Will this mould work in this gun?

[Just Duke]

Will this work? http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mould-details-blackpowder.php?entryID=86


A 50. cal, Knight LK-II inline rifle?
TIA,
Duke

[Maven]

Duke, Yes it will IF the front band is large enough to require a strong push to start it into the muzzle. You'll want to use "pure" Pb rather than WW's to cast them though. Lube them with T/C Bore Butter or home brewed Emmert's lube or even beeswax + white Crisco, and seat over 70 - 80grs. FFg or Pyrodex RS. The newer "synthetic" powders, e.g., 777, will also work, but I have no experience with them. If your Knight comes with a #11 nipple, use #11 (or maybe even Rem. #10) percussion caps. If not, #209 shotgun primers will have to suffice, but I think they're overkill with FFg or Pyro. RS. Lastly, some like to use a 1/8" felt wad or thin (tablet backing) cardboard wad over the powder charge to enhance accuracy. Btw, you'll want to damp swab the bore often, possibly after every shot, for max. accuracy and easier seating of additional Maxi-Balls. Hope this helps and that you and Barb have a wonderful Xmas!

[gandydancer]

YES. and very well. Just for fun shooting I use 70 grs FFG and a over powder wad and a good size dab of Crisco in the Bore & hand lube the bullet with Crisco and slide it down the bore. and shoot for hours with no cleaning between shots until its time to go home. I clean at the range with alcohol peroxide & Murphy's oil. once its clean a mop of rem oil and put it away for next time. GD

[Just Duke]

Thanks guys. I guess I should try and aquire a sample before purchasing the mould.
This is my first black powder rifle so I'm learning as I go.

[Maven]

Not certain about that particular Knight model, but they often came with Green Mountain bbl's., which are known for their accuracy.

[Just Duke]

Not certain about that particular Knight model, but they often came with Green Mountain bbl's., which are known for their accuracy.

Thanks Maven. Dating by the video tape that came with it, I'm pretty sure it's a Green Mountain Barrel.
I'm going to allocate a scope mount tomorrow.

[idahoron]

Maybe I am wrong but the info on the mould is for guns with a .500 bore. I am not so sure it will shoot worth a hill of beans in the Green Mountain barrel. Anyone know what the top band measures at? It might not stay on the powder on a hunt. Ron

[Underclocked]

It's a tapered mold though Ron. If it is like every other Maxi-ball mold it will be a hair under bore at the base and increase to something like .507 at the top band. It will shoot but don't try to push it too hard. If you push a Maxi-ball too hard in a faster twist rifle, it tends to start flying to odd places. :)

[Just Duke]

Can you guy suggest a better bullet?

[Underclocked]

I can suggest better bullets but perhaps not a readily available mold. Anything beyond the standard muzzleloader fodder of mini, maxi, or round ball is probably going to have to be custom unless you can get by with one of the .515 molds or perhaps even a mold for a .500 S&W. I believe your rifle has a 1:28 twist rate.

It would be of benefit if you were to slug your bore and determine at least the land to land measurement accurately. If you want to shoot full bore, I'm a proponent of the "slip fit" system where the bullet is sized in pure lead (as pure as achievable) to a size just a tiny bit over the land to land dimension. Such bullets from a good barrel are amazingly accurate and eliminate any need for pounding your palm on a short starter.

NoExcuses and Bullshop Dan could fix you up with a supply of such bullets - but you have to know that land-land measurement.

Your rifle should also shot sabot'd bullets quite well. If you were content to purchase .45-.50 or .44-.50 sabots, you would open a world of mold possibilities for bullets you could shoot from that rifle (inside a sabot).

And Ron can tell you all about the possibilities that paper-patched bullets offer.

[Just Duke]

I can suggest better bullets but perhaps not a readily available mold. Anything beyond the standard muzzleloader fodder of mini, maxi, or round ball is probably going to have to be custom unless you can get by with one of the .515 molds or perhaps even a mold for a .500 S&W. I believe your rifle has a 1:28 twist rate.

It would be of benefit if you were to slug your bore and determine at least the land to land measurement accurately. If you want to shoot full bore, I'm a proponent of the "slip fit" system where the bullet is sized in pure lead (as pure as achievable) to a size just a tiny bit over the land to land dimension. Such bullets from a good barrel are amazingly accurate and eliminate any need for pounding your palm on a short starter.

NoExcuses and Bullshop Dan could fix you up with a supply of such bullets - but you have to know that land-land measurement.

Your rifle should also shot sabot'd bullets quite well. If you were content to purchase .45-.50 or .44-.50 sabots, you would open a world of mold possibilities for bullets you could shoot from that rifle (inside a sabot).

And Ron can tell you all about the possibilities that paper-patched bullets offer.

Thanks UC. I'm wanting to cast my own lead bullets. Also I don't want to be dependent on purchasing bullets from another source. I looked at the sabot rounds but don't seem to be able to make it to 350 grains. It has a 1-28 twist

[Just Duke]

Any chance I could use a SAECO 45 caliber cast rifle bullet 300, 350 or 400 grainer with the sabots?

[idahoron]

Thanks UC. I'm wanting to cast my own lead bullets. Also I don't want to be dependent on purchasing bullets from another source. I looked at the sabot rounds but don't seem to be able to make it to 350 grains. It has a 1-28 twist

I was shooting the Hornady great plains 410 gr. When they quit making them I decided to find something better. I tried a few different moulds but the one that worked the best for me was paper patching the Lee 500 S&W bullet. I have shot these from MK85's and they shoot great out of my green mountain barrels.
Ron

[newton]

Duke, I bet that boolit will work, but as distance increases your going to see your groups open up and be very unpredictable. If you look at the description on that link you posted you can see that it was designed for a 1:48" twist rate.

Underclock speaks of what I did personally and have had great success from. I was in the same mindset as you with wanting to make my own and not have to buy them. I went with a .50-70 mold from Lee. Of course it is WAY oversized for a .50 muzzleloader, but a few runs through two different sizer's brings it down to the right size.

I was blessed with a knurling tool also that allowed me to put a good knurl on them which now holds lube perfectly, grips the bore wonderfully, and are easier to start then saboted boolits. I did a thread a while back on my experience.

If I had not wanted to try something new then I would have just gone with Ron's approach. Honestly I think there are going to be better choices, than the mold you have listed, for your gun. Unless you are just wanting to shoot that thing at close ranges and are not trying to squeeze good accuracy out of them. But with that gun and the right boolit, you could have a real tack driver.

Its all personal preference in the end though. That gun would shoot patched round balls also.

[Underclocked]

http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=51-460M-D.png

I believe that mold is actually my original design (not that I care). Combine that with a sizing die honed to match your bore measurement and you would be in business.

I would ask for it to drop bullets at ~.506" diameter, that way the sizing operation would be a one-step process and go quickly. That suggestion depends upon your actual bore measurement. Add about .002" for dropped bullet size (I'm guessing your measurement will be in the range of .501 to .504).

[Just Duke]

Back up for any additional information.

[drhall762]

The track I am following now is to use a gage pin to determine my bore diameter and the size my bullets .0005 to .001 under bore size. This is not my method originally but was made popular by Doc White. Seems to work very well indeed. Relatively easy loading and the bullet obturates to fill the grooves just fine. Of course, if you want to go all in you can always cast, size, and paper patch. No leading issues at all then.