flintlock pistol ball size

[flintlock al]

I just received a flintlock pistol only visible markings are SPAIN 10 1/4" 15/16 oct barrel appears to be 45.cal looks like a cva Kentucky type, I don't presently have a mic , anyone know what size round balls it takes. a few pics of pistol

 

[Kansas Jake]

i would guess it will take a .440 patched round ball. That is assuming it is a 45 caliber.

 

[Grenadier1758]

If you have a fractional drill bit set, you can get an approximate size.

If you can slide the shaft end of the drill bit of a 7/16 = 0.4375
A 29/64" = 0.4531

If the 29/64" shaft fits, use the 0.440.
If the 7/16" shaft fits then use the 0.433.

 

[No second place]

Simple to get actual bore size. Lube bore with a good grease first. Seat a slightly oversized ball. Use you ball puller to pull the ball now sized to your bore...2ed way use a very oversized ball, 58 cal. works well or just a large piece of lead shaped to fit muzzle. Pound it only part way down. Just pull it out with plyers or vice grip to measure...

 

[flintlock al]

a 7/16 fits so its a .433 ball it will be, thank you very much

 

[Grenadier1758]

And the 29/64 did not?

 

[flintlock al]

And the 29/64 did not?

yes 29/64 wouldn't fit the 7/16 fit with some clearance

 

[Grenadier1758]

You really should get a caliper. Harbor Freight has a 6" digital caliper on sale for $9.99 with their coupon. It gives acceptable results. You will need it to measure bore diameter, ball diameter and patch thickness among other tasks.

 

[flintlock al]

You really should get a caliper. Harbor Freight has a 6" digital caliper on sale for $9.99 with their coupon. It gives acceptable results. You will need it to measure bore diameter, ball diameter and patch thickness among other tasks.

i will pick one up for sure,so in the mean time i can order some .433 balls from track

 

[tenngun]

Shooting off hand in a ‘duelist’ hold at 12.5-25 yards a few thousandth of an inch probably won’t matter to your shooting.
I know I couldn’t hold well enough off hand to see the difference between a .433 and a .440. Maybe from a rest, but not off hand.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Since the 29/64" drill shaft didn't fit a 0.440" ball with a reasonable 0.015" patch would be quite difficult to load. I'm not a fan of thin patching to make the loading easier. Its too easy to tear and shred and get blow by. So in this case, use the smaller ball and reasonable patch thickness sounds better to me. By the way, I can't hold well enough to recommend a very tight ball and patch combo.