Proper size ball for a .40 Cal Flintlock

[yaakman]

I just purchased a .40 Cal Flintlock and am new to flintlocks. I Tried a .395 ball for size and it sled down the barrel but stuck in the bottom. The gun had not been fired in 25 years and after I pulled the ball, I cleaned the barrel which was dirty. My Question is if the ball slides down the barrel is it the right size? I think it stuck at the breech because it had not been cleaned in years. I thought about using a smaller ball but the next size available is a .375 which seems too small. Do you guys think the .395 ball is the right one. I have not tried to fit the .395 with a greased patch. Will that make a difference? Thanks for your help

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I shoot a .395 round ball with a .010 bridgers best patch. That is a tight combination, but not so tight that I have to use a short starter. You may want to measure the diameter of your barrel from land to land to know exactly what the inner diameter of your barrel actually is. Slugging the barrel is the best way, then you can use a micrometer and know exactly. I know a fellow with a .40, and his rifle like a .405. I know another that uses a .410 ball because his is actually .42.
For small game, I use a .380 ball with a .22 thou's patch. and reduce my powder to 40 grains of 3F. If I were you, I would first find the right ball/patch combination that shoots well. After that, you can experiment on different loads.
Ohio Rusty

 

[Flint1]

The .390 would be the more common size down from the .395. I have a .40 with a Rayl barrel which uses a .400 ball and .018 pillow ticking patch.

 

[750k2]

My 40 is coned and I have been using a .395 - But I have a .390 mold also and will be trying them soon.
.395 are extremely accurate and will use them for hunting but for practice I will use the .390 to maybe get a few more shots between swabbing.
Rice bbl. and .017 ticking.
Every rifle is a law onto itself!!
You'll just have to experiment. :m2c:

 

[yaakman]

Where did you get the .390 mold? It seems the only choice if you have to go down from the .395

 

[harryo]

I just purchased a .40 Cal Flintlock and am new to flintlocks. I Tried a .395 ball for size and it sled down the barrel but stuck in the bottom.

My .40cal GM barrel likes a .395 ball and a .018 ticking patch, which shoots quite well but isn't overly tight to load. GM even suggest using a .40 ball for best accuracy when target shooting. There can be some small difference in bore diameter of different barrels but you should be close with the .395 ball. Yes, it is normal for an unpatched ball of the proper size to go down a barrel unrestricted and yes, a proper patch will tighten it up.

 

[harryo]

Where did you get the .390 mold? It seems the only choice if you have to go down from the .395

Don't be too hasty to think you need a smaller ball. If the .395 went down the bore unrestricted, then it is not too big.

 

[750k2]

Track of the wolf but any supplier such as midway etc.
will have them. They cast nice with shorter warm-up.
And they are cheap so you can order more of them and try different sizes. They also make a .380 if you have some real thick patching.

 

[CrackStock]

Did you simply roll the bare ball down the bore?

You need to take the thickness of the patch into account as it forms a sort of gasket.

Was there a sprue on the ball or was this a swaged ball?

Something else to consider:
The stopping of the ball at the breech end may point out another problem. If you have a touch hole liner that extends into the bore a bit, the ball may have stick there. You might run a rod down there to "feel" for this. You should also measure the distance that the rod went inside before stopping against the distance from outside of the barrel to various structures to see if the rod stopped at the touch hole liner or the breech.

What barrel do you have?

Just because a manufacturer says it is a .40 does not mean that it is a true .400. There is a degree of variance between the manufacturers. There is also variance in the depth of rifling and rate of twist.

I shoot a Green Mountain and have 5 molds for it. A .400 is a bit tight and a real pain to load, but gives the best accuracy from cross sticks. A .395 is my favorite ball for it and gives good accuracy for off hand shooting or good enough for cross sticks. The .390 works well when I am not able to swab between shots such as out in the field on woods walks or hunting at fairly close range. I can detect a decrease in accuracy from the cross sticks, but not enough of a difference off hand to justify the struggle in the woods that comes with many shots from a very tight load.

Pick the one that suits your current need.

(I do not want you to think that I just went out and bought every mold in sight, I accumulated these over years through shoots, trades and deals. But I have learned that the various sizes offered advantages and uses.)

You should try out the various balls and then decide how best to use them.

