Cast handgun bullets in Cap and Ball?

[O.S.O.K.]

I've got a few Cap and Ball revolvers - here's one in particular:

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/medium/HPIM0424.JPG

Pietta 1858 .44 "target" - has adjustable sights. This is a .452" bore wheel gun and I've cast some Lee conicals for it:

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/medium/HPIM0421.JPG

The ones on the left - and they shot very well - used 1:30 alloy for those.

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/medium/HPIM0422.JPG

The question I'm wondering about is loading this with heavier (say 250 grain) .454 handgun bullets - same soft alloy and lubing with pb lube and trying them. I'd be cautious with the load - probably start with 25 grains of Pyrodex P.

I loaded the above with 35 and 40 grains - these 58 Remingtons are fairly stout guns.

Just wondering if anyone here has done this and with what results? What was the bullet design too?

:castmine:

[Dan Cash]

I feed a Ruger Old Army 200 gr. Lyman wadcutters and it works very well. 34 or so grains of 2F will fit under the bullet and accuracy is excellent. I can not fit enough BP under a 250 gr bullet to make it worth while. The wadcutter bullet carries enough lube to permit 60 - 70 shots with no fouling problems.

[44man]

The Remington has very close together chambers. Look at the next chamber coming up and you will see gas from the forcing cone can enter it. That plays hob with a boolit nose. Shoot one and look at the next, it might be damaged.
The best accuracy we get from them is with a round ball.
The Ruger can shoot a lot of .45ACP boolits as long as they are short enough so powder space is not used up.

[StarMetal]

My ROA shot everything I've fed with very good results and accuracy. That includes roundballs, hollow base conicals, 45 acp bullet, 45 Colt bullets, and even 230 gr jacketed 45acp bullets. Being I can't buy BP where I live I shoot Triple 7 and don't you doubt for one minute you can't get enough powder behind a 255 SWC 45 Colt bullet to make it worth while.

Joe

[44man]

My ROA shot everything I've fed with very good results and accuracy. That includes roundballs, hollow base conicals, 45 acp bullet, 45 Colt bullets, and even 230 gr jacketed 45acp bullets. Being I can't buy BP where I live I shoot Triple 7 and don't you doubt for one minute you can't get enough powder behind a 255 SWC 45 Colt bullet to make it worth while.

Joe
I made a mold for a great shooting boolit for the ROA. It only weighs 192 gr. I have shot heavier OK too.
But 777 does not like to be compressed at all so how are you getting it to shoot accurate? I would think Pyrocrap would work better.

[O.S.O.K.]

Thanks for the feedback. The wad cutters make a lot of sense to me... they take up the minimal amount of cylinder space per grain...