I've Got Big Balls

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I just won a bid on an 1860 Army and hate buying boolits. I don't have a mold yet and haven't even received my new 1860 Army but I've got some .454" round balls I cast for .45 Schofield cartridges.

My .454" balls are too big for the 1860 Army .44, so why not just run them through my sizer? Instead of getting my 1860 Army, measuring the chamber throat diameter and then trying to get a mould of the property dimension, or even worse buying lead balls from a store, why not resize my oversized .454" balls to fit the chamber throats? The end product will be slightly elongated which will be even better than a round ball and the round ball will find the ram rod top punch dimentions better than a conical boolit.

[dondiego]

You don't need to resize those big balls! They will work just fine as is. Shoot-em.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I've got Pyrodex P, FFg Goex, and a guy just gave me a pound of Triple 7. What do you prefer in the 1860 Army?

[Petrol & Powder]

I've always used FFFg in .36 caliber cap & ball revolvers but I'm sure FFg will work in the big bore guns like the 44.
the ball will be "sized", so to speak, when you ram it into the cylinder. As long as it is soft lead and a snug fit, it will work. It's either too small to seal the cylinder or too big to seat, everything else will work. you should get a small ring of lead shaved off on the front of the cylinder when you seat the ball.
I've had much better luck with slightly oversized balls than the smaller ones. I also find that a lubed wad under the ball gives better results than lube over the ball.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

OK, Keith said the same thing about the wad under the ball too. I haven't had a cap 'n ball revolver since high school.

[waarp8nt]

and I half expected this to be in reference to an AC/DC song...

[johnson1942]

in my 1871 1872 open top .38 special and my ruger old army comversion 45 long colt i shoot resized round balls more accurate that a cast bullet. in the 38 i resize 380 to 357 and in the ruger old army i resize 50 cal round balls to .451. they are cheap to shoot and more accurate than any cast or copper clad bullet ive shot. the guys are right the bullet you have will fit but if you want a little more weight and a slightly more bearing surface resize down a larger round ball to the size you need. ive even resized 54 rourdball to 451. i can do that in my 451 swageing die. i have a true round nose nose punch for it and when i put a over sized ball on it and push the sharp edge nose punch onto the ball it trims off the excess like a perfect little ring of lead and the ball looks like a ball with a small smooth surface for a bearing surface. they are perfect for the 45 long cold. i can buy round ball so cheap locally that i dont both to cast them, just resize them.

[longbow]

"I've Got Big Balls"... no pics please!

[Silver Jack Hammer]

"I've Got Big Balls"... no pics please!

HaHaHa!

If I posted a pic of the pistol after firing Holy Black, would it be a dirty picture?

[bedbugbilly]

A 1860 Army .44 caliber starts out with the barrel being bored .440 and then it is rifled . . . try your .454 balls - should be soft lead and when seated in the chamber, you should be cutting a light ring of lead when you ram in.

Lymans Cast Bullet Handbook - I think it's the 3rd edition - on page 194 lists:

FFG 20 Grains 475 FPS
FFG 35 Grains 715 FPS
FFFG 20 Grains 635 FPS
FFFG 30 Grains 745 FPS

This is out of the .44 1860 Army that they used for testing

I shoot Navies (.36). I do leatherwork and I punch over powder wads out of leather scraps that are around 1/8" thick - using a .375 punch. I then soak them in hot BP lube I've used for years - Crisco/Beeswax Toilet Ring (real beeswax). I soak them in the melted lube, remove, pat dry and store in an old musket cap tin. After seating the ball, I smear the same lube over the ball.

Just because you can cram in 35 grains or whatever, doesn't mean that is what will work the best out of your revolver. It's no different than working up a load in a cartridge. Start low and work up until you find a load that is accurate for what you are shooting. As with any SA revolver, and especially with a C & B where your rear sight is a notch in the hammer - you have to "learn" your revolver and use a little "Kentucky windage" depending on what you are shooting at.

I only use true Black Powder - usually Goex - in my Navies - usually 3F. If I've been short, I have substituted 2F. DO NOT EVER USE 4F OR FFFFG which is extremely fine and intended for priming flintlocks.

If it's been a while since you've used a C & B revolver - take the time to read or re-read how to load, etc. A "refresher" is always good. Be safe and have fun - and enjoy that new Army - a very graceful design!

[pietro]

.

My .44 Pietta M-1860 just loves .457" balls - just like my Ruger Old Army.



.

[StrawHat]

bedbugbilly,

Where are you getting beeswax toilet rings? They haven't been made in years as the cost of beeswax was too high.

Kevin

[lobogunleather]

I have both Remington New Army and Colt 1860 revolvers (originals). The Remingtons require a .457 ball while the Colts will take a smaller ball. On a couple of occasions I have loaded the Colt with the .457 balls, which take a bit more effort to seat and usually clip off some lead at the chamber mouth, but they shoot just fine.

[Geezer in NH]

Not big till over 62 cal