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Thread: Minie Ball, Act One, Scene One

  1. #1
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    Minie Ball, Act One, Scene One

    I mentioned to everyone here that I cast up some of the Lee 410gr .533 Minie Balls, incidentally the first time I had gotten my lead pot working since the divorce and move. It took some time to knock the rust of the pot and me, but I got a few.



    Yes, none of them look really great, but I consoled myself that the ones cast around firepits during The War Between The States probably didn't look all that much better!

    So, after some adventures in mundane activity, (I tweaked my ankle doing laundry. How stupid is that?), we finally made it out to the firing line!



    Da Boys customized left handed Kit Carson ready to go.



    My T/C Renegade with sling.



    Note - NONE of the pics are of me. Why? Nobody took pictures of me shooting. Simple enough.

    So, let's get started. Clearing caps fired, and loading up with the 78/100 FFG powder from a great buddy. First load of 60 grains, or roughly 45 grains of regular powder. Why? We really didn't have a clear starting point, so that seemed like a good one. BTW, LOADING these things was unreal - with a generous helping of Bore Butter they literally slid down inside the bore. Only two between the two of us needed any help. I saw that paper patching idea, might do that next time. That Bore Butter is some weird grease...



    Um...oops...



    Is rifle? Is not rifle...



    Well, it seems that the boolit drop at 50 yards with that powder equivalent was...astounding. I did a dead center hold on the target and the boollit dropped right at the target's feet. Might need to bring that up a skosh. OK, so 70 grains.



    A HIT!



    That would be great if it was the start of something wonderful and grand...but alas, it was not. We switched off, he fired one, I fired one, and between the two of us we fired ten slugs before calling it a day. We hit the target once. I tried playing with my adjustable sights and Da Boy tried adjusting the charge, from 70 t 80 and back. I was consistently over the top, so it's not the powder charge this time. No problem, I have the paper target stand, we'll just put up some paper at 25 yards and...I forgot the backing. Double whops. I blame it on my laundry ankle. I consoled myself with some shots from a 4 inch Smith...and hit the steel 5 out of 6 times with iron sights at 50 yards...gee, what does THAT say?
    Like I told the kid - a bad day at the range beats a GREAT day at work, and he enthusiastically agreed. Hah, what does HE know about work? Hah, I say. But we both have that fighting spirit, and we will come back down and we will make this work.
    BTW, so how DO you paper patch...?

    Say tuned for "Act One, Scene Two", or, "Big Honking Boolit Misses Steel Again!"

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Idaho Ron has You tube videos on paper patching.
    Look them up.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    Cool. thank you!

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master
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    yeah, if they slid that easy, there was no way to do accuracy. I know your boy can shoot. I remember the last video. I never had any luck with that mold. I should have paper patched. I bet you'll be "on target" when you patch 'em up. Maybe even powder coat - ? -

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master


    GregLaROCHE's Avatar
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    It’s a good idea to put a mark on your ramrod to know that the boolit has been seated at the very bottom of the bore. With fouling you can think you’ve rammed it all the way down when you haven’t. That can be dangerous.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    That's actually one thing we never ever take for granted - the rod always goes in regardless of whether it slid in or not, and always does the bullet bottomed out bounce before we go any further.
    Yes, he can shoot, so we will try paper patching next time. On the other hand, any time shooting, even when we are learning, is fun. Thanks for all the good suggestions!

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy
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    I shoot minies in Civil War competition shooter all the time. Ditch the bore butter. Try beeswax/lard with a touch of lanolin added. Melt, dip lube the rings only.

    Yeah, I think it might work, not like I haven't been experimenting a bit.....