CS

 

[merdean]

I have a .40 cal barrel with percussion breechplug installed. I will eventually build a rifle with it. I have the parts on hand but lack time and energy to build it. I have a .395 and .390 mold. I will, someday, cast some balls and see what size works best in MY rifle. That is what you have to do. A .395 ball should roll down the barrel. When it is patched, the patch will take up the excess space and seal the bore. Lot of good advice on this forum. Don't get rid of the .395 balls till you start shooting. Then shoot 'em! Good Luck!

 

Yaakman welcome to the forum. You appear to be new to muzzleloading. How about some more info. so we can better assist you. For starters have you shot muzzleloaders, or used blackpowder guns before, and is your .40 flinter a production gun or custom made. and what is the barrel length. These things will give us a better handle on helping you. But first be aware that since you have a flintlock, you need to use only black powder, as none of the black powder substitutes will work in it. They need more spark and heat than a flint can produce. Now for .40 cal., it would be wise to mike the bore to find out the exact size of your gun. this will help determine the ball size you might want. the two most common in order are .395, and .390 patched respectively with a .010 and .018 cotton patch. I would recommend starting with 30 grains of FFF black powder GOEX or Swiss. With a proper working lock just enough powder to reach the bottom of the touch hole. You would then work your load up from there in 5 grain increments till you find your best load. Also check out the flintlock tips at the top of this category for more info and help. Bill

 

[yaakman]

Bill,
I have no experience shooting a flintlock. I have a .54 percussioon that I have fired about 100 rounds through, but have not shot it in about 4 years. The .40 I bought is a custom made flintlock by Louie Poole and AW Lenhart. Everyone that has seen it says it is a fine rifle. The previous owner bought it in the 70's and never fired it. I believe the rifle was made about then from what I have been told.
I bought the gun on consignment from a trader. We tried a .395 ball in the gun without first cleaning the barrel the ball went in and slide to the breech and stuck there. He tried blowing it out with CO2 but that did not work. Next we used a screw and the ball came out. This made me think the ball was too large. But after talking to more experienced guys it could be that the ball stuck because the barrel was dirty. Also with a greased patch it may have gone in fine. Yesterday I ordered .395 balls and .389 balls and some .010 lubed patches. My intention is to try the .389 ball with the .010 patch first and see how it works. If it goes in fairly easy then I may try the .395. If Ihave to pound it in then I am thinking the .395 ball is a non-starter. Any suggestion?

 

Probably the reason the ball didn't come out with CO2 is that the gas blew right by the round ball, so the.395 should be fine with that rifle, you just need to find the right patching. For me the right thickness patch is one that I can push the ball into the barrel with my thumb, whether it's thin silk, or linen for my .32, and .40, or thick denim or ticking, that i use withe .62 tulle smoothe bore, it's a matter of trial and error. Some people like a short starter, but you should never need to pound a ball down the barrel to get it started. All the patch neds to do is make a good gas seal and fill up the grooves. A .40 cal is a ball to shoot :haha: (pun intended), almost no recoil, economical on powder, and they can be tack drivers. I would start with 20 or 25 grains, get in five or ten shots for starters to see where it shoots , then work your load up from there. Remember it's a flinter so only real black powder , and since it's a smaller caliber FFFG powder, though you could use FFG if you don't have FFFG. The trick for best ignition is not to overload the pan. Keep it below the flash hole, and to the outside of the pan, you only need two or three grains. You can use the same powder to prime as you load, you don't really need FFFFG for prime. Again read all the tips at the beginning of the Flint section, very, very, very, helpful for a starting flinter. Good luck, and let us know how ya did, and if we can help, or confuse ya some more :crackup: Bill

 

[AZ-Robert]

I have a new-to-me .40 flinter with 42" barrel that came from the previous owner with a box of .395 Hornady balls and some .010 pre-lubed patches. Have had the chance to take it out shooting only once; used the previous owner's recommended load of 25 grains of 3F and spit-lubed .018 patches provided by the gentleman who showed me how to use my new rifle.

Loading with the .018 patches was a little tight but was able to get off about four shots between cleaning swipes with a wet patch. I think the .010 patches with the .395 balls will be just right and will give them a try next time out.

With that combo of .395 ball and .018 patch the 25 grain load of 3F was sweet. At about 40 - 50 yards (didn't measure it) the balls went right where the sights said they would go. Had the recoil of a .22 rimfire. Might try a heavier load next time out, but only out of curiosity - that 25 grain load seems to be right on the money.