No balls!!!

[Two Feathers]

Howdy folks:
I'm in a quandary?
I'm hoping to shoot my .45 cal. flinter in one of the postal matches, but I need lead round balls? I haven't shot the FrakenFlint since 1977. I have everything but the round balls. If memory serves me correctly, I used to shoot Speer swagged .437" dia. lead round balls with a .015" patch? I'm out of the NOS that I used to use, so I got to looking online. I CANNOT find a .437" round ball anywhere. Am I that far off about about the size? I know my memory ain't what it used to be, but danged, I thought for sure that was it??!! Someone please let me know if I'm that far gone, or are .437" just not made anymore? Thanks.
God bless:
Stoney

 

[exMember]

Should be a .440" round ball Dave. Unless you were using an undersized ball for a little easier reloading?

 

[Two Feathers]

Should be a .440" round ball Dave. Unless you were using an undersized ball for a little easier reloading?

Frontier Gander
 Thanks. Looking back, I believe you're correct? Funny how the mind plays tricks when you get old. OK... NOT funny!!! Thanks again Jon. I wonder why I didn't get a notification when your reply showed up?
Oh... I printed out the Beer Stine target. Now I just need to get off my duff long enough to go shoot it, without freezing?  :ttups:
God bless:
Dave

 

[Buck Conner1]

NO BALLS ???  Good luck brother. hope you find them. 

Would be hell running around looking for your balls, what would the neighbors think ???   :?:   :!:      :Questuon:

 

[Two Feathers]

NO BALLS ???  Good luck brother. hope you find them. 

Would be hell running around looking for your balls, what would the neighbors think ???   :?:   :!:      :Questuon:

Thanks Buck. I appreciate your concern. My neighbors wouldn't even notice, they're too busy soaking in their septic tank...(hot tub.)
I'm sure I'll find balls somewhere? :twisted: I like keeping my posts light.  :cheers:  Hope I didn't offend anyone? If I did, I apologize.
OK... We've beat this to death long enough!  :Beating Muley:
Stoney

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

Stoney, the Ruger Old Army .45 uses  .457 [font=arial, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]round ball. It shaves a bit of lead as it is rammed home, but it is the correct size. I wonder if you mis remembered the size number?[/font]

 

[Two Feathers]

Stoney, the Ruger Old Army .45 uses  .457 [font=arial, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]round ball. It shaves a bit of lead as it is rammed home, but it is the correct size. I wonder if you mis remembered the size number?[/font]

Kentucky Colonel:
  I think the Ruger shave a lead ring to seal the chamber I'm using a patch to do the same thing. I'm not certain that a .457" ball and a .015" patch would fit in the same barrel? With the mental shape I'm in though... anything is possible? I know that .450" is .45 caliber, so I just thought I remembered the ball being .437" which is 7/16" and .013" UNDER .450"  To me it just seemed right, but again...who knows? At my age, it's a miracle that I can remember my skivvy size? OH YEAH...REALLY big?
Remember the story about the little girl who's grandfather couldn't remember how old he was? She said "look in your underwear it'll tell you there." The grandfather said "how?" She said "mine says age 6 and up, so apparently I'm over 6, see what your's says?" Thanks again.
God bless kids:
Stoney

 

[burlesontom]

My 45 is my favorite gun to shoot. I have an old Cabelas Investarm Hawken I built from a kit. I use a Lee RB mold that drops a .440 ball. Thats what I shoot with an .018 pillow ticking patch. I also shoot a Lee R.E.A.L. 450 caliber 200gr conical from its 1/48 twist barrel. It shoots that very well and puts me in 50 caliber RB power range and maybe just a tad more.

 

[Two Feathers]

My 45 is my favorite gun to shoot. I have an old Cabelas Investarm Hawken I built from a kit. I use a Lee RB mold that drops a .440 ball. Thats what I shoot with an .018 pillow ticking patch. I also shoot a Lee R.E.A.L. 450 caliber 200gr conical from its 1/48 twist barrel. It shoots that very well and puts me in 50 caliber RB power range and maybe just a tad more.

burlesontom
Thanks. I always used .015" pillow ticking from "Ames" department store at the time. They're out a business 30 years now, at least here on the East coast?

