451 round ball in 45AR revolver

[tinsmith]

I was wondering if I could make up some plinking ammo by using a hard cast .451 round ball and a light charge of bullseye powder. I am shooting a S&W model 25-2 revolver and have a supply of auto-rim brass. A search of this site didn't bring up any results. Has anyone played with this combination? I would imagine that the point of impact would be way off from regular target loads.

[lar45]

The Speer load manual used to have round ball loads listed. I'm not sure where my old copy is, I'll have to try and look for it.

[blackpowder man]

Should work fine I've shot them in 45 acp and 45 colt. I used unique I believe. I run 6 grains of unique with the Lee 160rf in my .45 autos.

[Guesser]

I use .454 round balls in 45 auto, 45 AR and 45 Colt, works fine.

[rintinglen]

.454 balls are what you want, though if you run .457 balls through a 454 sizer they work just fine.

I used 4.0 grains of Bullseye or Red Dot under the ball in a S&W 1917. Load them so the case lip rests right on the mid point of the ball, give 'em a slight crimp, either roll ot taper and blaze away.

Accuracy is acceptable out to 30 feet or so, but quickly deteriorates, in my experience. And I don't know why. The same balls from my Pietta 1860 Army will easily group under 5 inches at 25 yards, and that is with my tired old eyes and those wretched old sights.

[35remington]

Rifling twist is way too fast for roundballs and is the reason for the poor accuracy most likely. Shallow 45 ACP revolver rifling doesn't help either. Combine the two and you may have your explanation.

[tinsmith]

I cast some .451 balls today using wheel weights. Was surprised that my mold cast slightly undersized (.448-.450). When I put a ball into the cylinder throat, I could see daylight around the ball. I think I'll play around with light loads using my trusty Lyman 452460 and forget the round ball idea.
My Pietta 1860 Colt Army seems to like these balls cast from pure lead. Surprisingly accurate, although shoots about a foot high at 25 yards. Someday I'll dovetail in a higher front sight.
Thanks for the replies.

[BCRider]

On the sights issue this seems to be a common thing with the open top colt clones.

It's far easier to fix it than you think. The front blades are simply squeezed or lightly staked into a woodruff keyway like slot in the barrel. Tap one end or the other with a drift and hammer and they arc up and out of the slot. Make a new one that is taller and the same thickness and use a small amount of regular soft solder to hold the new blade in place. File down until it's aiming at your point if impact. And if you leave it a little wide you can file down one side or the other to correct any slight shift in windage.