So I'm a cheapskate to a fault at times. Many years ago I was given a few ball molds. Mostly Lee but there was one Rapine and one Lyman. The Rapine is a nominal .670".
I own two 12 gauge smoothbores. One mikes .722" the other is .728". The Rapine casts pure lead balls at .672". I on a whim dug it out and cast a few today. I then miked two cotton flannel cleaning patches stacked on top of one another and it was .030" with normal pressure and .022" compressed.
Lubed up the two stacked patches and with easy thumb pressure the ball can be seated in the muzzle. There is no 'slop' in the bore what so ever. But it loads easy enough I think it will allow for some fouling to build up and still be able to be loaded.
So has anyone successfully tried to use undersized balls with extra thick patching? I need to find some proper tight weave cotton cloth before attempting this but I think it might be worth a shot. It would save me money I would otherwise spend on a larger diameter mold if it works. Any ideas on extra thick patching material?
