50cal Roundball Casting

[jdouglas70]

Want to start casting my own .50 cal roundballs. Need to know the best size combo that will work best with a 39" 1:48 twist barrel. Wanted opinions of which combo of patch and ball size that works best with this barrel.
Also what mold do you recommend. Lee, Lyman or etc.
Thanks in Advance....

 

[cayugad]

For roundball I would go with a .490 or .495 what ever shoots best out of your rifle. In my .50 calibers I shoot the .490 diameter ball.

I personally use the LEE double mold. Spend the extra and get the double ball mold. It makes ball making lot faster. The reason I use the LEE is they heat up fast, they produce an excellent quality ball most of the time, they leave a very short spur, and the starting cost of the mold is very reasonable. I have one LEE roundball mold I bought twenty years ago (approx) and it still works fine. I am sure the Lyman and others are better built, but for the difference in cost, I can buy two LEE molds for one of theirs.....

 

[brushbuster]

For roundball I would go with a .490 or .495 what ever shoots best out of your rifle. In my .50 calibers I shoot the .490 diameter ball.

I personally use the LEE double mold. Spend the extra and get the double ball mold. It makes ball making lot faster. The reason I use the LEE is they heat up fast, they produce an excellent quality ball most of the time, they leave a very short spur, and the starting cost of the mold is very reasonable. I have one LEE roundball mold I bought twenty years ago (approx) and it still works fine. I am sure the Lyman and others are better built, but for the difference in cost, I can buy two LEE molds for one of theirs.....

and you dont have to buy the handles seperately.with lee they come with the molds
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[Big John]

Best thing to do is shoot different sized balls and patch combo's,then decide on your mold size. Or micro. your bore and try .10 under bore size for starters. Either way its a see as you go.You can't go too wrong starting at .490rb/.15 patch and 60gr. of powder.Good luck.

 

[CrackStock]

CB,

The .490/.495 question would depend upon the type of barrel that you own. Some companies make them with a bit different inner diameters than others. There is variance even within some brands.

You can get a few recommendations, but until you load and shoot a size in a particular barrel, it is simply a rough guide.

You must also decide whether you want to have quick loading balls for field use or a pound--them--in target load.

CS