Round ball

[The Double D]

I need a .434 lead round ball.

The closest commercial mould I can find is a Lee .433. Does anyone know what diameter this mould actually drops in pure lead?

Hornady advertises a .433 swaged round ball. What is the actual diameter of these balls. Anybody actually measured one?

[JeffinNZ]

One thou difference isn't much in terms of RB and soft lead. What are you planning to project it down?

[44man]

If this ball will be patched in a muzzle loader, we need to know the land to land measurement. That is a strange size you are looking for.

[The Double D]

.460 smooth bore.

http://www.fototime.com/D8D8D311FA74455/standard.jpg

If I understand the principal right: .013 patch and .434 ball. I have .013 patch material.

But is also been suggested that I just use a .430 Hornady swaged round ball with .015 patch.

[JeffinNZ]

1 thou ain't gonna make a difference.

[725]

If you need a custom RB mould of good quality and reasonable price, contact J.J. Tanner
J.J. Tanner
232, Passingham Ave.
tel. 01277 65346
www.jt-bullet-moulds.co.uk
I've gotten one in .593 for a custom smooth bore .60 and it works like a charm. It's different from our American idea of a mould, but the mould warms quickly and it casts fast.
725

[dromia]

Ditto Jeff Tanner Douglas, I got one for made an 8 bore Springfield Zoli repro a while ago. Casts great and shoots like a bouncing bomb, 2 grazes to 300yrds. :-D

[Ohio Rusty]

You can easily use a .440 round ball and a .015 thou's patch. That combo won't be too tight nor too loose because the patch compresses as it goes down bore. the .440's are easy to get, and I have a bunch of them here at the house for the wife's .45 rifle. If you want to try a few .440's, I'll send you some. That little cannon I'm assuming is a smoothbore, so you won't have to worry about land/groove diameters.
Ohio Rusty

[The Double D]

Rusty,

Thanks for the kind offer. I will reserve it as a possible option.

I ordered some .433 Hornady balls and some .015 patches.

I thought about ordering the mold. But since I don't own this cannon and only get to shoot 12 rounds a month through it I decide not to get a mold. I will only be here for another 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years and a couple of boxes of the Hornady balls will suffice.

Besides, I am thinking about moving up to big bore and shot a cannon with a .588 bore. This gun has a longer sight radius-- 12.25 in vs 9.25 inch--and should be more forgiving when aiming.