Trouble loading lee conical into cylinders

[Jr45]

I'm still learning the art of cap and ball shooting and I'm having some issues with loading. My 200gr lee conicals are sized to to.451 but are just a tad too large to fit into the cylinder without great effort and struggles even when using a loading stand. My cylinders (pietta 1858) measure .438-.440. What are some suggestions would you recommend? Maybe sizing the conicals smaller, beveling/opening the cylinder?

 

[64Springer]

If your cylinders are what you say they are, then .451 is WAY too big.

Hone your cylinders to .450 and those bullets will load just fine.

So will .454 lead balls.

 

[Jr45]

If your cylinders are what you say they are, then .451 is WAY too big.

Hone your cylinders to .450 and those bullets will load just fine.

So will .454 lead balls.

The edge of the cylinder does measure that tight. Once past the edge, the bullets load a little easier. I never honed a revolver cylinder but maybe try the edge first..?

 

[64Springer]

Hard to imagine the edge tighter than the rest of the cylinder.

Unless the manufacturer somehow rolled the edge in.

If it really is just the edge, get a 45 degree chamfering tool from HD or Lowe's and carefully bevel the end of each cylinder.

Just break the edge. 1/32nd or less.

 

[Jr45]

Hard to imagine the edge tighter than the rest of the cylinder.

Unless the manufacturer somehow rolled the edge in.

If it really is just the edge, get a 45 degree chamfering tool from HD or Lowe's and carefully bevel the end of each cylinder.

Just break the edge. 1/32nd or less.

Probably the entire cylinder. I don’t have the tool to measure past the edge. Would you recommend this for honing?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DB8BX3G/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

[64Springer]

Use .454 balls and be happy doing so.

 

[hawkeye2]

.438-.440 is too small for the bore so you will have accuracy problems. Even if you chamfer the opening you are still sizing your bullet down from .451 to .440, that's .011 and would take way too much effort. Open the chambers to .450 and find a mold that casts a bevel base bullet or drop the idea.

 

[Gee Dog]

Nomenclature matters. Cylinders contain chambers, usually six. Chambers are where the lead goes.

Springer is right, using .454’s may simplify things.

 

[Bad Karma]

I'm still learning the art of cap and ball shooting and I'm having some issues with loading. My 200gr lee conicals are sized to to.451 but are just a tad too large to fit into the cylinder without great effort and struggles even when using a loading stand. My cylinders (pietta 1858) measure .438-.440. What are some suggestions would you recommend? Maybe sizing the conicals smaller, beveling/opening the cylinder?

Pietta usually come way under sized like yours. I have reamed them to .452“ lately I just send them to Charlie Hahn to be reamed. Cost is less than 50 bucks.

 

[Jr45]

Thanks for the replies. I thought about going with soft lead balls but would like to stay with conicals. I have not heard of Charlie Hahn but will look into his work.

 

[M. De Land]

I'm still learning the art of cap and ball shooting and I'm having some issues with loading. My 200gr lee conicals are sized to to.451 but are just a tad too large to fit into the cylinder without great effort and struggles even when using a loading stand. My cylinders (pietta 1858) measure .438-.440. What are some suggestions would you recommend? Maybe sizing the conicals smaller, beveling/opening the cylinder?

I'd ream all the cylinder mouths to the largest one for uiformity and then lube/size the conical to fit the opened cylinder throats and barrel groove. Bullets like to fit barrel grooves for best accuracy and balls don't seem to care about undersized chamber throats. I can't remember plug gauging a percussion gun that did not have chamber mouths a good bit smaller than barrel groove diameter.
The new Uberti Walker I just bought has chamber mouths that plug gauge .449 for about a ball diameter in depth and then the gauge stops cold like it hit a wall. I'm told they taper to .446 from that point on but have not put the smaller gauge in to verify this. I'll check that dimension later today when I head out to the shop.
The barrels groove in the Walker measures .4532. and are right at .0075 deep per side.

 

[SDSmlf]

My cylinders (pietta 1858) measure .438-.440.

How are you making this measurement? The most recent cylinder chambers I measured using gauge pins were in the .4495”/.4500” diameter range.

