Best projectile diameters

[SLOTHEAD]

So I’ve heard a great deal of various numbers for .36 and .44 bullet/ball diameters, and am curious if there is some chart or organized collection of data that helps unravel what is the “best” projectile diameters that seal the chambers and effectively engage the barrel rifling without experimenting with order after order (and delay after delay) of increasing sizes to find the best size. Thanks for any recommendations. Tom KC3QAC

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I shoot .375 in my .36's and .454 or 457 in my .44's

 

[ord sgt]

.451 in my .44 Colt. A friend swears by .454 in his Remington. But he had all the chambers of the cylinder reamed to the same size.

 

[45D]

I always use .452 !!

Mike

 

[TreeMan]

I shoot .457 in all my 44s. If your roundballs are pure soft lead it doesn’t hurt a thing if they are a bit oversized. It just shaves a bit more lead. In my opinion conicals are a waste of time and money. I haven’t shot a conical yet that is more accurate than a roundball.

 

[JHB]

Go to Harbor Freight and purchase a vernier caliper. Measure the holes in the cylinder and purchase roundballs .002 to .004 larger in diameter.

 

[Blackpowderwarrior]

I keep it simple and use .457 in all my 44’s and .380 in all my 36’s.

I had my stainless steel ASM 1860 army chambers reamed to .456
In that gun only I use a .464 roundball

 

[TDM]

.454 in my 44s. .380 in my Uberti .36 and .375 in my Pietta.36s.

 

[Bullit]

I shoot .375 in my .36's and .454 or 457 in my .44's

Ditto

 

[SLOTHEAD]

Thanks for illustrating my point guys.

Ditto

Thanks guys

 

[Super_Trouper]

.375 or .380 balls for Uberti .36 cal pistols, and I use Colt conicals with a .380 belt.

.454 Balls or Johnston & Dow conicals for the .44 pistols.

 

[SLOTHEAD]

Where are Johnston and Dow conicals acquired? (In the meantime I’ll Google)

 

[Super_Trouper]

Where are Johnston and Dow conicals acquired? (In the meantime I’ll Google)

There's a few vendors out there. I use Gimcrack & Bunkum | Gimcrack & Bunkum

He makes a lot of period correct bullets and cartridges.

 

[SLOTHEAD]

Thanks super_trouper. I just ordered a box of 50 from Cartridgekits.com. I also ordered a box of 50 .45 cal triple seven powder pellets from Cabela’s and was shocked that the special shipping charge was almost as much as the product for shipping from a location an hour from my home (obviously hazmat charge). I chalk these costs up to “education” so I’m distributing that education to you all (for what it’s worth - please ask any questions you might have). A follow-on question I’m going to have eventually is: can I trim the triple 7 pellets to lesser charges ? (The original pellet size is the equivalent of 50 grains, but I may want to reduce that.)

Later, Tom KC3QAC

 

[Super_Trouper]

Yeah Cabela’s slaps on a 24 dollar hazmat charge on powder, primers, etc.

As far as pellets, I’ve never used them. I stick with black powder. I’ve used pyrodex powder in the past but you can’t clean your firearm fast enough to stop it from corroding so I don’t use it if I can help it.

 

[SLOTHEAD]

There's a few vendors out there. I use Gimcrack & Bunkum | Gimcrack & Bunkum

He makes a lot of period correct bullets and cartridges.

Just looked at the Gimcrack and Bunkum page, lots of interesting stuff there. That guy/guys have a good imagination!

 

[Blackpowderwarrior]

50 g

Thanks super_trouper. I just ordered a box of 50 from Cartridgekits.com. I also ordered a box of 50 .45 cal triple seven powder pellets from Cabela’s and was shocked that the special shipping charge was almost as much as the product for shipping from a location an hour from my home (obviously hazmat charge). I chalk these costs up to “education” so I’m distributing that education to you all (for what it’s worth - please ask any questions you might have). A follow-on question I’m going to have eventually is: can I trim the triple 7 pellets to lesser charges ? (The original pellet size is the equivalent of 50 grains, but I may want to reduce that.)

Later, Tom KC3QAC

50 grain pellets are mainly for rifles or dragoon/walkers

 

[SLOTHEAD]

50 g

50 grain pellets are mainly for rifles or dragoon/walkers

Agreed, and why I’d like the ability to trim as needed.

 

[Stantheman86]

Agreed, and why I’d like the ability to trim as needed.

They have a "kicker" for ignition on the end so trim the other side

 

[SLOTHEAD]

They have a "kicker" for ignition on the end so trim the other side

How is the “kicker” identified?