paper patched .577

[samwithacolt]

So I have a 3 band snider on the way, just sourcing all the supplies.
If I buy a lee minie mold, and it turns out to be small, can I PP the boolit bigger? How much difference will it make with a hollow base? How do you get enough lube on a PP'd minie, should the base be filled with lube?
What's working for you guys?

[Red River Rick]

I typed "Snider" in the search engine and came up with 4 pages of posts. I know for a fact that the info your seeking has been discussed many time before.

Try searching the old threads and posts...................your answers are there.

RRR

[montana_charlie]

So I have a 3 band snider on the way, just sourcing all the supplies.
I don't know much, per se, about the .577 Snider. But the questions you asked are pretty generic, so generic knowledge should help you out.

If I buy a lee minie mold, and it turns out to be small, can I PP the boolit bigger?
If you are shooting a hollow-base bullet, made of pure lead, propelled by black powder, it would have to be 'quite a bit' undersized to make any noticeable difference. The Snider was simply a modification of the Enfield #53 to make it breechloading. The .577 barrel was not changed, so .58 caliber minie balls should work fine.

But, if the Lee bullet is so small that 'bump-up' would be insufficient, it would need to be around 6 thousandths undersized to get anywhere by wrapping it in paper. If it's only two or three thou smaller than groove diameter, that isn't worth trying to patch it. Bump-up should take care of it.

How much difference will it make with a hollow base?
A hollow base is a convenient place to stuff a coiled-up tail on a patched bullet.

How do you get enough lube on a PP'd minie, should the base be filled with lube?
With a paper jacket, you don't really need to 'lube the bullet'. Any bullet lube you use is really there to keep fouling soft.
You can fill the base with lube, or you can place a lube cookie under the bullet.

What's working for you guys?
I can't remember seeing any Snider threads on this paper patching forum.
You might ask around on Black Powder Cartridge, or Single Shot Rifles

CM

[samwithacolt]

Thanks,
That answered a lot of what I was after.

[Hickok]

I paper patched some .575 Minies to get them fit better in a 1859 Enfield musket that had a .581" bore. One problem I had was getting the patch to release from the bullet consistantly. Then I found that the British Enfield musket ammo had three long cuts in the patch to help it separate from the bullet when existing the barrel. I put the cuts on my patched bullets with an exacto knife and they shot great. The patches fell over in the first ten feet or so after the minie left the muzzle.

Don't know it this will help with the Snider round or not.

[curator]

I occasionally load the Lee .578 "over-size" minie and paper patch it up to .588. I dip my patching paper in a weak (1 in 10 water) solution of "elmer's glue" and wrap with tails pushed up into the hollow base. I load them over 50 grains of FFg Triple Seven with a .125 card wad over the powder. I fill what's left of the hollow base with my home-made black powder lube and thumb seat them in cut-down 24 gauge brass. These shoot 1000% better than the plain slugs since my Snider has a throat of .595. Without the paper patch, the minies were lucky to hit the 3'X4' target backing at 50 yards. My dilute glued-on patches appear to survive all the way to the target without coming off. I think this is in part due to the very shallow 3-groove rifling.

[Hickok]

Curator, your solution of Elmers glue and water sounds like a good idea. At fifty yards the uncut minies with a patch shot great, 1.5-2" groups, apparently the patches staying on. When I went to 100 yards, groups were 6-9", as the patches were then coming off erratically at different distances after the 50 yard mark. Cutting the patches in 3 places solved this problem, and I could get consistant 4 inch groups at 100 yards, about all my eyes and the musket sights would allow.

I will try your method, as it sounds like a very good idea! My 3 bander has the 3 groove rifling, and my Parker Hale 2 band is 5 groove.

Thanks for the information, again great idea!

[samwithacolt]

I've been reading up on the twist rates and so on. It occurs to me that shooting a Minie out of a breach loader does'nt make any sense. I might buy an Accurate mold for an oversize, short, fat, plain base boolit. I'll see if a .600 RB fits in the chamber and see what the twist is.

[Cast Bullet Engineering]

I can make a couple of designs for the 577 Snider, both grease groove types if that is of any help?

http://us.castbulletengineering.com.au/bullet-moulds/rifle/577-snider

DC

[montana_charlie]

It occurs to me that shooting a Minie out of a breach loader does'nt make any sense.
I was wondering if that might come to pass. It also seems problematic to seat a minie in a brass case ... with it's rather fragile skirt.

Member ****** Wallace had a thread that might have some useful information for you.
At least, it shows a Lee flat nosed bullet that he spent some time with.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?12731-Parker-Hale-3-band-Enfield

CM

[Red River Rick]

It occurs to me that shooting a Minie out of a breach loader does'nt make any sense.

BTW, the original Snider rounds used a "Minnie" bullet...................

RRR

[ResearchPress]

BTW, the original Snider rounds used a "Minnie" bullet..................
Actually it is "Minie", after the Claude-Étienne Minié who developed a design originated by Gustave Delvigne in France.

See this article (http://www.researchpress.co.uk/firearms/history/revolver.htm) on my web site.

David