 

[M. De Land]

I'm still learning the art of cap and ball shooting and I'm having some issues with loading. My 200gr lee conicals are sized to to.451 but are just a tad too large to fit into the cylinder without great effort and struggles even when using a loading stand. My cylinders (pietta 1858) measure .438-.440. What are some suggestions would you recommend? Maybe sizing the conicals smaller, beveling/opening the cylinder?

I have and use a full set of pin gauges regularly for ID checks but the most accurate method is to make a cerosafe cast and cross mic it after one hour, It will be exact ID with the added benefit of revealing out of roundness which is actually quite common in gang reamed factory cylinder chambers.
I reamed a Pietta model 62 to .380 and upon completion while examining I noted some gouging from reaming and thought how in the world did I do that? Then it dawned on me that the gouges had bluing in the bottom of them which means it came from the factory in that condition. The cutting from my reamer made clean bright metal that revealed the gouges from the factory ream job. Fortunately the shallow gouges were not in the throat at chambers end so it will harm nothing but sure looks like manure if viewed closely.

 

[PastorB]

The Lee conical has always been a Big PITA to load in any cap and ball revolver I own. A year or so ago, I got the Era's Gone Kerr Bullet, and life got better. That conical bullet will load easily in any revolver I have tried it in, including my Pietta .44 "Navies", which have a notoriously small opening. My old Lee conical mold will never see daylight again.

 

[M. De Land]

I'd ream all the cylinder mouths to the largest one for uiformity and then lube/size the conical to fit the opened cylinder throats and barrel groove. Bullets like to fit barrel grooves for best accuracy and balls don't seem to care about undersized chamber throats. I can't remember plug gauging a percussion gun that did not have chamber mouths a good bit smaller than barrel groove diameter.
The new Uberti Walker I just bought has chamber mouths that plug gauge .449 for about a ball diameter in depth and then the gauge stops cold like it hit a wall. I'm told they taper to .446 from that point on but have not put the smaller gauge in to verify this. I'll check that dimension later today when I head out to the shop.
The barrels groove in the Walker measures .4532. and are right at .0075 deep per side.

I checked the internal chamber diameter of my new Uberti Walker and the mouth is .449 for about a balls depth and then it goes clear down to a .440 plug gauge before it will drop to the chamber bottom. I may still have some trouble getting these .448 sized ACP bullets to seat ! The heel should help for about .050 increase in seating depth potential I'm guessing.
Guess I better try loading some here at home instead of waiting for range day .

 

[nkbj]

Factory deburring of chamber mouths sometimes puts a little lip on the inside because of using a dull chamfering tool. So when you try to measure the inside diameter of the chamber your tool is riding on that lip.

 

[LME]

I'm still learning the art of cap and ball shooting and I'm having some issues with loading. My 200gr lee conicals are sized to to.451 but are just a tad too large to fit into the cylinder without great effort and struggles even when using a loading stand. My cylinders (pietta 1858) measure .438-.440. What are some suggestions would you recommend? Maybe sizing the conicals smaller, beveling/opening the cylinder?

If I were you I would get someone that shoots B.P. pistols to show you what to do. The last thing I would do is change anything on the pistol till you have tried everything else. I have seen pistols/rifles nearly ruined by people messing with them. There is bound to be someone near you that could help? Ask at your local gun store if they know someone if you don't,

 

[Griff093]

My very 1st question is: Are you using pure lead to cast your conicals? If not, you're going to have trouble even if the holes were .450.

 

[64Springer]

My very 1st question is: Are you using pure lead to cast your conicals? If not, you're going to have trouble even if the holes were .450.

Absolutely not true.

I cast my Dragoon bullets out of clip-on wheel weights plus 3% tin for mold fill-out.

A little 45-45-10 and they press in with zero difficulties.

Urban Legends: When will they end.

 

[M. De Land]

Absolutely not true.

I cast my Dragoon bullets out of clip-on wheel weights plus 3% tin for mold fill-out.

A little 45-45-10 and they press in with zero difficulties.

Urban Legends: When will they end.

Do you happen to know the BHN number on the 45 lead 45 tin, 10 antimony ? Are they water quenched or dropped on cloth pad and shot as cast after sizing/lubing?
What do they weigh ?