So, I cast up some Minie balls

The 533-410M (533 Diameter) 410 Grain one, to be specific. The boy and I wanna try them out in our 54 caliber rifles...BUT...we know nothing about Minie balls. Do they load without a patch? What powder charge for a 410 grain bullet? Any special tricks, tips, ideas? Just curious.
B TW, that is one BIG heavy boolit, cast today by me of soft lead, wonder what kind of evil mess it could make hunting.
Oddly enough, the mold dropped easily hot or cold, but it took a while to heat up. Once it did, it worked great, never got stuck. I couldn't find my casting gloves, first time I've cast since the move and divorce...so I used my Mechanix gloves. Important safety tip - don't do that. Mechanix gloves have plastic in them, apparently. Oops. Off to Walmart for another pair next week.

You should not use a patch.
I have only shot Minie's out of smoothbores that I use to have.
I can't remember what powder charge I used.
But like all other Boolits , start at 50 gr of 2or 3 f.
Then you will see if that heavier Boolit causes more Kick.
Then work your powder charge up by 10 grains per shot.

Thank you, that's awesome.

Lube them up good, no patch. 60-80 grains, 2/3 f
Anymore you will start to blow the skirts. YMMV

You'll want them sized about .001'' smaller than bore, (land) diameter and lubed with a black powder lube like bee's wax and Crisco or SPG. Avoid any petrol base lube. The bullet should slide down the bore with light finger pressure on the rod and seat firmly atop the powder. Start your powder charge at 40gr. and work up 5gr. at a time, I would say to stop around 70gr. depending on the skirt thickness. You didn't mention what you're shooting them out of, rifles designed for a Burton, (minie) bullet had a rifling depth of around .015'' at the breech and .005'' near the muzzle with fairly slow twist rates, 1:48-1:78.

As far as damage to a live target, look at the casualty's they caused 1861-1865. They behave very much like a soft point .30 from my experience, as the wound channel is almost identical, they shatter bone and do considerable tissue destruction. This is why amputation was so common during the war when a soldier was hit in a limb. A Mississippi soldier wounded in the forearm at Gettysburg related the sensation of being hit with a .58 bullet as like holding one end of a fence rail in one hand and having someone drop the other end on a rock, he lost his forearm.

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Originally Posted by armoredman

The 533-410M (533 Diameter) 410 Grain one, to be specific. The boy and I wanna try them out in our 54 caliber rifles...BUT...we know nothing about Minie balls. Do they load without a patch? What powder charge for a 410 grain bullet? Any special tricks, tips, ideas? Just curious.
B TW, that is one BIG heavy boolit, cast today by me of soft lead, wonder what kind of evil mess it could make hunting.
Oddly enough, the mold dropped easily hot or cold, but it took a while to heat up. Once it did, it worked great, never got stuck. I couldn't find my casting gloves, first time I've cast since the move and divorce...so I used my Mechanix gloves. Important safety tip - don't do that. Mechanix gloves have plastic in them, apparently. Oops. Off to Walmart for another pair next week.

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Are you shooting them in a Thompson Center Hawkins?

With a rifled bore, I like to have a little resistance when loading them.

Mine is a TC Renegade, his is highly customized Kit Carson left hand. I have Bore Butter

All you can do is try it. I don't know the twist rate in a Renegade, maybe 1:28? Nor the depth of the rifling, so try it and report the results.

That Renagade is 1:48.
Which should be fast enough for that heavier Boolit.

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Originally Posted by armoredman

Mine is a TC Renegade, his is highly customized Kit Carson left hand. I have Bore Butter

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The only problem I had in my TC was that the bullet wasn't a tight fit, was afraid it would slide out if the muzzle was pointed down toward ground.So I paper patched a few and it worked great.