Is Anyone Using the Lee .50 Cal REAL Boolit?

[riverwalker76]

I'm looking at getting another .50 cal Muzzleloader mould within the next week or so. I like the looks of the Lee .50 cal REAL boolit, but does it have any accuracy to it?

I'm shooting a 50 cal Hawken and a .50 cal CVA Buckhorn Magnum.

Thanks.

[DIRT Farmer]

I have used the Real bullet with good results in a Remmington 700 M/L. Groups at i.5 inches off bench and scope. It shot well from 75 to 90 grns of FFg and 50/50 bees wax and Crisco. I would have liked to try a wad under it but haven't got that far with it.

[riverwalker76]

I read where some people use the Thompson Center Bore Button underneath them. It seems to have better results with a patch / bore button underneath that with just a powder and bullet load.

[10 ga]

Check out BRP in the vendor forum. I shoot his 270 gr clone of real boolit. It shoots real good but you need soft lead or you have to size it if you use hard lead. A base wad really does help with accuracy. In my scoped Firehawk with 75 gr. of FF Swiss it'll shoot 2" at 100 yds. 10 ga

[onondaga]

I use the 50 cal 250 gr. REAL in my Lyman Great Plains Rifle. I got the accessory faster twist barrel because years ago it only came with the 1 in 60 twist barrel and I only shot roundballs then. I found it very important to cast with the softest purest lead you you can get. The REAL will not obturate with hard lead and passes a lot of gas and has low recoil-- so you know it is not shooting right with hard lead. Soft lead works great. I lube with Lee Liquid Alox tumble lube. My charge is 85 gr. 3F PyrodexP and the rifle groups 1.25 in. at 50 yards with open sights...I like it!

[docone31]

I have three of those molds. .45 .50, and .54.
They are great! I make my lube and have not found gas blow by. I have used wheel weight, and pure. Useing the Lee load data, they go line of sight to 100yds. I have used valve lapping compound as lube on all of them to clean out the machineing in the bores.
Great stuff.
They are heavier than RBs. They hit hard! Even in my .54 with the 1-66 twist, it does well.
I bring a poly hammer when I go as they need definate seating in the bore. The hammer does not leave marks, where as the ball starter will deform the tip.
You will love the R.E.A.L. Soak the mold in mineral spirits for two days, then cast untill you drop! With front stuffers, a long days session at the mold will produce a lifetime of castings.
It, with Lee load data, makes a great casting. I only shoot paper, but I bet it will be very strong medicine in the hunt! It is an impressive casting.

[fourarmed]

I have tried the heavier REAL bullet (~350 gr. IIRC) in my .50 TC Hawken. In my admittedly limited testing it did not do as well as the similar weight Maxi ball. One morning before deer season last year, my son and I each shot two of the MBs into overlapping holes at 68 yards using 90 grains of Pyrodex RS. Neither of us are currently bit by the ML bug, so we will probably leave it at that.

[mooman76]

The Lee reals work really good in the 50 with a 1/48 twist. That isn't neccessarily what they are limited to.

[TCLouis]

With the 1:48 are you getting better results with the 250 or 320 grain REAL boolit?

[mooman76]

I'm using the 320 but haven't tried the 250.

[riverwalker76]

Let me ask you this ....

I have a Hawken 50 cal, a CVA Buckhorn 50 cal, and am currently working on a Kentucky Rifle in 50 cal. .

Would the REAL bullets shoot better from the Kentucky Rifle in the 1:66" Twist barrel than my CVA that has a 1:28" twist?

[mooman76]

No way of knowing without trying. I'm sure you have heard the phrase that every gun is different and MLs are no exception. The 1/66 may be a bit slow of a twist but may do ok with the lighter one. The 1/28 is a bit tight but some say it does ok but you probably won't be able to push it too hard and it would probably do better with the heavier bullet.

[shastaboat]

Sorry to bring back an old thread but I'm trying to get my CVA Buckhorn .50 cal to shoot accurately. I've scoped it with a 4x Redfield. Have actually shot patched round balls more accurately than anything else. I've been trying the LEE Real Bullet in 320 gr with fairly poor accuracy using 65 gr of Pyrodex and homemade lube of 50/50 beeswax and high speed lithium based wheel bearing grease. (Same as I use for all other cast pistol and handgun) I use a .50 cal BMG case with the side cut out to cake cut the bullets out of a pan poured lot of bullets. .45 and .45 sabot bullets have not shot that well either. So far 3" groups at 50 yards has been the best I could do with anything. CVA says round balls don't shoot well in this 1 in 28" twist but I've found them the most accurate. I'd really like to find a combination with the LEE 320 gr Real Bullet that will shoot under 3" at 100 yards or better of course. I haven't tried a cardboard wad yet but will try that. Any and all suggestions are appreciated. More/less powder, etc...
Thanks

[rodwha]

I bought 320 grn REALs to try in my 1:48" Lyman Deerstalker with deeper PRB grooves. Without a wad it was about a foot left and had keyholed at 50 yds. The next 2 with a wad were nearly touching and just below the bull. Needless to say I purchased a mold after that.

For lube I use Gatofeo's #1 that I make. My charge was 70 grns of 3F Olde Eynsford.

[shastaboat]

I ordered some 50 cal wads and some TC lube today.

[rsrocket1]

Try swabbing the bore with a dry patch between shots to see if that helps. I use a cardboard overpowder disk with my Lee 250g REAL's in my 1:28 CVA Optima Pro. The cards are simply punched out of a cereal box with a 1/24" pipe nipple that I sharpened with a grinding wheel (keep it cheap) although I heard you can get a punch for $5-$10 at Harbor Freight. I use 2:1 Beeswax:Vaseline and simply hand lube them. The consistency is like Chapstick but it's simple and the bore is shiny clean after each shooting session. The seal is so good that I have to remove the 209 primer from the previous shot. Otherwise the bullet won't go down the barrel, the ramrod springs back up like a piston.

[Motor]

I cast and use the 250gr REAL. I use it with 70gr Pyrodex RS in a Traditions long barrel side lock. I've taken a few squirrel with it during our overlapping seasons. This is a 50cal rifle. I've loaded as light as 50gr P-RS and it's very accurate.

With its short length I wouldn't be suprized if it also shot well from some slower than 1in48 twist barrels.

I have also found that a just below super sonic speed and at 14bhn it does not expand on deer ribs. Though it still shot well probably due to the lower pressure not letting it leak much.

Motor

[FergusonTO35]

I have an NEF Huntsman .50 equipped with Williams WGRS aperture sight and feed it nothing but 250 grain REALs lubed with Bore Butter over 80 grains Pyro RS (sorry, real black is extinct here). If I do my part it will make a three shot cluster at 50 yards standing offhand, not from a rest. I am a mediocre marksman which makes that very impressive. I don't swab between shots either, accuracy does not deteriorate for at least a dozen shots. Can't wait to try it on a whitetail!

[dondiego]

(sorry, real black is extinct here)

Blackpowder can be bought from many sources online and shipped to your door. Go in with a couple of friends to spread costs.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I shoot the 320 I have the old single cavity mold I bought from a member here , works well in my 1/48 and 1/28 barrels