Original type mini ball mold?

[mp40man]

Does anyone know of a source for original type mini ball molds? I have a Lyman and a Lee and they are great but they are not like many of the original minis that I have. My original minis have a point and the Lyman and Lee are both nose pour so the nose is flat.

Thanks!

[mooman76]

What caliber. Lee has one for the 58 that is suppose to be close. You could also check out dixiegunworks. They have allot of original stuff.

[Grapeshot]

Does anyone know of a source for original type mini ball molds? I have a Lyman and a Lee and they are great but they are not like many of the original minis that I have. My original minis have a point and the Lyman and Lee are both nose pour so the nose is flat.

Thanks!

The original Minnie Balls, hollow based conicals, were made by swaging lead in a special apparatus that employed multi sided dies so the bullets came out with their greese groves already formed and a nice pointy tip for a nose. Casting hollow based bullets of any kind will always give a flat spot on the tip of the bullet as you can only make a cast minnie by nose pouring them

[MtGun44]

I never saw a pointed one, all have a small flat that I have seen.

Lyman used to sell two for .58 cal, one like the original Civil War issue and there was a
semiwadcutter lightwt version, about 350 gr IIRC. We used to laugh and call them our
'light weight varmit bullets" for the .58 Springfield rifle.

Bill

[Southron Sanders]

The Lyman 575213 OS (Old Style) is pretty much a copy of the original "Burton Ball" that was adopted with the U.S. Model 1855 series of arms and (the bullet) was used throughout the War of Northern Aggression by the Yankees. The Lyman 575213 NS (for New Style) was designed in the mid-1950's for N-SSA shooters that were using original Springfields that had worn bores.

Grapeshot is exactly right about the reason the original Yankee Minies have a sharp point-they were swaged. Now, some Confederate made cast bullets also have sharp points but that is because they were cast in "Side Pour" bullet moulds. If you have never used a Side Pour mould; you have a lot to be thankful for. Casting bullets in a Side Pour mould is challenging to say the least.

[Mk42gunner]

The Lyman 575213 OS (Old Style) is pretty much a copy of the original "Burton Ball" that was adopted with the U.S. Model 1855 series of arms and (the bullet) was used throughout the War of Northern Aggression by the Yankees. The Lyman 575213 NS (for New Style) was designed in the mid-1950's for N-SSA shooters that were using original Springfields that had worn bores.

Grapeshot is exactly right about the reason the original Yankee Minies have a sharp point-they were swaged. Now, some Confederate made cast bullets also have sharp points but that is because they were cast in "Side Pour" bullet moulds. If you have never used a Side Pour mould; you have a lot to be thankful for. Casting bullets in a Side Pour mould is challenging to say the least.

And here I thought that the old style bag molds with no sprue plate and a nipper would be tough. It might be fun to try once, but I think I will take your advice and pass.

Robert