thought of something that may help you. If you have a set of fractional inch drills, you can gently use the butt end of the drill to get an idea of what your land diameter is. a 7/16" is .437". A 27/64" is about .422". If the 7/16" won't go, you need a smaller ball for sure. AGAIN, gently use the BUTT end of the drill.

Edd


Using a single shot new orleans ace .44 percussion kit gun.

[mooman76]

I read an artical once but never tried it myself. It was claimed (no proof, just thought)that the first ML's used regular balls with no patch.The balls were tapped in with a mallet. It was also thought that the idea of using a patch(thin leather) was first thought of here in the early days of the USA. That made loading easier you could control size easier by having one size ball and could change out the patch size. Turns out it also shoots better that way but then it was just smooth bores. The author tried it with success but stated accuracy was not as good and you needed to be just a few thousands over bore size for best results. Something you could try if you can't get the right size RB mould.

[Hanshi]

From the research I've been able to do and the reading I've done use of a patched ball wasn't unknown in Europe prior to gun building in the Colonies. Forcing oversized soft lead balls down rifled bores was apparently quite common as well. I'd think it's safer to say the development of prb technology reached its peak in the Colonies rather than found its genesis. :coffee:

[Hanshi]

Ok I got a .44 single shot percussion pistol here. I have a Lee .440 RB mould. I cast a sample last night and... doesn't fit. Too big it seems. Maybe cause my alloy was WW but even if it was straight PB seems like it would have been tight. Question is should it be? Thought thats why you do a wad.

While using other than soft lead will result in slightly increased ball size, nominal calibers are usually given referencing bore size rather than ball size. Common practice is to use a ball .010" smaller than bore diameter. This leaves room for a patch to be used. Some shooters go .005" - .020" undersize and experiment with varying patch thicknesses. .440/.45, .430-435/.44, .530-.535/.54, etc.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Left unsaid was the Italian influence on the size of barrel dimensions as muzzleloaders began to be imported from Europe by such places as Navy Arms instead of being made by the few old timers making them here. Seems quite a few 44 or 45 caliber and other barrels were made up on milimeter tooling. Wow ! Almost like chinese reverse engineering, except the Italian culture understood what the gun was.

Check out Cimarron's barrel dimension chart. The Italian practice still exists to some extent.

BvT

[northmn]

To confuse the issue a little further, some barrels by the same maker may shoot the best with ball of 005 difference. Some of the old Douglas liked 445 and some 451. The drill bit idea is a good one. For a pistol one can get by with a little smaller ball larger patch than a rifle as you are not shooting 1 inch groups at 100 yards.

Northmn

[mooman76]

I tried the drill bit idea some time ago and didn't realize at the time the shank of the drill is smaller than the drill bit size or at least mine are. It is still a good idea, you just have to measure the shank.

[Wayne Smith]

If I remember right the New Orleans Ace is a smooth bore. A round ball on the powder, perhaps with a wad under, would be the typical load. They were not made for accuracy, they were belly guns.

[masscaster]

Parafin slug the barrel, it's easy and not harmful to your firearm. Best with pistols, but can be done with any firearm. The only special tool required is a machinist mic or calipers. If your still at odds Mooman reply and i'll go through the steps for you. : )

[cajun shooter]

All MZ guns are set up to be a little tight when first seating the ball. Some even have to be hit with a wooden mallet. But they should go down to the powder charge with little effort. They should never be hard to load or you could be off the charge and you don't want that.