hello to all.i have a Remington type 44.the manual calls for a 451. round ball for which I do have a mould.however I see very little lead shaving when seating a ball.my question is will a 457. be more effective at sealing the chamber?incidentaly I also have this mould.ps. I will be casting pure soft lead.
compatible moulds
- Thread starter robert bw
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The 0.457" diameter ball will be much harder to load than the 0.451" diameter ball. Perhaps a better choice would be 0.454" diameter ball.
Since you have the 0.457" mold, try a round or two. I would recommend that you get one of the cylinder loaders to load that ball as a ball that oversize will be hard on the loading lever, especially for an open top Colt but might be okay for a Remington copy.
Since you have the 0.457" mold, try a round or two. I would recommend that you get one of the cylinder loaders to load that ball as a ball that oversize will be hard on the loading lever, especially for an open top Colt but might be okay for a Remington copy.
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If you are getting lead shaving when loading you are probably doing fine. A .454 will shave a little more lead, but probably not make much difference. I you had written that you had no lead shaved and the ball was loose, I would be worried.
As others have said you can try other sizes, but the .457 will load harder.
I have used both .451 and 454 in most of my revolvers and don't notice much difference. I do have an old Euroarms Rogers & Spencer and .451s are a loose fit in it. I use an over the powder wad, so a chain fire is not a big concern for me and the lubed wad helps keep fouling to a minimum.
As others have said you can try other sizes, but the .457 will load harder.
I have used both .451 and 454 in most of my revolvers and don't notice much difference. I do have an old Euroarms Rogers & Spencer and .451s are a loose fit in it. I use an over the powder wad, so a chain fire is not a big concern for me and the lubed wad helps keep fouling to a minimum.
How are the 451 shooting? If you think you can or it should do better, then by all means give it a try.
I would have suggested a .454" ball as well, especially since pure lead will cast a tad smaller than "impure," i.e., harder alloy. Also, be aware that not all bullet molds, be they roundball, conical, or gas checked (for center fire arms) cast to their marked dimension.* E.g., I have a roundball mold, made by a very reputable manufacturer, marked .451", which didn't shave a ring of lead from my Rem. 1858 Army either. When I cast another batch (pure lead) and measured them with a micrometer, they were only .448" - .449", so it's no wonder that they didn't shave a ring of lead when seated.
*slightly bigger is better than the reverse
*slightly bigger is better than the reverse
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My Lyman .451 drops .453's.
:grin:
They work pretty good in Piettas.
:grin:
They work pretty good in Piettas.
My pleasure, swamp chicken!
GoodCheer said:
That is important to note. It seems, in this game, nothing is ever perzactly, exactly wat it should be. Same with the gun cylinder. What you are experiencing might be different than someone else who owns the same model. However, I will chime in with those who believe the .457" will be too large. An alternative solution might be to get a set of modern pistol bullet sizers (expensive) and try several sizes.
Lee's are 20 bucks and you can custom size them yourself with a drill and sandpaper.
