A ? for those familiar with the Lee 200gr 45 Cal. R.E.A.L. boolit . . .

[bedbugbilly]

Long story short - I've been shooting BP for 50+ years - NSSA in years past as well as round ball - both flint and percussion. Minies in the Rifled Muskets and patched ball in smoothbore and rifles. So . . I have no experience with the R.E.A.L. slugs.

I just purchased a 45 cal. H & A under hammer from a fellow member and I have to order a mold from Titan - will of course get a .440 round ball mold but I have a question in regards to the R.E.A.L. conicals . . . .

The H & A under hammer is made for patched round ball - not sure what the twist rate is. I now only "plink" at 25 and 50 yards - paper, novelty targets, etc. - my competition days are over with.

My question is - does anybody use a R.E.A.L. slug out of their slow twist round ball barrels - and if so - what can one expect as far as accuracy?

From the description of the slug on Titan's page - the boolit is designed to be introduced into the bore and it is somewhat "swaged" into the rifling. Does a "short starter" need to be used? Do the flange rings provide a decent seal to the grooves so that there is not a lot of "blow by"? Or is a higher charge load required to conform the R.E.A.L. conical into the rifling on the way out of the barrel? I primarily use lighter loads and wouldn't be hunting with the rifle - just plinking. Is one of the Lee R.E.A.L. molds and the slugs it casts worth the $20.00 to try or is it a waste of time to try it out of a slow twist RB barrel?

Thanks for any info and suggestions - greatly appreciated.

Jim

[bubba.50]

I've used Lee R.E.A.L.'s in my 50 & 54 cal slow twist guns with very good results. I use the lighter weight ones as the length & width are closer to the same, sorta like an r/b.

a word of caution on yer underhammer : ya better check the bore dimensions. some, if not all, have bores that take a .433 diameter ball.

[bedbugbilly]

Thank you bubba.50 - appreciate the info. I'm holding off on ordering a mold until I get the rifle and can actually measure the bore first. I remember these rifles from my early days of shooting BP - back in the early 60s and I know that the bores on the Numerich barrels weren't always what they said they were. I ran into that on several that I used to build rifles - if I remember correctly, I got those from Dixie Gun Works when Turner Kirkland was very much an active part of the business and his kids were just toddlers! :-) They weren't always bored to where both ends were on center either - but - they shot well!

Thanks! Jim

[mooman76]

I have a 45 CVA Kentucky and they didn't shoot all that bad but not real good either. It has a 1/66 twist. Seems like one in 3 would be a flier. I never tried heavy loads though and some say a over powder wad helps but I haven't tried that either. If you like I could cast you up some to try when you get your gun. A short starter is needed but once started, they go in pretty easy.

[koger]

As a general rule, if not pushed to hard, REAL slugs from soft lead will shot fine in most 1-66 twist barrels, if the barrel is tight, not worn thru corrosion, or a cleaning rod rubbing the rifles and opening up spots. I have also had great luck, with Buffalo Bullet Ball-Ets, in 45 and 50 caliber.

[bedbugbilly]

Thank you all for the info - greatly appreciated!

mooman76 - thanks for the offer on the slugs - I'll keep that in mind. I won't get the rifle until I'm back in MI - probably in a couple of weeks. I'll slug the bore to make sure of just what it is - I'm thinking that it will be a tight .45 and as Bubba said, may require a smaller diameter than the normal .45. Once I know for sure, I can go from there. I also hadn't considered the use of a over the powder wad - would be simple enough to make and try.

Thanks again!

Jim

[Hellgate]

One thing I learned from casting them is to have soft lead and a hot pot so you get complete filling of the driving bands. If they are rounded the bullet will be smaller in diameter and not grip the riflings consistently. The 45 caliber light weight version is also fine for the Ruger Old Army revolver but you need the 44 cal mold (no longer made) for the Colt & Remington chambers.

[dondiego]

My H&A Underhammer rifle shoots a 0.440 round ball. Hope to try the REALS soon.

[curator]

I really like the .45 caliber 200 grain R.E.A.L. bullet for my 1 in 60 twist (Green Mountain barrel) flint lock rifle. Accuracy is at least as good as patched round ball with 75 grains of FFFg. I cast my own of reasonably pure lead (BHN5) and lube them with a 50/50 bee's wax /lard mix. I have found that loading either a .460X.125 card or felt wad under the projectile is really helpful with accuracy. This particular "conical" slug is barely longer than a round ball but more than a third again heavier. Because they hold so much lube, wiping the bore between shots is usually not necessary. At the range I have fired this gun 20 plus times without wiping and no loss of accuracy. They are somewhat messy though--bring a rag to wipe your hands when working with them.

[Newtire]

I've used Lee R.E.A.L.'s in my 50 & 54 cal slow twist guns with very good results. I use the lighter weight ones as the length & width are closer to the same, sorta like an r/b.

a word of caution on yer underhammer : ya better check the bore dimensions. some, if not all, have bores that take a .433 diameter ball. .433 is the ball diameter mine takes also. Why this is this way I don't know but a Numrich .36 underhammer that I have will not accept a .350" ball (it sits on top of the rifling lands). Takes a .335" round ball and I"m going to try a .345" today.

I am still trying to hunt down that elusive .340" mould!

Those are nice little rifles in my opinion.

I have used the Lee REAL but only in a 1-48" twist .50 cal. T/C Hawken. In that rifle, it shot great unless pushed more than 60 gr. charges of 3f GOEX or Pyrodex 3f equivalent. Back then, I didn't know as much about sizing, powder coating etc. so maybe that could be improved upon?

I would think a short slug with the lower part sized to properly fit the lands so as to center the slug better in the bore and maybe a wad over the powder might help.

Trouble is, work or other life events seem to always be getting in my way, preventing any follow thru on more meaningful shooting time at the range.