need help identifying large size buck shot

[mister gizmo]

need help identifying large size buck shot

In the back of my father's vault I found a very old 5 lb bag of Lawrence brand Western Standard Buck Shot. Has a screened picture of the little Dutch Boy like in Dutch Boy paints.

The size is what's throwing me ... no. 45 (same as shot diameter in inches). Obviously not for shotgun shells; maybe muzzleloaders?

What are they?

gizmo

[I'll Make Mine]

Mike a few; if they're about .440 diameter, they're swaged balls made for a .45 muzzle loader (with, as I recall, a .014 ticking patch). If they're .456 or so, they're balls for gallery or sentry loads for a .45-70 or similar, or for a so-called .44 cap and ball revolver (and would also work in a .45 Colt cartridge for light loads).

[dondiego]

I used to buy bags of these to use in my H&R Underhammer Buggy rifle when I was 15 years old in 1965. I still have a bag labeled .44 cal. You could also get bags labeled .45 cal. I believe that they were tower dropped just like birdshot because they are really out of round in places. They worked OK but cast balls seemed to be more accurate. They were cheaper for a 15 year old kid getting by with only lawn mowing money!

[mister gizmo]

They all mike around .453". Some of them had some flat spots at .435" Pic attached.

Can someone use them? Shipping plus "gratuity".

[I'll Make Mine]

Those would work in a .44 cap and ball, though from the look of them they wouldn't be accurate (plinking only). Might be worth more to a collector, if you can find the right collector. I've got nothing they'd fit; if they were .315 to .320 (for my Mosin Nagant), or .360 (for my .357 Dan Wesson), I'd have to negotiate a bit.

[Hellgate]

Are they waxed? They look awfully shiney. If they are truly buckshot they might be hard lead. I suspect they are cast (flat spot being the area of the sprue), lightly tumbled and waxed. I bought some 44 C&B roundballs from National Bullet Co years ago and they had large flat spots on them where the sprue was and they were HARD lead and even harder on my guns. I sold them to someone else for a song. If yours are SOFT then they would make OK revolver fodder. Ship them in a flat rate box. I bought 50 lbs of high antimony birdshot for alloying lead and it came in a flat rate box.

[dondiego]

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