.45 REAL wad or beagle mold?

[original]

I have a winchester inline that I tried the lee REAL 250gr cast pure lead lubed with bore butter. It was not very tight when I seated it and it didn't really group well at all with different powder charges of BP, roundballs actually grouped better. I think I read someplace that some people us a wad under the REAL. Is there any specific type/size wad I should try or should I try and beagle the mold for a little tighter fit or maybe both? thanks

[Maven]

"It was not very tight when I seated it and it didn't really group well at all with different powder charges of BP, roundballs actually grouped better. I think I read someplace that some people us a wad under the REAL. Is there any specific type/size wad I should try or should I try and beagle the mold for a little tighter fit or maybe both?" ...original

I had the same problem you did, but with a .50cal. REAL in my [1:28 twist] Knight Bighorn. Patched RB's outshot the REAL's in my gun too. I suppose the easiest route would be to beagle the mold. If that doesn't work, paper patch the as cast*, but not beagled bullets. Test #3 is to both beagle and paper patch the REAL's. As for felt wads, I think a 1/2" arch punch will give a slightly tighter seal than a 7/16" one and yes, they do help accuracy. Google Duro Felt for an easy to deal with supplier of felt (duh!). Hope this helps!


*I didn't think of beagling my .50cal. REAL's, but did paper patch them. Although the results were markedly better than the as cast ones, they weren't nearly as accurate as T/C Maxi-Balls that I cast or patched .490" RB's.

[mooman76]

They should fit fairly tight. Maybe you are not getting good fill out. Can you measure the REALs? The top band should be .467

[original]

I was hoping project would cast bullet, lube bullet, ram bullet onto of some powder and ignite powder but I guess most of the fun is the experimenting. I won't be home for a while but I will measure the top band when I do get back. I will have to read up on the paper patch thing. Thanks for the info on the felt andI will have to look into the punch and felt or just buying already sized. Where would the best place be to look for a punch? I did look at the local fabric chain stores in the area and they really didn't know what I was talking about. thanks again.

[Maven]

original, You want arch punches used to cut leather (very sharp!). I got mine on EBay (make sure it's new & boxed).

[curator]

The R.E.A.L. bullet is designed with 3 different driving band diameters. The base band is supposed to be about land diameter to allow it to drop into the muzzle. The second band is designed to engrave on the lands, and the top band is supposed to be slightly over groove diameter and seal the bore. In general, I have found a major improvement in accuracy by using a wad under all REAL bullets in inline or side-lock muzzle loaders. Thick, hard felt, or .125 Card wads (I use .460 O-P Circle Fly) work best for me. When casting REAL bullets with pure lead, I add about 1/2% tin to the melt and get much better fill-out and improved accuracy. The design of the REAL makes it difficult to see driving band imperfections that degrade accuracy. I have never been a big fan of "Bore-Butter" even though the advertisement speaks highly of it. I use a 50/50 mix of bee's wax and supermarket lard with excellent results.