Now I buy it from the Wally world fabric dept. I don't get it for me, I haven't shot in 40 years. I get it for my Doctor's gun. He wouldn't have a clue if I left it up to him.  :?: He's a great guy, just not a buckskinner. Thanks for your input.
God bless:
Stoney

 

[Mofish]

I've used .45 calibers that I had to experiment with a little but generally find the .445's work better for me. Some prefer the ..440's though and a lot of it depends on patching thickness. Either of these ball sizes should be readily available.

 

[Two Feathers]

I've used .45 calibers that I had to experiment with a little but generally find the .445's work better for me. Some prefer the ..440's though and a lot of it depends on patching thickness. Either of these ball sizes should be readily available.

Mofish
 Thanks. I'm going to take which ever of those sizes that I can get here in my local Gun shop.
Stoney

 

[Mofish]

Had a rainy day around here, and spent part of the afternoon making up some more .495's that one of my rifles like. It doesn't take much to turn out a fair supply of round balls.

 

[Rlsmith]

Mofish I sure wish I knew how to do that I would love to get into casting I only shoot round balls 50 and 54

 

[Mofish]

Check out ebay and places like that for some Lee equipment and you'll find it's pretty reasonable. A couple of their aluminum molds and a bottom pour lead pot and that's all the basic equipment you need to keep you supplied with bullets. A little bit of learning about technique is all you will need. 
I find it to be a good way to spend some time, when you are bored and need something to do. It can actually be a relaxing way to pass the time. Like today, I was sort of stuck in the house because of the rain, so I propped up the garage door and put a fan near me to clear the lead fumes outside and ran probably 300 round balls in about 1 1/2 hrs of goofing around. 
Check it out...it's a neat way to supplement your hobby.

 

[Rlsmith]

Thank you will look in to it

 

[burlesontom]

="Mofish I sure wish I knew how to do that I would love to get into casting I only shoot round balls 50 and 54"

I swore I wou;ld never cast any bullets. I was drawing the line. Ain't gonna do it. Then my dad gave me a hundred pounds of lead. So I did a little reading. Then I bought ONE mold. A Lee 158gr semi WC mold. I used my Coleman camp stove and cast some bullets. I tumble lubed them. Then shot some. Boy Howdy that was cool.

Now I have close to 30 molds. I love casting bullets, balls, conicals and every thing else. And when there was another shortage after the Sandy Hook shooting it never affected me. I have thousands of bullets in reserve. Plus powder, primers, cases and everything else needed to be self sustaining.

Casting is easy. Far easier than you think. And BP stuff is the easiest of all. Go on, get your feet wet. You will never regret it.

 

[Mofish]

Casting is really easy. The hard part for me yesterday is trying to figure out where I put my .62 caliber RB mold ! I have a pretty good bunch of RB's for that caliber already, but with time on my hands and a hot lead pot, thought I'd cast up some more of them too. I never did find the mold, but I know it's around here somewhere.

 

[Buck Conner1]

.....  I propped up the garage door and put a fan near me to clear the lead fumes outside and ran probably 300 round balls in about 1 1/2 hrs of goofing around. 

I use to cast 1,000's of 'shot tower bars' out of original molds every weekend for several years.  Then a new neighbor moves in and saw the fumes one weekend and I got shut down on the spot, the bastard worked for EPA. I got off lucky as they were going to fine me pretty heavy being in a neighborhood with a school nearby.

 

[Mofish]

It's hard to comprehend some of the crap a guy has to live with anymore....9/10's of which makes no  sense. If nothing else in California, just seeing a piece of lead could probably result in you getting sued and accused of hurting someone's eyes. There is no common sense left in this world anymore !