Bill Large 45 Caliber bbl. Ball diameter ?

[JCB]

Does any one have experience with a Bill Large .45 barrel. I would like to know what patch and ball combo works best.

 

[curator]

The one and only Bill Large .45 caliber round ball barrel I measured was .450 (Lands) and .464 grooves. While Ol' Bill had a great reputation, a lot of his later production did not measure up to it. Apparently as he got older, more and more and more of his works was farmed out to folks that did not share his high standards. Slug the bore for your self to be sure. Drill a hole in an oversize ball, thread a screw into ti that you can remove it with your ramrod and tap it into the barrel. Pull it out and measure carefully. Mr. Large mostly rifles odd number of grooves so measuring is a bit complicated.

 

[Skychief]

I have a rifle wearing one of Bill Large's barrels. As I recall, it shoots tightest with a .445 ball with a spit patch of about .023 thickness.

Incidentally, it's the most accurate rifle I've ever owned.

Good luck, Skychief

 

[JCB]

Thanks for the replys. I contacted a friend of mine who actually knew Bill. He has more than one .45 Large barrels and also recommended a.445 ball. That's where I'll start

 

[Vaino]

How do you load that combo?....Fred

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have a rifle with Bill Large barrel in .44, it is choke bored. I suspect the gun has been shot so much it is closer to .45 than .44 now. I shoot a .445 ball and .015 ticking patch. Loads easily with a ball starter and shoots almost one hole at 50 yards. The strange thing is I have never put a load in it that it didn't like, it shoots everything equally well.