Bullet size vs bore?

[07Kingpin]

Tried a search sorry if this has been covered before.

Coming from the smokeless cartridge world if one were choosing a bullet size it would usually be appr .001-.002" over bore diameter.

For example if casting for a pistol with a barrel that slugged at .4525" a bullet sized to .454" would be a good place to start.

What is the correlation in the ML world?

Specifically looking at casting bullets for target shooting in a .50 TC Hawken with a 1:48 barrel.

I see the .490-.495 ball with a patch of xyz" to get a tight fit, what about an actual bullet?

Do people shoot bullets sized to a slugged barrel, is paper patching necessary?

Can you just size/lube the bullet- is that effective?

All shooting will be done off a bench at paper with Vernier type sights- looking for accuracy not hunting with this combo.

Thanks, Matt.

 

[bronko220002]

That's the beauty or mystery of muzzleloader shooting. You never know what will shoot best out of your particular one. Just to show you the extremes, I have one muzzy that shoots a slip fit paper patched bullet super accurately while another shoots a very tight bullet/sabot combo the best.
So as long as you decided you're going to start casting bullets I'd say .001" - .002" over bore diameter is a good start. Be sure to only use pure lead for your casting. If you opt for a custom mold I'd even go .003" over. You can always size them down. An adjustable sizing die is great for getting the perfect diameter for your rifle.

 

[07Kingpin]

Good to know, thanks.

Been looking at different moulds trying to decide which to start with.

 

[45-70]

Tried a search sorry if this has been covered before.

Coming from the smokeless cartridge world if one were choosing a bullet size it would usually be appr .001-.002" over bore diameter.

For example if casting for a pistol with a barrel that slugged at .4525" a bullet sized to .454" would be a good place to start.

What is the correlation in the ML world?

Specifically looking at casting bullets for target shooting in a .50 TC Hawken with a 1:48 barrel.

I see the .490-.495 ball with a patch of xyz" to get a tight fit, what about an actual bullet?

Do people shoot bullets sized to a slugged barrel, is paper patching necessary?

Can you just size/lube the bullet- is that effective?

All shooting will be done off a bench at paper with Vernier type sights- looking for accuracy not hunting with this combo.

Thanks, Matt.

.499would be a good size

 

[HC]

The plain old TC Maxiball s shoot darn good out of some of the TC Hawkens.

 

[edmehlig]

I size the pure lead conicals for my 451 Whites with a 452 Lee sizing die. Still go down very easily with a slight resistance all the way down.

 

[07Kingpin]

Good replies, thanks.

Will be a bit before I can slug the barrel but will do that and report back.

 

[anonymouscowherd]

For my .54 CVA, the Maxi Balls I shoot measure .537 at the base and .547 at the widest part of the cone up front. I got these from Dixie Gun Works, they load easy and are accurate (as accurate as I am with bad irons). Buddy has a .45 and DGWs maxis for him load easy and are fairly accurate as well (bad sights and 20lb trigger pull), I think any commercial offering will be similar.

 

[07Kingpin]

Cool thanks- do you happen to know what your barrel slugs out at?