Turner Kirkland .40 Caliber hollow base bullet

[Newtire]

Many moons ago in a world far different than the one we live in now, a man named Turner Kirkland started up the Dixie Gun Works.

One of his "Flagship" rifles was a fine .40 caliber rifle made in Belgium. It was offered in percussion/flintlock or both. I have a couple of them. He designed and sold a .40 caliber conical, hollow base mould without handles for $12.00. It vaguely resembled a maxi-ball with a hollow base. I have looked high and low for this mould. Somewhere in the middle, between the high and low of my search, this mould must live.

Would anyone know where to pick one of these up? I don't know the dimensions so can't really have Accurate or Mountain Moulds whip me one out.

[bedbugbilly]

I remember the rifles and vaguely remember the mold you are talking about - but have no idea of where you could locate one unless just by "luck" on an auction site or gun show - unless someone reads your post and just happens to have one. You might post a Want To Buy in the WTS/WTS section and see if anything surfaces.

I'd love to see some photos of your rifles. Turner Kirkland was a "pioneer" as far as I'm concerned in the ML world and he certainly did a lot to promote the hobby and make parts available. I built my first rifle using parts from his catalog back in the early 60s when I was just a kid. My wife and I recently moved from our home of 40+ years in to a condo which made it necessary to go through a lot of things, including my collection of parts, pieces, stock blanks, etc. I still have a straight grain maple stock blank that I bought from Dixie when I was a kid that I have never used yet but hope to soon. I remember well that the full stock blanks were $6.00. BUT, he put them on sale and if you both three of them, the price was $2.00 each for the special he was running! I remember when they came in through the local Post Office - two taped together and the third shipped separately from them - it cause quite an uproar with the clerks who hand never seen such a thing come through the mail. I would imagine the remaining blank I have is probably "well seasoned" after 55 years of waiting for use!

Good luck in your search and I'll keep my eyes open and let you know if I see one anywhere.

[mooman76]

You might try and see if someone has an old catalog with a picture of the bullet. Some people collect them.

[Olut]

Here's a photo from an old Dixie catalog...... ( hopefully this image attaches)

[Newtire]

Yup, that's it! Thompson Center maxiball?

[bedbugbilly]

The nice thing about the old Dixie catalogs was that most of the backgrounds were peg board/squares that were 1" so it gave you a good idea of the size of the items. You might be able to print off the above image and then scale it to get the approximate overall length - then compare it to the TC maxi balls. Accurate should be able to cut a mold very close to it with as a nose pour with a hollow base pin?

[Good Cheer]

Now isn't it an interesting tidbit that in the write up the bullet was used with a thin cloth patch.
That's just about as old school as you're gonna get. A single wrap and tucked into the base perhaps?

[obssd1958]

Newtire,
I have a mould for a hollow base, smooth sided, slug (drops at @.395), that I'm sending your way this morning. There are two different pins for the hollow base.
I think it was designed for the .410 shotgun, but after reading your descriptions above, thought you might give it a try. Maybe paper-patched, or like the Kirkland, a thin cloth patch?
I also sent the two .54 caliber ringtail moulds.
Let me know how everything works out!

Don

[Newtire]

Sorry about the delay in my response bedbug. Seems the more time I have on my hands, the more goofing off I do.

I have 3 of the Dixie .40 cal. rifles. One is a Dixie Cub and the other 2 are full length rifles. Of the full length rifles, one is a flint lock and the other a caplock. They are sure some beautimous things!

Back when I was growing up, I lived for the new issues of the Herter's catalog, the Dixie Gun Works catalog, Finnysports catalog and the one from The Museum of Historical Arms, not to mention The Shotgun News. I always thought that I'd grow up, buy a house, get married and buy a boat & motor and all the guns in all those catalogs. Things didn't exactly work out the way I thought they would so I have to play catch up. That's my excuse anyway!

