What ball size for Rifle 44 CAL

rhr1956 · Mar 9, 2025

I'm brand new to the black powder community and looking for a better understanding of ball sizing. My 44 CAL rifle muzzle measures .438.
44 CAL balls I've seen online measure either .433 or .457, depending on brand. By the time a patch is added both will be larger than the bore. I don't want to get something that's too big or too small. I did find a website called "Track of the Wolf" that sells balls in many graduating sizes. Any advice or enlightenment is much appreciated.

Phil Coffins · Mar 9, 2025

.430” or there abouts, it’s not critical as you vary the patch thickness to match your needs.

Grenadier1758 · Mar 10, 2025

@rhr1956, I am assuming that the measurement of 0.438" is the land-to-land measurement at the muzzle. If so, then @Phil Coffins suggestion of a 0.430" or even a tight fitting 0.433" ball will fit when using a lubricated thin 0.012" or 0.010" patch. This will be tight enough that a short starter may be needed for loading.

If that's the groove diameter, then a ball that measures 0.005" to 0.010" less than the land-to-land diameter is needed.

rhr1956 · Tuesday at 1:34 AM

Grenadier1758 said:
@rhr1956, I am assuming that the measurement of 0.438" is the land-to-land measurement at the muzzle. If so, then @Phil Coffins suggestion of a 0.430" or even a tight fitting 0.433" ball will fit when using a lubricated thin 0.012" or 0.010" patch. This will be tight enough that a short starter may be needed for loading.

If that's the groove diameter, then a ball that measures 0.005" to 0.010" less than the land-to-land diameter is needed.

It's a smooth bore barrel.

flconch53 · Tuesday at 10:46 AM

Because you are new I will point out that a .457 ball is for a 44 revolver. They save a little lead off to seal the ball when loading. If your gun is truly a smoothbore I would look for something in the .420 range with a .01 patch

Grenadier1758 · Tuesday at 1:19 PM

rhr1956 said:
I'm brand new to the black powder community and looking for a better understanding of ball sizing. My 44 CAL rifle muzzle measures .438.
44 CAL balls I've seen online measure either .433 or .457, depending on brand. By the time a patch is added both will be larger than the bore. I don't want to get something that's too big or too small. I did find a website called "Track of the Wolf" that sells balls in many graduating sizes. Any advice or enlightenment is much appreciated.

rhr1956 said:
It's a smooth bore barrel.

Being that your firearm is a smooth bored gun and you can only find off the shelf balls 0.005" under the bore diameter, we have to consider how to load it either as a bare ball on wads or nested in a cushion of frayed tow, hemp or jute.

A 7/16" punch will give you the 0.4375" wad or card punched from card stock such as used in breakfast cereal. Two cards over the powder and one over the ball is sufficient for most shooting. Fouling will build up quickly, so the bore will require frequent wiping to control buildup of fouling. Since your gun is percussion, firing a cap on the fired gun occasionally will keep the flash channel clear.

A wad of frayed jute teased out of a few 4" strings can be lightly lubricated so the ball can be nested in the wad. The lubricated wadding will sud ib control of the fouling.

Using wads, a shot hoad can be developed for squirrels and rabbits.

Nice versatile smooth rifle you have.

@Britsmoothy could offer some tips on the use of shot loads for game.

Britsmoothy · Tuesday at 4:42 PM

I like 4-5 thin cards under a ball in my 45. One on top.
Add some lube between them to keep the fouling soft. Nothing else needed.
I'd use 4 or 3f.
A 7/16" leather punch should work out in this barrel.

rhr1956 · Tuesday at 5:55 PM

flconch53 said:
Because you are new I will point out that a .457 ball is for a 44 revolver. They save a little lead off to seal the ball when loading. If your gun is truly a smoothbore I would look for something in the .420 range with a .01 patch

Thank you for that clarification!

Grenadier1758 said:
Being that your firearm is a smooth bored gun and you can only find off the shelf balls 0.005" under the bore diameter, we have to consider how to load it either as a bare ball on wads or nested in a cushion of frayed tow, hemp or jute.

A 7/16" punch will give you the 0.4375" wad or card punched from card stock such as used in breakfast cereal. Two cards over the powder and one over the ball is sufficient for most shooting. Fouling will build up quickly, so the bore will require frequent wiping to control buildup of fouling. Since your gun is percussion, firing a cap on the fired gun occasionally will keep the flash channel clear.

A wad of frayed jute teased out of a few 4" strings can be lightly lubricated so the ball can be nested in the wad. The lubricated wadding will sud ib control of the fouling.

Using wads, a shot hoad can be developed for squirrels and rabbits.

Nice versatile smooth rifle you have.

@Britsmoothy could offer some tips on the use of shot loads for game.

Thank you very much. That all sounds like good info. I hadn't realized so much about the contents of a load could be ad hoc like that.

flconch53 · Tuesday at 7:06 PM

Grenadier1758 said:
Being that your firearm is a smooth bored gun and you can only find off the shelf balls 0.005" under the bore diameter, we have to consider how to load it either as a bare ball on wads or nested in a cushion of frayed tow, hemp or jute.

