Best .58 Minie Bullet Mold?

[ChadVance]

Who has hand the best interaction with .58 Minie bullet molds.

Baring bore size and weight, I'm looking for my first mold and I want a good one that will last.

I am partial to the Pedersoli, only because I have heard good things and same manufacture as the rifle I'm getting, but I'm new to the casting scene and trying to have a good interaction.

Tahnks

 

[bisleyjohn]

I use the Lyman (5725PH) but I do size them down to .562..

However I am, after two years, still trying to get it right

 

[mooman76]

Most any mould will last a lifetime if you take care of it. I haven't wore out a mould yet and been casting for over 40 years. Some moulds I acquired used.

 

[TFoley]

Lyman were making moulds back when Signore D. Pedersoli was wondering whether to make ice cream or maybe these new fad black powder guns. Also, they cost like they are made of gold.

Still, I'm not one to advise anybody how to spend their money.

 

[nkbj]

Something that minie shooters may find of interest is that in days gone by Lyman made a number of nominally .58 caliber minie designs that had base plug pins of like diameters. The pins were of various lengths and different hollow base geometries but could be swapped from mold to mold. Therefore if you were to purchase two molds you could have four different bullet designs. Purchase three molds and you had more designs to try out than most people would care to fool with.

Those old molds are commonly available as second and third hand equipment. If you only buy the ones with the big diameter pins they will probably be interchangeable. But get to know the differences in how they were manufactured before making your purchases.

Any how, that's just an info tidbit picked up over the years.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Who has hand the best interaction with .58 Minie bullet molds.

Baring bore size and weight, I'm looking for my first mold and I want a good one that will last.

I am partial to the Pedersoli, only because I have heard good things and same manufacture as the rifle I'm getting, but I'm new to the casting scene and trying to have a good interaction.

Tahnks

What I have learned about molds and especially molds for a military rifle in 58 caliber, is to wait until I have the rifle in hand and the bore measured. Now this will be a bitt difficult on your 1861 Springfield since the Pedersoli rifle has three lands so measuring is a bit complicated. Pedersoli recommends a 0.577" mold, so in my opinion, @bisleyjohn's suggestion would result in a Minié ball too small of a diameter to provide accurate on target performance. I suggest an inexpensive digital caliper to measure the diameter of the barrel from the top of a land to the bottom of a groove. Since you have a round barrel, measure from the bottom of the groove to the outside of the barrel. Measure from the top of the land to the outside of the barrel. Subtract the groove measurement from the land measurement to get the groove depth. Subtract the groove depth from the land to groove dimension to determine the land to land diameter. Use that dimension to select a mold and perhaps a sizing die.

Also interaction is not determined just by the particular Minié ball dropped from the mold, but includes the lubrication applied to the grooves as well. The tallow, tallow and bee's wax, oils and bee's wax and a few other somewhat greasy lubes can work well. Plenty of suggestions exist on the Forum. You just need to determine what works best for your rifle, Minié ball and lube.

 

[bisleyjohn]

What I have learned about molds and especially molds for a military rifle in 58 caliber, is to wait until I have the rifle in hand and the bore measured. Now this will be a bitt difficult on your 1861 Springfield since the Pedersoli rifle has three lands so measuring is a bit complicated. Pedersoli recommends a 0.577" mold, so in my opinion, @bisleyjohn's suggestion would result in a Minié ball too small of a diameter to provide accurate on target performance. I suggest an inexpensive digital caliper to measure the diameter of the barrel from the top of a land to the bottom of a groove. Since you have a round barrel, measure from the bottom of the groove to the outside of the barrel. Measure from the top of the land to the outside of the barrel. Subtract the groove measurement from the land measurement to get the groove depth. Subtract the groove depth from the land to groove dimension to determine the land to land diameter. Use that dimension to select a mold and perhaps a sizing die.

Also interaction is not determined just by the particular Minié ball dropped from the mold, but includes the lubrication applied to the grooves as well. The tallow, tallow and bee's wax, oils and bee's wax and a few other somewhat greasy lubes can work well. Plenty of suggestions exist on the Forum. You just need to determine what works best for your rifle, Minié ball and lube.

You are right of course, and, as you say, every rifle is different. However, the military used a .550 patched bullet, I have, this afternoon, made a new sizing die to swage my PH mould bullets down to that as, using them straight from the mould I couldn’t hit a barn from inside! Chadvance, keep researching and let us know how you get on.

I had lots of good advice when I started this thread

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/getting-the-best-from-my-parker-hale.117086/

 

[Grenadier1758]

And you, @bisleyjohn, are also correct. The military was more concerned with getting lead downrange than on target accuracy and any diameter bore that fit the pattern that the ball was sized to be loaded in .

 

[RjSixgun]

Funny story, but years ago the N-SSA had a stake event where a musket team had to shoot a 2x6 in half. Myself and a number of the older guys would load our Minie balls backwards so that it would act like a giant hollow point and bust up that wood fast. With a tight fitting Minie it flew true!! no tumbling or key holing at 50 yards. Others would drill out a mold to make a massive wadcutter and use it just for the event, looked very odd but they too flew very true!
As to what is the "best" mold, Id agree to wait till you have the musket to decide what diameter mold you need. As for Grain weight, each is different but I have found the 500 plus grain minies work best in mine with 45 grains of 3F. You can always size a bullet down but its hard to make a bullet bigger.
Lodgewood sells a large selection of sizers for the minie balls

 

[ZUG]

I prefer a steel mold over aluminum for big bullets. Once the mold heats up it stays at that temperature longer and is more constant in temperature which translates to a better poured bullet.