I agree that Turner Kirkland was way ahead of anyone else as far as anything loaded from the front went. I'll dig out those guns and send off some pics when I get a chance. Trouble is, I hang out with a group of "enabler types" who are always coming up with fun things for me to do (if only others could be so fortunate). Living in Idaho isn't easy as far as there being tempting gun shops on my way home from our weekly support group meeting...

[bob208]

seams like a bullet for the .41 colt mite work. if you can find a mold for the hollow base bullet.

[Geezer in NH]

Yup, that's it! Thompson Center maxiball?

No TC maxi is flat based and no patch used

Also started at .45 cal n o 40 cal eva

[kens]

I'm currently working on a conical for slow twist .45cal.
My bullet is very similar to this.

[Good Cheer]

seams like a bullet for the .41 colt mite work. if you can find a mold for the hollow base bullet.

Have thought about paper patching. My Ideal mold drops at .387.
Would love to have .40 minie.

[Martini Sportco]

Forgive me father for I have sinned
I've been very busy and haven't logged in.

Hi all,
I just noticed this thread from a while back, and too am interested in a Hollow Based mold for a .40 cal.
My .40 is a fast twist 1:16 and shoots quite well but it prefers 75 grns of powder with the 400 grn flat base bullets and I have had trouble with it gas cutting the Nipple and around the thread of the Nipple.
I am trying to find a lighter load for 100 yd Off Hand comp and I think a hollow base will be the answer.
Can anyone tell me who makes Hollow base molds in the U.S. ? I don't think Tom at Accurate does. ? His web site says the Pin needs to be outsourced ?

Cheers, Ian.

[arcticap]

Forgive me father for I have sinned
I've been very busy and haven't logged in.

Hi all,
I just noticed this thread from a while back, and too am interested in a Hollow Based mold for a .40 cal.
My .40 is a fast twist 1:16 and shoots quite well but it prefers 75 grns of powder with the 400 grn flat base bullets and I have had trouble with it gas cutting the Nipple and around the thread of the Nipple.
I am trying to find a lighter load for 100 yd Off Hand comp and I think a hollow base will be the answer.
Can anyone tell me who makes Hollow base molds in the U.S. ? I don't think Tom at Accurate does. ? His web site says the Pin needs to be outsourced ?

Cheers, Ian.

I'm pretty sure that this is the outfit that many people recommend.
I don't think that there's anything that he can't do, but by all means contact him to find out for sure.
And please let us know what he says.

http://www.hollowpointmold.com

[Good Cheer]

Forgive me father for I have sinned
I've been very busy and haven't logged in.

Hi all,
I just noticed this thread from a while back, and too am interested in a Hollow Based mold for a .40 cal.
My .40 is a fast twist 1:16 and shoots quite well but it prefers 75 grns of powder with the 400 grn flat base bullets and I have had trouble with it gas cutting the Nipple and around the thread of the Nipple.
I am trying to find a lighter load for 100 yd Off Hand comp and I think a hollow base will be the answer.
Can anyone tell me who makes Hollow base molds in the U.S. ? I don't think Tom at Accurate does. ? His web site says the Pin needs to be outsourced ?

Cheers, Ian.

I've got a Lyman GPR rebarreled to .40 bore, .41 groove and 16" twist.
It was machined with narrow lands as for engraving the rifling onto heavy boolits in a die made from a piece of the barrel.
For offhand plinking I've tried just all manner of shorter lighter paper patched and not yet found the magic combo to produce the absolute reliability I'm after.
But now I've got a pretty good hollow plug for the adjustable length patching mold and hope springs eternal

[country gent]

I would contact Dixie Gun works, give a good description of the bullet and mould and roughly when it was made. As much information as possible. While they may not make it anymore they may in the archives have the drawings and send them to you. Or the information you need. Some companies save store all of this in archives just in case and barring a fire or other catastrophe may still have it on file.

There are some programs that a pic can be scanned and imported in to. and known dimensions entered then it figures the rest from the scale of pic and known dimensions.

[NoZombies]

Interesting. I own one of these molds. Made by Lyman, but I've never seen it cataloged anywhere. I don't recall the mold number. I'll try to dig it out in the next few days and give you guys what information I can.