.354 Balls alternative

[The Virginian]

Hi,
I'm awaiting delivery of a Pedersoli Frontier, .36 Percussion. The Pedersoli Manual states a .354 ball with a .010 Patch. I'm experienced in BP Revolvers, just learning the Musket Discipline. Can't seem to find any .354 Balls.... Is there any Buckshot sizes that would match? Or does anyone have any sources here in the US. My Web searches have been turning up foreign sources for the Pedersoli .354's.

Thanks in advance.... Newbie

 

[dave61965]

I shoot a frontier .36 flint, Hornady .350 ball .018 patch, 20 grains of 3f, squirrel head accurate for me, welcome to the forum.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Try Hornady 000 buckshot. It is .350" and many report great luck with it in their .36s and is very cheap.

 

[Zonie]

Welcome to the forum.

Usually, a patched ball will be .005 to .010 smaller than the bore of the gun. This makes room for the cloth patch the ball is placed on before it is rammed into the bore.

That makes a .350 diameter ball the one most commonly used in a .36 here in the USA.

The .354 diameter is almost exactly 9mm and with the Pedersoli made in Italy that would be the size they would naturally suggest.

.350 diameter lead balls are available from several places here in the US.

Track of the Wolf comes to mind so here is a link to their site and to the balls they offer.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/127/1

Track of the Wolf or, TOW as we often call it here has gobs of muzzleloading things you might want to check out when you visit that site.

Included some things you might want to look at is a brass cleaning jag to screw onto your ramrod so you can clean the barrel after you've shot it.

As for buckshot, my information says a 00 Buck is .340 diameter which would need a really thick cloth patch to seal the bore.

The 000 Buck is .360 diameter which doesn't leave any room for the cloth patch.

Also, as you may know, soft lead is the key to very accurate shooting in a muzzleloader shooting a patched ball.
Most, if not all buckshot is hardened lead.

 

[The Virginian]

Thanks Jim,
That's the Direction I was heading, but not having long gun experience thought it prudent to ask around. I am aware of and do Business with TOW and The Possibles Shop with my Revolver stuff.

Look forward to learning here.

Thanks,
John

 

[The Virginian]

Thanks Much....

 

[The Virginian]

Thanks everyone for the quick response and help.

 

[Billnpatti]

I have, for years, used Hornady 000 buckshot with a .015 patch lubed with Bore Butter in my .36 cal. rifle. The 000 buckshot is cheaper than buying ready cast balls and it works just fine in a .36 cal. rifle. You may have to fiddle with the patch thickness and powder charge to get a load that your rifle likes.

 

[Tom Compton]

I have a .355 mold made by Green Mountain. Might be others out there.
TC