Looking for .58cal Flintlock barrel experience

[roundball]

I have a GM .58cal Flint barrel with their standard square bottom grooves, I think .012".
A Hornady 570" with .018" pillow ticking is my normal P/B combo giving an excellent snug fit requiring a short starter...not a problem as I use them all the time. A .575" will also fit but requires some real moxie on the short starter to get it started...I mean "hand hurting kind of moxie" after starting 50 of them during a range session.

With a new Rice .58cal Flintlock barrel due in here soon with .016" round bottom grooves, I'm curious to know if anyone has gone throiugh a .58cal square bottom to round bottom groove configuration, and if so what if any patch/ball combination changes you might have had to make?

For example, if I switched to a deeper groove square bottom groove barrel, I would expect I might need to use a larger ball or thicker patch to compensate.
BUT...are the deeper .016" grooves basically just something unique to the round bottom groove design and yet still allow the same P/B combo to work as well as it does in the GM barrel.....or should I expect that .575" balls would become the norm instead of the .570"s I normally use in the GM square bottom groove barrel.

 

[mazo kid]

Sorry, don't have the info you are looking for. But...I am getting a swamped Rice in 58 cal (Jason said about mid-March or thereabouts) with the round grooves. It is my understanding from looking at their website that .018" patches will be the norm. Don't know about ball size; I have two moulds that size, .562", a Lyman and Lee, so hope I will be able to use one of them. Haven't cast any from the Lee mould, but they usually run a little smaller. Guess time will tell. I'll be watching here for further enlightenment. Emery

 

[rabjr]

I can't see you having any problem loading that. I'm using a .570 ball and a .024 patch. In my conned Rice barrel, I can load in a clean barrel only using my ramrod. Not easy by no means but not that difficult either. Once I get it started the ball loads nice. I may get a second one down without swabbing but thats about it if I don't swab and I need a starter. The lube (grease) I use is really for hunting and not intended for long range sessions. I think with a wetter patch lube I may be able to load more than I can now. But I don't see you having much of a problem with your combo.

 

[roundball]

"...from looking at their website that .018" patches will be the norm. Don't know about ball size..."

Odd they would list a patch thickness without associating a ball size...unless they're assuming the .570" is the nominal size for a .58cal.

 

[roundball]

"...from looking at their website that .018" patches will be the norm. Don't know about ball size..."

Odd they would list a patch thickness without associating a ball size...unless they're assuming the .570" is the nominal size for a .58cal.

Yes, that's what it is...their chart is based upon ball size being .010" below bore, so .570's with .016" to .018" patches are suggested for their round bottom...they call them radius...grooved barrels.

 

[texcl]

I'm having my virginia rifle built with a c weight .58 from rice, from the looks of it I'll have to invest in a .570 mould all I have now is a .562, I'll try different patches 1st I guess. The rifle should be done in the next month or so.

 

[Many Klatch]

My .54 barrel is a round bottom grooved barrel from Getz. It shoots clean and accurately. I recommend that you get a few different sizes of ball and patches before you buy a mold. The round bottom grooves seem to like .015 spit patches in my barrel.

Many Klatch