No Excuse bullets

[lone hunter]

I shoot a .54 Lyman GP hunter and after hearing good things about the NE bullets I decided to try them. I called him and was advised he made two sizes in .54: .541 and the slightly larger .542. I ordered a box of .541 and he threw in a few .542 to try. I went to load the .542 and when I released the bullet over the barrel it fell to the bottom. When I tipped the barrel downward and gave it a shake the bullet fell out. The same thing happened on my TC Renegade with an Orion barrel. The bullet seemed to fit as it should on my Investarms rifle. I called the owner and he explained that the bullet ridges are the same size, meaning there is no larger ridge that engages the lands. He mentioned that some people use tape to build up the bullet diameter. These are a fine well made bullet and my only reason for posting is to give a heads-up and suggest that when considering these bullets maybe order a sample of both sizes to see if they will work for you. Not criticizing the product or company in any way, wished they worked for me.

 

[TDM]

I’ve never used those but what you experienced is definitely a problem. And I would not think tape would be the solution but others may have had success. Good luck.

 

[SDSmlf]

I shoot a .54 Lyman GP hunter and after hearing good things about the NE bullets I decided to try them. I called him and was advised he made two sizes in .54: .541 and the slightly larger .542. I ordered a box of .541 and he threw in a few .542 to try. I went to load the .542 and when I released the bullet over the barrel it fell to the bottom. When I tipped the barrel downward and gave it a shake the bullet fell out. The same thing happened on my TC Renegade with an Orion barrel. The bullet seemed to fit as it should on my Investarms rifle. I called the owner and he explained that the bullet ridges are the same size, meaning there is no larger ridge that engages the lands. He mentioned that some people use tape to build up the bullet diameter. These are a fine well made bullet and my only reason for posting is to give a heads-up and suggest that when considering these bullets maybe order a sample of both sizes to see if they will work for you. Not criticizing the product or company in any way, wished they worked for me.

Personally have found paperpatching bullets that I have cast and sized to match my bore work better than generically sized purchased bullets, but that is just my experience. NE bullets appear to have their roots in a Keith bullet design, nothing that unique. If you aren’t planning to shoot that many, a great purchase. If you shoot a lot, at some point a mold and sizing die(s) may make sense. I have paid up front and use an adjustable sizing die.

 

[tenngun]

I would think tape would cause no end of problems, that’s interesting

 

[Grenadier1758]

Paper patching would be my recommendation to get that conical bullet to fit in your bore.

 

[hanshi]

I agree. Paper patching will keep the bullet on the powder and provide a good fit in the bore. I've used it before and it cured every ill I had with the rifle.

 

[lone hunter]

May give paper patching a try. Thanks for the input.

 

[ElkStalker]

That is interesting. The company provides a sizing kit for 50cal with the goal of determining the tightest fit possible for your rifle. I wonder why the 54 doesn’t get the same respect….
I really want to try these for my 50 Renegade and Hawken.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I have actually tested no excuse bullets for paper patching. They worked good. I took the lube off wrapped them and sized them. I shot them with 80 gr of pyrodex P.
There is a lot of paper to work with. Try tracing paper and also look for old clothing patterns.

 

[lone hunter]

My concern is keeping things simple with minimal concerns for consistency in adverse hunting conditions. I will probably use up what NE bullets I have in the Investarms and the 430 TC maxi in my others. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[SDSmlf]

I have actually tested no excuse bullets for paper patching. They worked good. I took the lube off wrapped them and sized them. I shot them with 80 gr of pyrodex P.
There is a lot of paper to work with. Try tracing paper and also look for old clothing patterns.

Happen to like the way @Idaho Ron wraps and sizes his paperpatched bullets. I do it about the same and use an adjustable die, but same principle.

My initial attempts at paperpatching were with strips, maybe one, two or three, of paper about bore width laid over the muzzle and a little longer than the projectile as I loaded the gun (I used and still continue to use a slightly oversized felt wad between the powder and bullet). The resulting paperpatch fillled any windage between the bullet and bore, and held the bullet in place. Accuracy was exceptional. Might be something for you to try.

 

[lone hunter]

Thank you for your observations.

 

[morehops52]

Have you tried the 54 maxis available from ML suppliers? I know T/C doesn't make them any more in 54 but my GPH shoots them very well. When I ran out of real T/C Maxis I used others maxis available and they all shot good. The Genuine T/Cs shot just a tad better so I bought the mold and cast up a few 100. They shoot ragged holes at 50 yds. I'm using 90gr 3f and these are 430gr.

 

[lone hunter]

I bought a couple hundred 430 T/C Maxi from Dixie. They seem to shoot the same as the original. Will give them a better workout this week. I shoot the same powder load.