Swaged .380 balls

[don hepler]

I need some 380 dia. balls for my Colt 2nd Gen. 1851, but all I can find is cast with the spur.

I got some 375 Hornady, but they can be pushed into the cyclinder with my finger.

Speer and Hornady don't list them as a standard item. Where" the .380's ?

 

[nmdd]

00 buck...may be to hard... :idunno:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/613779/hornady-lead-00-buckshot-5-lb-box

 

[dubshooter]

Don't hate me if this isn't exactly what you're looking for. I'm fairly new, but did remember seeing these. There was another site I saw a bunch of .380's, but I can't remember for the life of me what the site was. But I will keep looking

Click Here

 

[Leatherbark]

You will have to buy cast probably. I've never seen swaged .380 balls only cast

IIRC 00 is .330 caliber 000 is .350 caliber. 0000 maybe .380 but I am not sure.

Bob

 

[nmdd]

oops your right, posted the wrong link...it's hell getting old..... :surrender:
http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Super-Buck-Lead-Buckshot-0000-8lb-380/productinfo/SBK40/

 

[curator]

Trackofthewolf has them. They may be cast, but that would be my preference. Cast balls are more uniform than swaged regardless of what the advertizements say about them. http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/127/1

 

[don hepler]

Thanks for all the responsces, I guess I'll go to TOW, if that's my only alternative. I'd try the 0000 buck if, someone would recommend a brand they've used successfully. How much is lost in accuracy, with the spur sticking up on the ball? I can see the spur on the cast balls from Dixie,and TOW. I think I saw a mould by LEE that did not have the spur, but can't find information with the description.

Again thanks for the information.

 

[don hepler]

Oh, I forgot to mention I read some reviews on Midway, where people purchased Uberti 1861 36 cal. and claim that Speer 375 balls fit better than Hornady 375 balls. Is this true?

 

[George T.]

My guess is that those cast balls are tumbled enough to smooth out the spru. If not put it up as the seeting ram buggers it up anyway. The ballis swaged/trimmed into a round ended cylender and then hit in the rump with expoldeing powder and shot thru the forceing cone. Life is rough on a round ball in a cap and ball revolver. Given all of that I wouldn't worry to much. There are a whole lot of 36's out there and you would think that if they actually took the.380 ball someone would make them When you call TOW ask their people what they suggest. With the treated felt patches and grease oner the ball I am not sure how tight the ball needs to fit the cylender. Both of my C&B's are 44's. Good Luck! Geo. T.

 

[t.l.a.r. eng]

The Lee. 380 mold leaves very little sprue after the gate is knocked open. With the cylinders reamed to 3/8th inch and beveled, seems a perfect fit.

 

[don hepler]

I got some friends at my shooting club that cast, so maybe it's time to jump in and learn how.

Thanks.

 

[Billnpatti]

Depending on how much you shoot this revolver, it may be to your advantage to buy a Lee pot, a dipper and a Lee mould and you can cast your own balls. If you don't shoot all that often, then it is probably cheaper to just buy the balls once you find what fits. I cast my own balls and find it to be almost as enjoyable a hobby as shooting. After casting my balls and culling them, I put the "winners" into a rock tumbler (no tumbling media in it) and tumble them for about 30 to 45 minutes, no longer than that, and they come out looking like black ball bearings. I think it is the black rubber lining of the tumbler that makes them black. I can't buy balls as good as the ones that I make.

 

[don hepler]

That sounds interesting. I don't know how much I'll shoot this pistol, but I shoot 2-3 days a week, when the weather permits. If I get into casting, I got some other projects that would be interesting, such as conicals for ROA.

Thanks.

 

[swathdiver]

I need some 380 dia. balls for my Colt 2nd Gen. 1851, but all I can find is cast with the spur.

Just bought some from Track of the Wolf (Rush Creek). Dixie Gun Works and Gad Custom Cartridges are the only others I'm familiar with that offer them. Will be buying a mould to cast my own too.

 

[M. De Land]

I cast all my round balls with Lee molds and prefer the small sprue flat. I put them all in my tumbler with some marbles after casting and run them for about an hour. The marbles will smooth out most all of the small sprue flat and you can load them as swaged balls.
I think for match shooting it may be a good idea to weigh them to get rid of any air voids under the sprue though.MD