Minnie-balls in .58

[DannyB]

I've always been a round-ball fan, but I ran across a minnie-ball mold for my .58 and decided to give it a whirl. The mold is a Lee .575 dia., 500 gr. Question is, do you lube these things, and if so, what do you use? :idunno:

 

[David W.]

I've always been a round-ball fan, but I ran across a minnie-ball mold for my .58 and decided to give it a whirl. The mold is a Lee .575 dia., 500 gr. Question is, do you lube these things, and if so, what do you use? :idunno:

I have used everything from crisco to "Old Zip". You choose what you like, but do not shoot them dry.

 

[ozark57]

Might check the twist of your bbl. Minies don't like a real slow twist.Fill the grooves with Crisco, and put a little in the base.

 

[rabjr]

Might check the twist of your bbl. Minies don't like a real slow twist.Fill the grooves with Crisco, and put a little in the base.

The problem with mini's is people try to shoot them out of guns with land/grooves ment for prb. Mini's really meed a wider lands/groove. I have shot mini's out of a 1-96 twist with the right rifling quite well.

Crisco will do but can get quite watery after a while so be sure to wipe and don't use a whole lot.

 

[DannyB]

It's a Euroarms Zouave, and I've seen on this forum where they sport a 1:48 twist.

 

[rabjr]

It's a Euroarms Zouave, and I've seen on this forum where they sport a 1:48 twist.

Does it have 3 wide lands/grooves, which I doubt or does it have rifling you would see on a regular muzzleloader?

 

[SR James]

Also be aware that 60gr FFg is the standard charge for a traditional-style hollow base minnie. Heavier charges can deform the bullet's skirt and cause erratic accuracy. Not to say you can't go above 60gr, but if you start to see flyers, that may be what's happening.

 

[ian45662]

I have an older zoli made zouave and I am not 100% sure on what the rot is but is does have 3 lands and grooves of equal width which is best for minie like swampy said and it does really well with minies but you will have to lube them for best results. By the way 60 grains was the service load but may not be the most accurate. Mine loves only 35 grains of 3f under the lyman 510 grain minie but I am only shooting clay birds with mine.

 

[ResearchPress]

Also be aware that 60gr FFg is the standard charge for a traditional-style hollow base minnie. Heavier charges can deform the bullet's skirt and cause erratic accuracy.

60 grains of musket powder was the cartridge charge for the US Rifled-Musket, but in the UK the service charge was 2.5 drams (about 68 grains). For shooting beyond 100 yards I use a 75 grain charge. I suspect many of the tales of blown skirts may well be the result of poor casting rather than overcharging.

David

 

[BrownBear]

I've always been a round-ball fan, but I ran across a minnie-ball mold for my .58 and decided to give it a whirl. The mold is a Lee .575 dia., 500 gr. Question is, do you lube these things, and if so, what do you use? :idunno:

I've been "sperimenting" with the LEE improved minie. Don't really plan to hunt with it, but wanted to know more about them. Not a religious issue with me.

An easy way to lube them (turned onto it by someone here at the site) is to double coat them with liquid Alox from LEE. Dry to the touch, and easy to handle.

I'm prone to the oversize version, because it fits tight enough that it won't migrate off the powder charge in muzzle down carry. That would be a plus for hunting.

The "improved" design has a wider meplat, a real plus in my experience with cartridge gun hunting with cast bullets in both rifles and handguns. Better yet, it has a heavier skirt and allows heavier powder charges. I shoot mine all day long with great accuracy out of three different 58's using 80 grains of Goex 3f or Pyrodex P. No sign of over-expansion of the skirt.

And just to sort between the theoreticians and the shooters, the original guns shooting minies had slow twists. There's nothing in the air or water today that suddenly makes a fast twist mandatory to shoot them accurately, due to their hollow design.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

It's a Euroarms Zouave, and I've seen on this forum where they sport a 1:48 twist.

Well for Pete's sake, that gun was made to shoot minies. You will find casting minies a lot more challenging than casting roundballs and don't waste time, powder and caps shooting any with even the slightest casting flaws.

 

[rabjr]

It's a Euroarms Zouave, and I've seen on this forum where they sport a 1:48 twist.

Well for Pete's sake, that gun was made to shoot minies. You will find casting minies a lot more challenging than casting roundballs and don't waste time, powder and caps shooting any with even the slightest casting flaws.

Well with that twist rate I would say it was made to shoot any .58 conical not just mini's.

 

[David W.]

If you choose a Minie, go for the "improved" Minie, make sure your mould is hot before you start, and throw your first 10 castings back into the pot.