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  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    "the rod always goes in regardless of whether it slid in or not, and always does the bullet bottomed out bounce before we go any further." Is this the procedure where one pulls the rod about half way up bore and then slings it down looking for a good bounce up off load? My father was taught and thought that this was the way, even as a small child it bothered me to watch. When older I brought one of those CO2 contraptions along one day and the old round ball was pushed out, been a while but I think I remember the word "WOW". Probably a brass non mating surface SLAMMED off center into the nose or radius of a soft lead projectile, distort, gouge, smear, rotational axis disortion, blah, blah, blah? A wooden ball was found and was drilled with two holes, one fit rod end and other was for the lanyard. Clean bore first push on clean rod, seat charge and mark with masking tape with about a wrap or two on muzzle line. hard core never going to change scribe a line, hard to beat a visual. Sorry if a rant, just a decades old (my) issue triggering topic but consistency is one of the chores required in the accuracy game.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    I agree with you Gtek about the Bouncing the rod damaging or Denting the projectal
    But it does not make enough deformation for most shooting.
    But you are right.
    If you are trying to get consistant MOA accuracy.
    Then mark your ramrod and press on the project Al slowly with consistant pressure down to the line.
    But if you change your powder load or projectals , your line is only near your seating depth.
    One bounce of the ramrod does not do much more damage to the projectals then seating the ball.
    But I don't sit there and Bounce the ramrod several times like it is a slide hammer.
    That will mush a seated Boolit nose or dent the ball.
    Last edited by LAGS; 11-20-2022 at 12:58 PM.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    The Lee "improved" mini has a thicker skirt. You need a stout charge to open them up.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master omgb's Avatar
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    Minnies are tricky. Sometimes they work, and sometimes no. It helps to weigh them and to size them. It also helps to lube without Bore Butter. That stuff is OK for round balls but not really jake with Minnie balls. I use a mixture of bee's wax, lanolin and castor oil. I just dip the rings. It doesn't take much, and the stuff stays put until fired, even in hot weather. You may not get6 great accuracy with that TC. They usually have a 1/48 twist which is faster than a traditional Minnie twist. In the end, you will likely find that either RBs or the Maxie Ball shoot best in your gun. BTW, CW minnies were swaged not cast. Part was to speed production, but part was to avoid the dreaded "void". The English swaged entirely, and they had the best musket ammo of all.
    Last edited by omgb; 11-20-2022 at 03:12 PM. Reason: update
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  12. #12
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    Interesting info so far. I don't really have the capability of making the mixes suggested here yet. I had a feeling we didn't have a heavy enough charge to blow her skirt out, will do that next time as well.
    I do have to comment - we don't slam the rod down to make sure it's seated, just enough to make sure it is all the way down. We don't want to take the chance of ruining a seated ball, and I certainly don't want to take the chance of breaking that rod!

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by omgb View Post
    Minnies are tricky. Sometimes they work, and sometimes no. It helps to weigh them and to size them. It also helps to lube without Bore Butter. That stuff is OK for round balls but not really jake with Minnie balls. I use a mixture of bee's wax, lanolin and castor oil. I just dip the rings. It doesn't take much, and the stuff stays put until fired, even in hot weather. You may not get6 great accuracy with that TC. They usually have a 1/48 twist which is faster than a traditional Minnie twist. In the end, you will likely find that either RBs or the Maxie Ball shoot best in your gun. BTW, CW minnies were swaged not cast. Part was to speed production, but part was to avoid the dreaded "void". The English swaged entirely, and they had the best musket ammo of all.
    the 48 twist is just about ideal for that particular style of minie - we shot them in a 66 twist CVA years ago but needed a stompin powder charge and was not fun at all. Much more fun would be had and easier with a round ball I think.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    True, but I'd hate to waste the money on the mold...besides, would this be a good choice for deer?

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by armoredman View Post
    True, but I'd hate to waste the money on the mold...besides, would this be a good choice for deer?
    yeah if you get it workin so you hit him --how much better than a round ball from the same gun is probably kinda academic tho??

  16. #16
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    OK - I don't know. I haven't had a successful deer hunt yet.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by armoredman View Post
    OK - I don't know. I haven't had a successful deer hunt yet.
    I never shot them - we have kangaroos to keep our panel beaters in work - but I reckon either ball or minie from a 54 will likely go clear through anything short of an Elk

    or maybe not ? if its 48" twist you proly cant push a ball as hard as in a slower twist (66" or 72")

  18. #18
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    Hmm, is kanga good eatin'?

  19. #19
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    GregLaROCHE's Avatar
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    Another reason marking the ramrod is it will give you a heads up if you dry balled or double charged it.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by armoredman View Post
    Hmm, is kanga good eatin'?
    city people eat em - taste goes toward lean beef

    I used to take the back legs for dog food and often get these big white worms living in the major blood vessels - kinda put me off

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check