A 7/16" punch will give you the 0.4375" wad or card punched from card stock such as used in breakfast cereal. Two cards over the powder and one over the ball is sufficient for most shooting. Fouling will build up quickly, so the bore will require frequent wiping to control buildup of fouling. Since your gun is percussion, firing a cap on the fired gun occasionally will keep the flash channel clear.

A wad of frayed jute teased out of a few 4" strings can be lightly lubricated so the ball can be nested in the wad. The lubricated wadding will sud ib control of the fouling.

Using wads, a shot hoad can be developed for squirrels and rabbits.

Nice versatile smooth rifle you have.

@Britsmoothy could offer some tips on the use of shot loads for game.

P

rhr1956 said:
Thank you for that clarification!

Thank you very much. That all sounds like good info. I hadn't realized so much about the contents of a load could be ad hoc like that.

Just checked Track of the Wolf stocks a .424 Round ball. They are from Hornady

Grenadier1758 · Wednesday at 10:56 PM

Oh, @flconch53, with the 0.424" ball we have given @rhr1956 another choice of loading his smooth rifle. With the 0.014" difference between bore diameter and the ball a thin lubricated patch of 0.012" that compresses to 0.007" will work. Of course, so will the use of the wads and nest of tow (jute, hemp or flax fibers). The beauty of a smoothbore is that there are so many variations that will work.

flconch53 · Wednesday at 8:21 AM

Grenadier1758 said:
Oh, @flconch53, with the 0.424" ball we have given @rhr1956 another choice of loading his smooth rifle. With the 0.014" difference between bore diameter and the ball a thin lubricated patch of 0.012" that compresses to 0.007" will work. Of course, so will the use of the wads and nest of tow (jute, hemp or flax fibers). The beauty of a smoothbore is that there are so many variations that will work.

I would like to see a Pic or 2 of this gun.

Grenadier1758 · Wednesday at 9:15 AM

@flconch53, with respect to the issues he is having with the load of shot stuck at the breech, I would also like to see pictures of @rhr1956's smooth rifle. Especially the breech showing the percussion drum(?).

Loyalist Dave · Wednesday at 9:43 AM

rhr1956 said:
It's a smooth bore barrel.

So another option...,

Load your powder, and then a wad or even a balled up piece of tow. THEN a bare ball of .433 diameter, followed by another balled up clump of tow. See how that does out to 50 yards.

THEN... take a few of .433 ball, and on a hard surface such as a cutting board, roll them under a rasp to raise little bits of lead. The load as above, but you should need a short starter to swage the rasped .433 ball into the bore. That rasped ball is now swaged to your bore. Finish loading, and then try that at 50 yards.

Folks will say that a "dimpled" ball flies like a golf ball, but that's not true. What they should be talking about (imho) is a rasped ball, and it only flies well IF it was close enough to the smooth bore barrel diameter that the tiny raised bits need a bit of swaging into the bore when loaded, as far as what I've actually seen. This prevents the ball moving up/down/left/right when fired as it travels to the muzzle.

SAFETY TIP if you use a cutting board, buy a new one at Wally World or some place like that and ONLY use it for rasping ball. One doesn't need trace lead deposited on a kitchen cutting board and then oxidizing and putting lead oxide into your next meal.

LD

Grenadier1758 · Wednesday at 9:51 AM

@Loyalist Dave, this smooth rifle seems to be the same one that @rhr1956 has a load of oxidized shot lodged at the breech that needs to be removed. Perhaps both topics should be combined.

Loyalist Dave · Wednesday at 10:34 AM

Grenadier1758 said:
@Loyalist Dave, this smooth rifle seems to be the same one that @rhr1956 has a load of oxidized shot lodged at the breech that needs to be removed. Perhaps both topics should be combined.

Sorry I missed that part....

Well try my load options once we get your rifle cleared....

LD

rhr1956 · Wednesday at 11:10 AM

flconch53 said:
I would like to see a Pic or 2 of this gun.

Ohio Rusty · Thursday at 9:02 PM

I had a .44 rifle years ago. Lee makes a .429 Roundball mold that worked perfectly in that rifle. you can still find that ball mold on Fleabay.The .440 was too big.
Ohio Rusty ><>

SDSmlf · Thursday at 10:38 PM

rhr1956 said:
I'm brand new to the black powder community and looking for a better understanding of ball sizing. My 44 CAL rifle muzzle measures .438.
44 CAL balls I've seen online measure either .433 or .457, depending on brand. By the time a patch is added both will be larger than the bore. I don't want to get something that's too big or too small. I did find a website called "Track of the Wolf" that sells balls in many graduating sizes. Any advice or enlightenment is much appreciated.

May not be of any interest or help to you, but just picked up a .424” roundball mold (thanks to @flconch53) with the intention of trying some in a .430” diameter rifled barrel with some creative patching. Not sure when I will be casting, but send me a PM if you are interested in a handful of samples to try. Just ask that you cover shipping cost.

Always willing to help someone new to traditional muzzleloading.

What ball size for Rifle 44 CAL

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