Brass cartridge loading question

[kh54]

I know - brass cartridges on this forum?? But I'm asking about those that are OK to discuss here such as the Burnside and Maynard carbines that required a conventional musket cap to fire. Sharps, of course, used paper cartridges and I use the plastic or nylon cases in my Smith. I think there are modern brass equivalents available for both but I'm not interested in using those in my Sharps and Smith carbines. There might be others out there that I am not aware of but I doubt my collection will expand to include others.

I have only loaded modern ammo on my friend's four-stage press after he had already sized and lubed bullets, so I don't have any experience to know how to size a bullet to press into a brass case. I have only hand-loaded bullets that just happened to fit well my Burnside and Maynard cases but I bought those. I have molds to cast my own but the bullets are too large to thumb press into the cases. So here's the question: What should the bullet size be in relation to the mouth of the case? Should it be exactly the same or should the bullet be smaller, and if so by how much? Remember, this is not for machine loading. I'm not that sophisticated.

Thanks for any guidance y'all are willing to give!

 

[mtfishn]

I know - brass cartridges on this forum?? But I'm asking about those that are OK to discuss here such as the Burnside and Maynard carbines that required a conventional musket cap to fire. Sharps, of course, used paper cartridges and I use the plastic or nylon cases in my Smith. I think there are modern brass equivalents available for both but I'm not interested in using those in my Sharps and Smith carbines. There might be others out there that I am not aware of but I doubt my collection will expand to include others.

I have only loaded modern ammo on my friend's four-stage press after he had already sized and lubed bullets, so I don't have any experience to know how to size a bullet to press into a brass case. I have only hand-loaded bullets that just happened to fit well my Burnside and Maynard cases but I bought those. I have molds to cast my own but the bullets are too large to thumb press into the cases. So here's the question: What should the bullet size be in relation to the mouth of the case? Should it be exactly the same or should the bullet be smaller, and if so by how much? Remember, this is not for machine loading. I'm not that sophisticated.

Thanks for any guidance y'all are willing to give!

The first question should be what is the diameter of the barrel. Most will recommend a bullet .001 to .002" larger than the groove diameter of the gun. With pure lead you may get away with a bullet the same diameter as the barrel. The bullets (if needed) can then be pressed through a sizer/lubricator made by Lyman or RCBS with a die for the correct finished diameter. The brass cases should be somewhat flared at the mouth allowing you to start the bullet in the case mouth to avoid catching the edge of the brass on the bullet and screwing up a good case. If there is too much tension as you seat the bullet, a different expanding button may be needed in your expanding die.