Question on 45 cal. mold

[Tod]

I'm new at this so forgive my ignorance but I want to cast my own boolits for my 45 cal. flinter but not sure what size mold to get.:confused: Thanks Tod

[StrawHat]

Tod,

With a muzzle loader you have a bit more latitude than with a cartridge gun.

First, who made the barrel and what do they recommend? It is always a safe bet to go with the makers suggestions, at least to start.

Also, do you plan on using a patched round ball or minie?

WIth a patched round ball, I have found it is best to be just under bore diameter and let the patch made it a snug fit and fill the rifling grooves..

With a minie, you are stuck with what the mold makers offer. You can beagle a mold to increase the diameter slightly and use a sizing die to decrease the diameter.

Also, how you intend to use the rifle? A target load is quite different from a hunting load.

So, while it may seem like this answer is not a lot of help, if you can answer these questions for us, lots of suggestions will be forthcoming.

Good luck

[Tod]

Tod,

With a muzzle loader you have a bit more latitude than with a cartridge gun.

First, who made the barrel and what do they recommend? It is always a safe bet to go with the makers suggestions, at least to start.

Also, do you plan on using a patched round ball or minie?

WIth a patched round ball, I have found it is best to be just under bore diameter and let the patch made it a snug fit and fill the rifling grooves..

With a minie, you are stuck with what the mold makers offer. You can beagle a mold to increase the diameter slightly and use a sizing die to decrease the diameter.

Also, how you intend to use the rifle? A target load is quite different from a hunting load.

So, while it may seem like this answer is not a lot of help, if you can answer these questions for us, lots of suggestions will be forthcoming.

Good luck

OK I'm going to use patched round ball and for hunting. The barrel is a Green mountain 45cal. Thanks

[montana_charlie]

A mould which casts a round ball of .440" is the 'standard' choice for a .45 caliber muzzleloader. Then you select cloth for your patches which makes that undersized ball a tight fit in the barrel. Pillow ticking, very light-weight duck, denim (from old jeans), and a range of other fabrics are available for choices.

It is not rare for a guy to use a .445" ball, but then the cloth patching must be more carefully selected.

Most of us who shoot BPCR can answer questions about muzzleloaders because we went through that arena on the way to this one.

But for your in-depth muzzleloader questions, you might get better support in the 'Front Stuffers' section of the forum.
CM

[StrawHat]

What Montana Charlie siad is good advice.

I would add, stay away from sythetic material for patching. It melts.

For a hunting load I always wanted something to slide down the bore easily.

Come to think of it, I looked for the same thing in a target load.

Anyway, a bullet 1 full caliber smaller than the bore would be a good choice with the rest made up with patching.

I use a .490 ball in my 50 and a .525 in my 54 flinterlocks. My 58 actually likes a .575 so I use a thinner patch with that one.

Is there a good ML gunshop in your area? If so, they should have round balls of various sizes for sale. You might consider trying them before your buy a mold.

Or just do like the oldtimers did and buy and a mold and find the combination that makes it work in your rifle.

I use the same size ball in three different 45 rifles. So much for the thought that each gun is separate and distinct from the next. In a hunting rifle, I have not found that to be true.

Next trip to the range, ask the other shooters using ML what they use.

Most front loaders are friendly, especially the guys using the traditional style guns.

Good luck, keep coming back if you have more questions.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Contrary to popular legends, .440 is not the "standard" choice for a 45 caliber muzzleloader. The ball size is dependent upon the rifle barrel and its maker. My Green River, for example uses a .451 and a .010 patch. Call Track of the Wolf, tell them what you have and they can give you ball and patch options. Heck, call Green Mountain for their advice, they made it. Some here perhaps can recall the Numrich 45s and the Italian and spanish 45 imports, which were also different from mine and yours. I still have a .443" round ball mold from one of those adventures. Ball size is critical for the most accurate shooting. If you have to, borrow or get a plug gauge to figure bore size if track or GM can't help and then make an educated decision on ball and patch combos. BvT

[mazo kid]

What BvT said is true to some extent. However, .440-445 balls will shoot in most 45 cal. barrels. It is up to you, the shooter, to do the load development and find the patch thickness and powder charge that will give you the best accuracy and/or loading ease. That's the fun of this sport. Emery