I have a .40 caliber rifle and a few boxes of .395 swaged Hornady round ball. I must not have been paying attention when I purchased them and selected them strictly by caliber rather than diameter. I would swear I had a box of either Speer or Hornady at one time that were.390 diameter. Anyway I used the .395 and a thin patch .010. Felt a little tight so I decided to purchase some 390 or so I thought I was. Seems that both Hornady and Speer don’t make a.390 ball? I’d swear I had a box of .390 when I first bought the rifle. Has that always been the case? There are.390 molds available so I’m going to order a Lee mold So I’m curious why swaged .390 are not available for 40 caliber? Is .395 the preferred ball size for 40 caliber and if so why? Thanks!
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.390 Swaged Round Balls?
- Thread starter Joemolf
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hanshi
Cannon
I no longer have my .40 rifle but I do still have a .390" mold and a .400" Lyman mold. I would have preferred a Lee .395" mold.
Companies make what sells. It would seem there is little to no demand for the .390" moulds.
I have shot a few boxes of hornady .390 swaged RB but now only shoot balls I cast. So yes they used to make them and I shoot both .390 & .395 with .015 & .018 patches.
Thanks all I thought I was dreaming about the.390 so.395 it is.
I shoot .400 cast balls with pillow ticking in my rifle and loads easy and is very accurate.
hanshi
Cannon
Lee sells a .389" mold and what's the difference between .389" and .390" anyway.
Sparkytfl
32 Cal
I wish I could find real 390s too. My Lee 390 mold cast them at about 394 no matter what my temperature was. They're actually 001 bigger than the ones from my lyman 395 mold. Bought two packs of the "389" balls from track, and it turned out they were only 389 if measured from one specific spot. Overall they were more like 395.
Look up how to smooth your crown. It actually makes it easier to use a tight combination compared to having a sharp crown. I was only able to use 010 patches at first, now I can actually use 015 and 018.
Look up how to smooth your crown. It actually makes it easier to use a tight combination compared to having a sharp crown. I was only able to use 010 patches at first, now I can actually use 015 and 018.
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