 

[ord sgt]

I started out with a Lee mould for my Enfield. The minie worked but I could not find the right powder / ball combination for the best accuracy. Then, at a regional shoot, I found a used mould. The former owner had passed on and his wife asked a friend to sell off all of his kit. I could not find the maker's name or mark on the mould but it does throw a nice minie. This one was easy to find the powder/ ball combination. Still don't know who made the mould but by now, I don't care. It will keel those pesky tiles and clay birds.

 

[dave951]

A lot depends on the bore size. Not every mold drops at the named diameter hence the need for a sizer. Quality molds- Moose, Lyman, RCBS, Rapine. Lee molds are not that durable but under some circumstances can make a bullet that shoots rather well. I’m not that hung up on aluminum v iron. In my experience they can both make a quality bullet. There are also a number of bullet profiles to play with.

In my guns, RCBS Hogdon shoots very very well in my Parker Hales. My Colts are partial to the Rapine “Trashcan” and Rapine 580213. My Parkers also shoot the Lee target minie very well. That minie is Lee’s version of the Trashcan but sadly, Lee has discontinued this design in 58cal. None of my guns do particularly well with the Lyman 575213, not that it’s a bad bullet, just that the others shoot better in my guns.

Once you decide on what you’re after, get on the N-SSA board and see if anyone has one that drops at the size you need without gambling that a new one will do what you want.

 

[RjSixgun]

none of mine ever liked the RCBS for some reason

 

[wulf1928]

I USE LYMAN MINI AND ROUND BALL molds 570 rb and 580 mini with a 575 sizer. All my shots are in the ten ring off hand. I have shot
in competition with my Zouave since 1970 and was considered the man to beat. I have targets to prove it. They were during sight
changes....open and peep. I used 55 grs ffg and never cleaned between shots. Even after a match I shot a group using Elephant powder
just to see how it would shoot with a dirty barrel....shot fine. So now, my 75, 58, and 54's are a bit too much for me so I stick with my
45 and 40 Kentucky's......

 

[Oldhickory]

I like a minnie ball that just slightly engages the rifling. Like a RCBS .576 in a minnie rifle designed to shoot .575. First get your rifle and measure the bore. Keeping in mind that the Italians do not produce a progressive depth rifled musket like the originals were.

 

[ChadVance]

What I have learned about molds and especially molds for a military rifle in 58 caliber, is to wait until I have the rifle in hand and the bore measured. Now this will be a bitt difficult on your 1861 Springfield since the Pedersoli rifle has three lands so measuring is a bit complicated. Pedersoli recommends a 0.577" mold, so in my opinion, @bisleyjohn's suggestion would result in a Minié ball too small of a diameter to provide accurate on target performance. I suggest an inexpensive digital caliper to measure the diameter of the barrel from the top of a land to the bottom of a groove. Since you have a round barrel, measure from the bottom of the groove to the outside of the barrel. Measure from the top of the land to the outside of the barrel. Subtract the groove measurement from the land measurement to get the groove depth. Subtract the groove depth from the land to groove dimension to determine the land to land diameter. Use that dimension to select a mold and perhaps a sizing die.

Also interaction is not determined just by the particular Minié ball dropped from the mold, but includes the lubrication applied to the grooves as well. The tallow, tallow and bee's wax, oils and bee's wax and a few other somewhat greasy lubes can work well. Plenty of suggestions exist on the Forum. You just need to determine what works best for your rifle, Minié ball and lube.

Completed my measurements...

So, what I’m looking at is a mould that is a within couple thousandths ”larger” than my .571 measurement.

I will hand size down to just under that, most likely starting at .570, so I’m not compressing the round too much to disturb the skirt, and in order to allow for lube/fowling, and going smaller if needed.

Sound about right on track?

 

[Grenadier1758]

You've got the measurements and I think you are on the right track.

 

[Trot]

Go on Amazon and buy a few plug gauges of different sizes, maybe .575 through .577. I think something is getting mixed up in your measuring. I've had a bunch of rifle muskets and while there is variation in bore size, I have never seen or heard of one that small.

 

[dave951]

I’m with Trot on this one. I haven’t seen one in 570, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Much more common are large bores. I’ve even seen one that was 584

 

[ChadVance]

Go on Amazon and buy a few plug gauges of different sizes, maybe .575 through .577. I think something is getting mixed up in your measuring. I've had a bunch of rifle muskets and while there is variation in bore size, I have never seen or heard of one that small.

Good call, I’ve got a couple other supplies ready for order, range rod, bullet puller, etc. I’ll add a few.

I measures about a dozen times, real careful like due to fear of damaging and come up with just about the same measurement every time. I totally accept that I could be wrong , so befor I order the push threw sizer I’ll invest 12 bucks in some guages .571 and .575, maybe in between.

I did order a couple molds from Dixie:

A traditional 510gr pojrctile
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...me/CA1110+Lyman+Conical+Mould+-+.58+Grain+510
And one I couldn’t find any info on that throws a .575, 500gr
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...ct_name/CA6400+MINIE+BULLET+MOULD+.575+-+500G