correct ball size for .44 revolver

[Dave H]

I just received my first cap & ball revolver for christmas. I'ts a Cabelas .44 cal 1851 brass frame navy revolver. The Cabelas booklet that came with it says to use a .451 ball, the Pietta booklet says .454 . Does it matter which size I use, will one work better than the other ?
Thanks for the help...Dave

 

[longfowler]

I've got a couple of cap & ball guns-one pietta 1860 army,one old cva walker,and an old brass framed 1860 army that I can't recall the maker of. I use .457 ball in all of them with no problems.I think the tighter fit is better, but your gun may be different. put 30 grains of 3f in that pietta and go have some fun, you won't be dissapionted!mine shoots better than my colt .45

 

[Musketeer]

Welcome, pilgrim. :grin: Different guns prefer different balls. My two Uberti .44 revolvers like .454 balls. The .451's fit a bit looser, though I don't notice any accuracy difference since I only shoot my cap and ball revolvers at close range. The .454's just seem to "feel" better when I'm loading them, due to the slightly snugger fit. Piettas may like the .451's better, I'm not sure. You could experiment with both sizes and see if you notice any difference, though they both should work okay.

 

[jdixon]

Like the other post here stated, I have used .457's (the receommened ball size for a Ruger Old Army) in a Uberti Walker which has a recommended ball size of .451. I checked the Dixie Gun Works catalog, in there the recommended ball for the Pietta .44 is the .451. For my money, I would start with that first and see how it works. Unless you have trouble with the ball holding fast in the chamber after seating, I would stick with that size. Regardless of the size you use, once you force it into the chamber it will be the same calibre, you will just shave more lead with the larger rounds. By the way, welcome to the forum - you cmae to the right place for answers.

 

[Dave H]

Thanks for the help everyone..I was leaning toward using the larger size ball so I will start with that. I have another question, is there an advantage to using a felt wad over the powder rather than sealing the cylinder with lube?

 

[JackAubrey]

Hello Mr.Dave H,I have several .44 cal. cap and ball revolvers made by Pietta and purchased from Cabelas.The 1860 Colt Army and the 1858 Remington do well w/ .451 R.B.My dragoons and Walker prefer .454.The key is that the ball be oversized enough to shave a thin lead ring from the ball when the ball is seated into the chamber and that the projectile does not impede the rotation of the cylinder.As long as you are shaving a ring, .451 should do quite nicely.May I suggest a lubed wool felt wonder wad between the powder and ball.This is a better solution that the old grease smeared on the front of the cylinder to prevent chain fires.Much less messy,believe me!Hope this helped.Best regards and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours,J.A.

 

[jdixon]

Yes - they will help with fouling if they are soaked in Bore Butter or some other similar compound. Biggest advantage is as insurance against chain fire incidents.

 

[Don]

Dave,
My Pietta's prefer the .451 balls but I have an ASM that does better with the .454 ball because it shaves a better ring of lead for a more air tight fit. I also have a few brass framed revolvers and I load them with 25 or less grains of pyro P. Full 30 grain loads will wear the brass frame more and it will shoot loose sooner. According to lyman's loading manual 22 to 25 grains of powder will give you plenty of velocity and foot pounds pressure for most applications. If you go by the Taylor KO scale a cap and ball revolver has the same power as a .38 special loaded with a light charge of 22 to 25 grains of powder. In my steel frame guns I can load them with full powder charges and be confident that it won't hurt the gun.

Enjoy,

Don

 

[Dave H]

thanks again everyone.. after thinking a little more and listening to your advise I will get some of the .451 balls and felt wads. I realize that the brass frame is not as strong as the steel frames and will load accordingly. I have a good amount of experience with single shot pistols and rifles but this is my first revolver. I chose it to use as a learning tool, and with everyones help, will be looking forward to collecting and shooting many more.. thanks again