lyman 500294 minnie ball

[1853enfield]

I was digging around in my bullet moulds and found that I had a Lyman 500294 Minnie bullet mould. I have found the bullet listed but it is not listed as a hollow base bullet. I am positive it is an original Lyman mould by the way it is made. it casts a real nice looking bullet from pure lead, and weighs right at 360 gr. I plan on shooting some soon as I cast enough to give it a workout. it will slide down the bore of my tc rifle but it has less clearance than any other Minnie I have ever seen. actually it looks more like a hollow base bullet than a Minnie ball. whatever it is I am going to give it a try next time I make it to the range. I am thinking starting at around 45 gr. of black powder and working up a bit. not interested in power as long as it will penetrate both sides of a piece of paper. anyone else ever shot or seen this bullet or mould?? 1853 enfield aka joe.

 

[Rifleman1776]

it will slide down the bore

I worry about those bullets that slide down a bore. They can also slide back out, or part way and create a dangerous condition. They should engage the rifling and require some pressure to seat. Even then many will slide back when the muzzle is pointed downwards. RB only for this old boy.

 

[1853enfield]

ok I didn't make my self clear on what I was asking. first of all I to don't want a bullet to slide off the powder charge. now that I have gotten to old and crippled to go hunting I mostly bench rest shooting with a bit of offhand thrown in. I have no fear of the bullet sliding forward as I load and shoot within a short time. my question is and was has anyone shot the above bullet or had experience with Minnie balls in 50 caliber. I am thinking I would start at around 45 gr. as I just need enough power to get to the target and go completely through a sheet of paper. it seems that a question cant be asked without someone finding fault.

 

[Zonie]

Just eyeballing the Lyman data it looks like your 45 grain powder load will push that bullet downrange at about 800 fps.

That is pretty feeble for any hunting but it sure should poke some holes in the paper target.

If you shoot these bullets with that load, watch for signs of keyholing.

That slug looks to be over twice as long as its diameter so it is going to need spinning at a fairly high speed to stabilize it.

If you see some elongated holes in the target try increasing the powder load. The faster it goes, the faster it will spin (and the harder it will kick).

 

[1853enfield]

I hadn't thought about the twist rate being wrong. one time I was shooting my sharps 45-70 with pyrodex rs and every bullet hit the target sideways. I never could figure out how the bullet knew to hit that way every time. you would think once in a while the bullet would hit nose first or some other way but all looked the same. as I have gotten older I find that I don't need recoil that jars the teeth to have a good time. I shoot mostly cast bullets in everything from 25 acp to 458 Winchester mag. and charcoal burners from 36 caliber to my 1853 enfield. I have a 40 caliber flintlock that I should take delivery of in about a week. I know nothing about flintlock rifles so I have a bit to learn. darn there is not enough time to shoot all I want to.

 

[nkbj]

1853enfield,
A hollow base 500294 was perhaps a special order and maybe from Ideal before lymans took over. Bet it would be the cats meow in a Green Mountain drop-in LRH barrel.
Please let us know how it works out. With a shuttlecock design, even that elongated, you just don't really know until you try. Wouldn't it be something if it worked OK!