minie fit?

[hocuspocus]

Bought the lee 575 mold, The one that looks like a soup can,just a slight radius at front. Lyman 577 which came out 579 were to big for my PH musketoon. Shot ok but a wrestling match to keep clean. These 575's slide down with no help. Not even the rod and wont hit jack. Its either fit or load. I'm using ny standard 80 grs of goex ff, could the skirt be to thin for this? Or is it the loose fit?

 

[TFoley]

You might try reducing the charge for a start. the British service load for the P.53 Enfield .577 was only two and a half drams - that's around 68gr.

My musketoon, and the two others I know, works very well with 55gr of Go-Ex Fg - I have even shot it with 45gr when introducing beginners to BP long-arm shooting.

You may be blowing the skirt off with your over-large load of pretty fast powder for a slow-moving and large bullet like this one.

OTOP, it may be the design of your bullet - I use the Lyman 575213AA - it replicates the original form of the bullet in most respects and is a 'thumb-down' in the muzzle and a smooth slide onto the powder thereafter.

tac

 

[varsity07840]

Bought the lee 575 mold, The one that looks like a soup can,just a slight radius at front. Lyman 577 which came out 579 were to big for my PH musketoon. Shot ok but a wrestling match to keep clean. These 575's slide down with no help. Not even the rod and wont hit jack. Its either fit or load. I'm using ny standard 80 grs of goex ff, could the skirt be to thin for this? Or is it the loose fit?

If the .579 is too tight, try a sizing die for .578 or .577. The rule of thumb is .001-.002
under bore size. Good lube is important too. I agree that 80 gr is on the heavy side.

Duane

 

[Coot]

I have a Parker Hale 2-band & have used both the Lee 575470m (the "tin can" type) and the Lyman 575213 moulds. Both shoot well AFTER being run thru a 575 sizing die. 55 to 65 grains may well improve your accuracy as well as saving a bit of powder & shoulder.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Bought the lee 575 mold, The one that looks like a soup can,just a slight radius at front. Lyman 577 which came out 579 were to big for my PH musketoon. Shot ok but a wrestling match to keep clean. These 575's slide down with no help. Not even the rod and wont hit jack. Its either fit or load. I'm using ny standard 80 grs of goex ff, could the skirt be to thin for this? Or is it the loose fit?

Very few of us are able to shoot cast bullets " AS CAST". Get the sizing die. Measure your bore diameter, and stop guessing. Then reduce that powder charge. 80 grains can be blowing the skirt, and frankly you are not generating enough velocity to make using that much powder make a difference, either in retained( down range) power, or in a flatter trajector. The condition of the skirt is very important when shooting minies. YOU may get even better accuracy by using an OP wad on top of the powder to seal the gases behind the minie. Try using FFg powder, instead of FFFg powder in that rifle, too. It may also help.

 

[jdstrang]

As others note, 80 grains is too hot for a thin-skirt minie. Lyman says 70 gr. is max, but even that's excessive; 45-50 grains will be more accurate, and will penetrate splendidly.

Most important in all this is the softness of the lead. Minies have to be dead soft. No wheelweights or other hardened lead will be accurate.

The formula? Soft lead. Bullet sized 1-2 thousandths under bore. Good lube. Moderate powder charge. Hit City!

 

[Sherlock]

Duane has it right. Lee moulds are notoriously OVERSIZE. Best results with a minie like that is to use a sizer, use a softer, but not drippy lube, carefully measured charges, as little windage as possible in the ball fit. 40-50 grains will drive a ball plenty fast enough for 100 yard shooting or hunting with accuracy and power. wonky

 

[Thunderchild]

I would recommend that you get the right sizing die for your rifle. Dixie gun works sell a 575 die for about fifteen dollars. If you do not size the bullet it will not be accurate as it could be. As mentioned above the correct size for a mini ball is between .002 and .001 thousands smaller than the lands of the rifle. When sized properly the bullet will drop about half way down the barrel and will need a good tap from the ram rod to seat. Lube is important. I use four parts Crisco and one part bees wax in the winter and one part Crisco and one part wax in summer. The proper lube will help prevent leading of the barrel. I lube my mini balls by dipping a mini ball skirt first into hot wax/Crisco up to the last ring. I let the bullet cool. Then I size the bullet which will remove excess lube. Drop your powder charge to 65 grains. 80 grains will cause bruised shoulders, leading of barrels and lousy accuracy for subsequent shots. Smaller powder charge will propel a 500 grain mini ball enough to kill anything on the contintent and is also easier on your shooting budget.