Lee .50 cal. designs for MLs

Gentlemen,

I would like to buy a .50 cal. mold from Lee and I could use some help in deciding which one. It will be my first mold for Traditions in-line muzzleloader rifle I just bought.

I´m looking for a good bullet design in terms of accuracy.

Lee has several options,including the 2 cavity Combo molds (one cavity being a .490" round ball and the other one being a .50" 320 gn. R.E.A.L. bullet).

I assume I can´t go wrong with the round ball, so I would like to know your thoughts about the R.E.A.L. bullet?

They also have another design, the "Improved Miniè" bullet. How it compares against the R.E.A.L. bullet in terms of accuracy?


Thanks.-

Do you know what the rate of twist the rifling is in your rifle? It will make a big difference for what you want to shoot. I have a Remington 700ML and it likes the REAL style bullets a lot better than a patched ball. I have all of the Lee molds for the REAL bullet and they cast very nice. Be sure to use pure lead for black powder bullets.

REAL and don't look back

I think you have a 1-28 twist or a 1-36?
Go with the REAL
Round ball is better for the 1-60 twist

"I assume I can´t go wrong with the round ball, so I would like to know your thoughts about the R.E.A.L. bullet?
They also have another design, the "Improved Miniè" bullet. How it compares against the R.E.A.L. bullet in terms of accuracy?"

Argentino, Nothing wrong with either design in rifles with faster twists, but the question to ask is whether the diameter will be large enough to fit your bore when using pure lead. If not, paper patching or "beagling" will be necessary: http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/HowTo/Beagling.pdf

I should have said that I haven't actually shot the Lee REAL bullets in my Rem 700 but others similar to them. I like the fact they look easy to load and with the others I've tried they are tack drivers. I'm very curious to try them out very soon. I have some new steel targets and I am going to try some 300 yard shots for kicks and grins just see if it can happen.

I use the 320 grn REAL in my .50 T/C Hawken over 110 grns of FFG Goex. Shots great, around 1 1/2" at 100yds and whatever you shoot with it stays shot. I have never recovered one because they have all exited the oppposite side of the critter. Should be really good now since Lee has changed their 2-cavity mold design. That's the only thing I dislike about the REALS was csting them in the cruddy 2-cavity Lee mold.