Odd caliber...maybe

[AndyJ]

So I finally got my Ultra-High 45 cal flint out to the range today for the first time since I bought it a few weeks back and, to my great surprise and dismay, the 45 Hornady ball would not come close to going down the barrel, even without patching. So after doing a number of mic and calipers checks its comes out to be 0.429-.430. Appears as though it could be a 43 caliber? At this point should I go to the TOTW site and order something like 0.400" or 0.410" balls? Is this as strange as I'm thinking it is?
Thanks

 

[Steel Hayes]

Not strange at all.
My Miroku flint will only take a .429{from TOTW} PRB while the Ultra-Hi percussion{spain marked barrel} will accept the .440 with no problems.

 

[Phil Coffins]

You may want to double check before shopping for ball. A length of rod that slides into the barrel freely and is say one to two feet long can act as a slide hammer. Place it in the oiled bore then put a ball on the muzzle. With a wood or leather mallet tap the ball in to the bore just past the muzzle. Then turn the gun muzzle down and shake the gun so the rod knocks the ball out. Easyier to measure the ball then.

 

[AndyJ]

You may want to double check before shopping for ball. A length of rod that slides into the barrel freely and is say one to two feet long can act as a slide hammer. Place it in the oiled bore then put a ball on the muzzle. With a wood or leather mallet tap the ball in to the bore just past the muzzle. Then turn the gun muzzle down and shake the gun so the rod knocks the ball out. Easyier to measure the ball then.

Thanks guys for the info...Phil...I gave your technique a go and after doing it with 5 samples it came out to be 0.44...what size ball aught I to be looking for? maybe a .424 or .410? Something I learnded, the hard way , quickly was to be sure and put the make shift slide hammer down the barrel before putting the ball in!
Thanks again.

 

[Phil Coffins]

.440 would call for a .430 ball in my limited experience.

 

[smoothshooter]

View attachment 197833
Not strange at all.
My Miroku flint will only take a .429{from TOTW} PRB while the Ultra-Hi percussion{spain marked barrel} will accept the .440 with no problems.

So I finally got my Ultra-High 45 cal flint out to the range today for the first time since I bought it a few weeks back and, to my great surprise and dismay, the 45 Hornady ball would not come close to going down the barrel, even without patching. So after doing a number of mic and calipers checks its comes out to be 0.429-.430. Appears as though it could be a 43 caliber? At this point should I go to the TOTW site and order something like 0.400" or 0.410" balls? Is this as strange as I'm thinking it is?
Thanks

 

[smoothshooter]

Many of the early replica ML rifles from the 1960’s and 1970’s were made in .44 caliber instead of the later more popular (for some reason ) .45.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

PM Sent

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Grenadier1758]

Many of the earlier (1960's through 1970's used the bore diameter as the caliber description rather than the land to land diameter. For those, you need the smaller ball sizes 0.429 to 0.433.

It is important to have the firearm in hand to measure the land to land diameter and the groove to groove diameter of a rifle before deciding in the diameter of the ball and patching to be used.

 

[AndyJ]

View attachment 197833
Not strange at all.
My Miroku flint will only take a .429{from TOTW} PRB while the Ultra-Hi percussion{spain marked barrel} will accept the .440 with no problems.

What thickness ticking do you use with .429?

 

[AndyJ]

Many of the earlier (1960's through 1970's used the bore diameter as the caliber description rather than the land to land diameter. For those, you need the smaller ball sizes 0.429 to 0.433.

It is important to have the firearm in hand to measure the land to land diameter and the groove to groove diameter of a rifle before deciding in the diameter of the ball and patching to be used.

With the .433...only 0.007" seems kinda tight with patching...guess it depends on the ticking thickness.

 

[hanshi]

Okay, it comes out to about .440" or just a tad smaller. In keeping with the common practice of using a ball .010" under bore size a ball of .430" to .433" should be tested just to make sure of the caliber.

In the '60s I bought a ".45" rifle that actually was meant to load a .430"-"433" ball. I can usually manage a .440" in it but it is fairly tight, at least tighter than a slightly smaller ball

 

[The Crisco Kid]

You may want to double check before shopping for ball. A length of rod that slides into the barrel freely and is say one to two feet long can act as a slide hammer. Place it in the oiled bore then put a ball on the muzzle. With a wood or leather mallet tap the ball in to the bore just past the muzzle. Then turn the gun muzzle down and shake the gun so the rod knocks the ball out. Easyier to measure the ball then.

How come I never thought of this!
I've always thought I would have to pull the breech plug to slug the bore!

 

[Phil Coffins]

How come I never thought of this!
I've always thought I would have to pull the breech plug to slug the bore!

Maybe you aren’t old enough like me! I like to help out all you kids.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

How come I never thought of this!
I've always thought I would have to pull the breech plug to slug the bore!

Don't feel bad, Phil's suggestion was a new one for this old man! I guess for me it is too simple. I alway like to make a situation more difficult than it really is.
Larry

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Try some .429 pistol bullets in whatever weight you want and paper patch them?

 

[Steel Hayes]

What thickness ticking do you use with .429?

.010 with lube.

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Don't feel bad, Phil's suggestion was a new one for this old man! I guess for me it is too simple. I alway like to make a situation more difficult than it really is.
Larry

I add a "me too." I have an original rifle, looks 1850s to me, that I've wanted to slug. Phil has saved me much grief