Round ball size

[GaryED50]

Hi

I'm soon going to order a Brown Bess online and I found a local LGS with all the supplies I'll need but wondering. If I use paper cartridges I'm pretty sure .690 round ball will work but if loading a patched ball would .680 be better?

Gary

 

[Grenadier1758]

You didn't say who is the maker of your Brown Bess. Before I make a recommendation, I would need to know the diameter of the bore. It can vary from 0.690 to 0.750" You need to know the diameter of the bore. The 0.690" ball was the standard British ball used in the paper cartridges. It was a very loose fit and accuracy on target was notoriously poor. I have a 0.770" bore and I use a heavily paper wrapped 0.715" ball.

Let's find out what your bore diameter is before we worry about ball diameter, paper wrapping or patch material.

 

[tenngun]

My Fusil de chase is .62, when I shoot a patched ball I shot a .600. For a paper cartridge it’s a .570.
About .02 to .04 under barrel size gives room for the patch without being to tight.
Should you shoot just wadded you will want to be as close to bore as possible. Lots of guys with a .62 shoot a .61
The same thing with a bess, you want to get as close as possible.
Cartridge are notorious for being inaccurate but at fifty yards you will routinely hit a dinner plate sized ant that will turn deer French for you( turn deer in to venison)
A .715 will shoot as well or better then most shot gun slugs.

 

[GaryED50]

You didn't say who is the maker of your Brown Bess. Before I make a recommendation, I would need to know the diameter of the bore. It can vary from 0.690 to 0.750" You need to know the diameter of the bore. The 0.690" ball was the standard British ball used in the paper cartridges. It was a very loose fit and accuracy on target was notoriously poor. I have a 0.770" bore and I use a heavily paper wrapped 0.715" ball.

Let's find out what your bore diameter is before we worry about ball diameter, paper wrapping or patch material.

I'm buying a short land pattern Brown Bess from Middlesexvillage I don't know which Italian maker they do the builds from. Its the only way I can afford it. Their asking less then $600 while everyone else is over $`1200.00

Gary

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

think you will find that Middlesex is not having guns made in Italy. Last I knew their guns were coming in from India.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

I have a .672 mold that I am using for a .69 caliber musket. Or a .655 with a fat patch or paper cartridge. My ,62 smoothbore uses a .580 rb in a paper cartridge or a .600 with a patch.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Grenadier1758]

The Middlesex Village guns are make in India.

Because of their local sourcing in India, the bore diameter can be the full range of tolerances. Wait until you have the Bess in your hands to do the measurements.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

My Fusil de chase is .62, when I shoot a patched ball I shot a .600. For a paper cartridge it’s a .570.
About .02 to .04 under barrel size gives room for the patch without being to tight.
Should you shoot just wadded you will want to be as close to bore as possible. Lots of guys with a .62 shoot a .61
The same thing with a bess, you want to get as close as possible.
Cartridge are notorious for being inaccurate but at fifty yards you will routinely hit a dinner plate sized ant that will turn deer French for you( turn deer in to venison)
A .715 will shoot as well or better then most shot gun slugs.

Where are you living where the ants are the size of dinner plates??

 

[tenngun]

No, but fat thumbs typing on a phone

 

[Rifleman1776]

As others have said, the foreign made BBs whether India or Italian, the bores can vary considerably. For my ca. 1976 Navy Arms/Pedersoli kit boomer I use a soft lead .731" ball. Note: with that ball I load like a rifle. e.g. patch cut at muzzle and bore swabbed between every shot. Don't spend money on a mould until you determine bore size and settle on how you intend to load.

 

[old ugly]

i used to shoot 570 round ball in my 62 with thick patches like blue jean material. it was very accurate ,for smoothy, and always easy to load. it was what i had.
if if shooting a patched round ball and it were me i wouldn't worry about an exact size ball, close is probably good enough, more so i would find the exact size patch material.
paper cartridges i don't know>
ou
tom

 

[GaryED50]

Thank you everyone. this will be a new experience for me, all of my BP shooting was Cap and ball revolvers. I have no experience with a long arm or a flintlock

Gary

 

[Jay Templin]

This Bess is your first flintlock? Great choice! Nothing like starting out with the best.
(There is a slight possibility that my opinion may be biased.)
Jay