Conical Boolit for 58 cal

[smoked turkey]

I have just purchased a 58 Pedersoli and was looking for recommendations for a boolit that can be used for whitetail deer and general target work. I have a .575 roundball mould and know it can be used quite successfully for either of the above but I thought in addition to the RB I should have a conical for hunting. I generally prefer a steel mould but have and use Lee in 50 caliber. I see hollow base minnies that are popular for some of the north/south activities but didn't know if these are a good choice for hunting.
Thanks for your input.

[357maximum]

I 58 caliber ...the roundball is thee best "boolit" you are likely going to find for whitetails and target work. What rate of twist does the barrel have? That will determine whether you want a conical or not more than any other factor.

[10 ga]

I have a Cabelas 58 with 48 twist. I use roundball most of the time. Unless your bore is kinda big the 575 may be a bit tight so you may need a thinner patch. I cast a 562 rb. in PB and it comes out 565 in alloy and use a thick patch. There is also a REAL boolit mold available and it works good too, at whitetail hunting, but is really not necessary unless going after bigger game. My hunting load is 110 gr. of Swiss FF and I use the RWS musket caps on a "Spitfire" nipple. Mountain State makes the "Spitfire" and there is a good selection so you can retro fit them in many of the rifles. If you use the bigger mini, REAL,and maxi boolits for hunting loads in the 58 be prepared for some stout recoil. Best, 10 ga

[smoked turkey]

Thanks a lot for the input. I realized after I read my post that I had left out an essential twist rate of the barrel. I don't have the rifle yet but I checked Dixie's web site and according to info, the Kodiak 58x58 double which this is has a 1 turn in 48" with cut rifling .006 deep. I know it has a tendency to be too much gun (Robert Rurak would approve!) for white tail but I really wanted the 58 in lieu of the 50 or 54. Will the 1-48 twist be best with roundball or conical? I was wondering if one of the hollow base boolits such as the 575213 minies would be a good hunting boolit, or would I be better off with one of the REAL from Lee? Thanks.

[357maximum]

Drawing from my playings in other calibers.......I would try the R.E.A.L first. It is not often the "cheapest mould" solution works....but this will likely be one of them times.

[451whitworth]

RB's would not regulate in my .58 Kodiak. they cross fired with anything from 75-140 gr. of powder. my rifles regulates great with 120 gr. 2Fg Goex and 525 HP HB Buffalo bullets.

[Boz330]

Drawing from my playings in other calibers.......I would try the R.E.A.L first. It is not often the "cheapest mould" solution works....but this will likely be one of them times.

+1 to what 357 said. A 48 twist is awfully fast for a RB especially in a 58cal. I had good luck with a real out of an Enfield musket and a Hawkin. The mini might work as well but heavy loads might blow the skirt.

Bob

[Hellgate]

The R.E.A.L. needs to be "Rifling Engraved At Loading" which means you have to pound it into the muzzle or at least use a short starter. My REAL shoots reasonably well in a couple of my 58s and would be a great first shot projectile but followups would be REAL slow. That's where the conical would come in handy for a single barrelled gun. If you have a Kodiak then you already have the next shot ready to go. I would be a little worried about a conical sliding forward under recoil and causing a barrel bulge if not reseated before firing. The PRB with a .575, .570, or .562 ball would be a good choice or the REAL that should stay put in the second barrel under recoil.

[dualsport]

Anything well placed on a whitetail from a .58 will work. Experiment with different combinations for accuracy. My .58 Zouave will hold 6" at 100 yds. with a prb, a little better with a Lyman old style minie.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I have shot numerous deer with a .58 RB and have NEVER retreaved a ball. They all go right through from any angle. Never lost a deer shot with a 58 RB. Killer two does once with one shot at about 40 yards. Snaped the backbone of the near doe and double lung shot the second. That ball also exited the second and maybe would have killed a third IF one would have been so polite to stand in place. All these were shot with 85 grains (by volume).
BUT if a 1-48 twist at a descent velocity overstabalises a RB that is just a sad story. Those Boolits will kill a buff with no trouble.

[2shot]

Smoked turkey

1/48 is correct twist for the Kodiak.

I too have shot the Buffalo Bullet HPHB in my Kodiak and it shot OK but not as good as the R.E.A.L. from Lee. I would stay away from any Minie that loads easily because as some have said it could slide forward from recoil of the first barrel and possibly give you problems.

The thought of the R.E.A.L. being any harder to load in my findings isn't true but that's just my opinion. A properly fitting RB and patch are IMO harder to load than the R.E.A.L. and take longer too. The R.E.A.L. has smaller briving bands at the base and it's only the top driving band that is oversized. I have seated these bullets with the heal of my hand in hunting situations with no problem when cast from pure lead. I wouldn't want to do that if multiple shots are to be taken but for a fast reload it works fine for me. Truth is however that if you don't get your deer with the two barrels the fast reload is meaningless because the deer is long gone at that point.

What I have done with my Zouave and I think it would work well with the Kodiak is slug the barrel and then order one of the North/South skirmish Minie bullets to the next larger size. Lots of these molds are adjustable in weight but even at the lighter weights of around 325 grains in 58 cal are plenty for deer and give much improved accuracy over just about anything else that is out there.

In my talking with you during your purchase of this gun I have stated that I have found 85 grains of FFg Goex and the R.E.A.L. bullet to shoot to the same point from both barrels. I have shot as much as 100 grains of FFg behind verious projectiles but I thought that this load and anything above it was just burning more powder without any meaningful returns in velosity or power . The only gun that I know of that could make the 58 caliber a honest to goodness powerhouse with heavy loads was the old Navy Arms 58 cal Hawkens from back in the 1970's. Just remember that the 58 kills and does it well because of the size of the bullet. I have taken deer with my 58 Zouave with as little as 40 grains of FFg and the Lyman 575213 OS mold. Accuracy is king when hunting with the 58's.

2shot